The time has come.
You're about to transition to a whole new stage of your life. It's the most exciting one, too. You'll make new friends. You'll face the need to become a more responsible individual. You'll study a lot, but you'll party more.
Excited? Overwhelmed?
Relax!
The transition may be overwhelming at first, but you'll handle it like a champ. You can learn from the experience of those before.
We collected the most important tips on how to prepare for your freshman year at college. We'll cover various aspects of being a student: studying, partying, food, exercise, and more.
Tips: How to Get Ready for Being a Freshman
1. Develop the Habit of Effective Reading
You already know this: college involves a lot of studying. You'll get chunky textbooks, and you'll have to read through the entire content.
You need to develop the habit of effective reading before you start your studies. You have some time before getting on campus, right? Start reading on a daily basis. You can take online courses on Coursera. Choose the ones you plan to take in college. Read small parts of the coursework every day, and take notes.
Effective reading means understanding the information you get. If you need more details, search for answers online.
2. Develop the Habit of Writing
High-school writing assignments are nothing compared to what you'll handle in college.
Academic writing is one of the greatest challenges that freshmen face. Many are forced to get the best nursing assignment help in Australia, simply because they don't know how to research, write, and format the content.
You can get ready before you get the first assignment. How? - Just practice writing!
As you follow the previous tip, you'll be learning new things every day. Take the opportunity to write something about the topics that get your attention. Find good resources, form your ideas, and express them.
You don't have to be formal when you write for fun. Unleash your creativity. The point of this practice is to become less intimidated by the concept of writing. When the time for formal assignments comes, you'll be ready to tackle them.
3. Figure Out Your Major
Most freshmen start off college without knowing what major they will choose. That's okay. The problem is if you avoid thinking about it. Bouncing from one niche to another may be exciting. However, that will delay your graduation and you'll spend way more money than planned.
Remember how we told you to explore courses on Coursera? That's your chance to test your interests for free. Take your time to go through different subject areas. Note down your thoughts. This simple method helps you choose a major ahead of time.
4. Be Responsible!
Parties, relationships, drinking, and all kinds of activities are part of the college life. You don't want to deprive yourself from having fun.
However, you have to stay responsible. Don't spend too much time partying with friends. Limit your Netflix time, too!
These are your priorities:
Attending classes
Studying
Completing coursework
Extracurriculars
Exercise
Partying comes after that. You might not have time for it throughout the week, so save your nights out for the weekends.
If you have to work throughout college, partying gets even lower on the priority list.
This doesn't mean that you'll have a boring life. You'll still have tons of fun. You just need to learn how to manage your activities and use your time as effectively as possible. Never let your studies suffer because of drinking, gaming, and Netflix!
5. Stay Healthy
Your food choices affect your performance as a student. Pizzas and burgers will give you protein and carbohydrates, but they won't give you all the minerals and vitamins that your body needs.
Try having a freshly squeezed juice or a smoothie in the morning. Replace cereal with a fruit salad. Throughout the day, eat as many veggies as you can.
It's okay to indulge in your favorite foods from time to time. You don't have to abandon burgers and pizzas forever. However, don't turn junk food into your main source of energy. When you eat enough fruits and veggies, you won't have too much space for unhealthy snacks. Instead of thinking about the foods you shouldn't eat, focus on those that you should eat.
Exercise is an important part of the process to stay healthy. Try to work out at least twenty minutes per day. Yes; you're busy. But twenty minutes is nothing. If you exercise in the morning, you'll get energized enough to go through the day.
Prepare for the Most Exciting Period of Your Life
Let's be honest: college movies give you false expectations. Most of your life will revolve around classes and studying. But you know what? That's exciting, too!
You'll get tired, overwhelmed, and emotional at times. But you'll make plenty of new friends, who will become your support system.
The more prepared you are to face the challenges, the better your freshman year will be.
You'll get ready by developing reading and writing habits, gravitating towards a particular niche as your major, becoming more responsible with your priorities, and staying healthy.
That's not too much. You're young, vibrant, and powerful to make slight changes in your lifestyle.
