What You Should Know For Your First Day At College

Your first day at college or university is always incredible nerve-racking, even if someone won’t admit to it, we’re all nervous when it comes to the first day. There’s the fear of the unknown, the fear that you won’t make friends, the fear that you’ll get lost, or the fear that you won’t know what you’re doing. Plus, there’s also the billions of irrational fears that will be floating around – but don’t worry, you’re not alone!

Everyone’s first day at college will be different, depending on where you’re studying and what you’re studying and what kind of person you are, but there are some things you should know first. We’re here, to let you know what to expect for your first day at college, so it will be a little bit easier for you!

1. Don’t Worry Too Much About Making Friends

On the first day of college, there will always be some people who are naturally good at making friends and will instantly click with everyone around them. If you’re not one of those people, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Take your time, you’ll find your people and you will make friends. Smile at people, make yourself available and approachable.

Perhaps look for someone that you might something have in common with – if you notice that the girl sat at the front is wearing a The 1975 t-shirt and they’re your favourite band, go over and compliment her on it! Or if you notice a guy over in the corner that’s also sat on his own, ask if you can sit with him, get talking to him about how he’s finding his first day. Just remember that you’ll make friends on your own time and don’t be alarmed by those that have already got a big group of friends on the first day!

2. Check For Any Work

Always check the night before to see if work has been set for the first day. Some professors like to set assignments for the first day, often these are just to get an understanding of how the students write and work. But, it’s important to do any work that’s set for the first day to make a good impression. Don’t get caught out, or it’ll make for a very awkward first conversation with your professor if you have to explain that you haven’t done the assignment.

3. Take Notes

Take notes about as many things as you possibly can, or even bring a voice recorder. You might be expecting your first day to be an easy one, but quite often you will be getting a lot of important information fired at you in a short space of time so be sure to make notes of as many things as you can or you might regret it later! Sometimes the first day is all about what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year, or crucial things that you need to do for the next day – if you don’t want to end up very confused or behind, take notes!

4. Aim to Arrive Early

If you’re on a big campus, it can be easy to get lost when you’re new. Consider aiming to arrive early on your first day in case you get lost or end up delayed. You really want to make a good first impression and you don’t want to miss anything important or awkwardly end up walking in late – that’s never fun! It’s always better to be early than late, especially when it’s your first day at college. If you’re due to start at 9am, aim to get there for 8:45am – it won’t do you any harm!

5. Try Not to Worry

It’s easier said than done, but honestly, whatever you’re feeling you will definitely not be alone. Just be prepared for the day, be open to anything and everything, and don’t overthink it and you’ll be fine. Everyone will be feeling nervous to some extent and people will be worrying about all sorts of things, so take some comfort from that and know that nobody will be looking at you and thinking “what is she wearing?!” because they will be too caught up worrying about themselves! So, don’t worry, we’ve all been there and before you know it your first year at college will be over and you’ll be wishing you could go back to that first day!

What’s your biggest tip for surviving the first day at college? Let us know in the comments!

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