I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f You Give a College Kid a Cookie: Advice /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for First Time College Student

I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f You Give a College Kid a Cookie: Advice /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for First Time College Students

by Katherine Mali Hanner | Thursday, Aug 25, 2022

I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you give a college kid a cookie, they are going to want a glass o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f milk. When they remember that they no longer have easy access to their kitchen鈥檚 re/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/frigerator and pantry, they might start to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel a little homesick. When they start to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel homesick, they will look through their camera roll and reminisce about their old /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends and summer memories. Then, they will spend the next two hours scrolling through their phones. When they glance at the time, they鈥檒l realize it鈥檚 past 3:00 am and their /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/first class o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f the day begins in just a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/few short hours.听

听

From choosing the right major to living up to personal standards, or simply making /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends, college presents a whole di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferent set o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f potential worries. It鈥檚 easy to let late night thoughts /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fuel overthinking, especially within the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/first /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/few weeks o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f school. However, be/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fore you allow your overthinking to get the best o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you and reach /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for your phone in hopes o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f dissociating until 3 in the morning, take some advice /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from a once-/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/freshman 大象传媒 student that will help you survive your /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/first year in college with minimal stress and maximum success.

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Academic

While many incoming /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/freshmen /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find themselves academically prepared /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for college since they developed good study habits in high school, others will discover that they did not. I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fall into the latter category, /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fear not! There is hope /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for you. It may take time and consistency, but these academic habits will help you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find success in your classes.

Tip #1: Maintaining a way to keep track o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f assignments is key to staying organized and not losing track o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f deadlines. Making a master list o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f all due dates and assignments based on your syllabi is widely regarded as very help/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ful. Sitting down at the beginning o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f each week to plan out my time within a daily planner also helps me stay on top o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f my classes. To keep mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f accountable, I like to write down both the due dates and how long in minutes I want to spend on each assignment or study session. (Extra tip! Be generous with yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f, overestimating how long tasks will take, because underestimation is all too common and can greatly add to your stress.) However, i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/falling behind in class鈥μ�

Tip #2: Go to o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fice hours! Pro/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fessors love when you come to their o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fice hours with genuine interest in learning. It not only bene/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fits you, but also builds relationships. Plus, you never know when you might need a recommendation letter down the road.听

Tip #3: Don鈥檛 exhaust yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f by stressing out i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you don鈥檛 achieve straight As, but also don鈥檛 slack o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f. I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you came to college with the goal o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f a 4.0 GPA, remember per/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fect scores aren鈥檛 everything. It鈥檚 important to give your best e/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fort, but strive to make good memories as well as good grades. On the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/flip side, don鈥檛 take easy courses simply because you don鈥檛 want to work hard. Consider trying classes outside o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f your com/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fort zone. You may stumble upon an interest you didn鈥檛 ever know you had!

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Mental

Taking care o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f mentally is crucial to thriving in college. Prioritizing good mental health ensures a higher quality o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fe since it鈥檚 the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/foundation o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f thoughts and actions. Doing so bene/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fits your relationships with others and yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f, too.听

Tip #1: Take your thoughts captive and get help i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f needed. Thoughts can be overwhelming, especially at college when many worries may center around the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/future. 滨鈥檓 completely guilty o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f sel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f-inducing anxiousness by allowing mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f to linger on thoughts about big and little worries (past relationships, regrets, bad grades, /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fears, etc.) and 鈥渨hat i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fs鈥� about my /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/future. I try to remind mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f 滨鈥檓 in control and then do my best to redirect my thoughts to things that bring me joy. Although easier said than done, sometimes all it takes is repeating happy things to yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f to bring you out o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f a haze. It can help you see the big picture and little beauties o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fe rather than /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fixating on things that will be insigni/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ficant within a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/few weeks. Talking to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends or /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/family can also help put things into perspective, but i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f overly stressed o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ften and /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feeling like there鈥檚 no escape, there is no judgment in trying out CAPS. 大象传媒鈥檚 Counseling And Psychological Services have been known to help tons o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f students! Don鈥檛 shy away /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from getting the support you need, whether /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from peers, pro/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fessors, or pro/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fessionals.

Tip #2: Find a way you personally like to detox, and stick with it! For me, it鈥檚 rollerblading and journaling, but /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for you it might be playing /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/frisbee or painting. Figure out what makes the stress disappear (even i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f only temporarily) and try to do it consistently a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/few times a week to help manage your stress.听

Tip #3: Learn how to enjoy your own presence. Something I鈥檝e noticed a lot o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f young adults struggle with is physically being alone. Many have expressed that they /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel awkward going out and doing things on their own, be it grocery shopping, studying, or going to the beach. While having /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends to go out with at a moment鈥檚 notice is /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fantastic, one o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f the greatest things I鈥檝e learned since coming to college is the ability to go out by mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f and have /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fun with my own company! To help mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f with con/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fidence and avoid clinginess with /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends, I try to do something new and spontaneous by mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f once a week. Build your independence and have /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fun doing it!

听

Social

College is a great time to make new /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends. Meet some people, exchange names and numbers, and be active on campus! Try approaching others and asking about classes or inviting them to a meal. Don鈥檛 just wait /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for others to approach you, since they are likely /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feeling just as awkward as you are! I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f struggling to make /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends, don鈥檛 be discouraged. Relationships take time. It鈥檚 okay not to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find 鈥測our people鈥� within the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/first week. My best /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends didn鈥檛 come /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from orientation. I didn鈥檛 even develop my closest /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends until the second semester, but I made a lot o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f great acquaintance /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends in the meantime!听

Tip #1: Try everything and don鈥檛 /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fear /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/failure. Don鈥檛 shy away /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from an activity or something new because you think you could be bad at it. At every stage o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f my li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fe (elementary, middle, and high), I can pinpoint a regret that stemmed /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fear o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/failure or people judging me /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for not being as good as others. Only years later did I realize there would have been no shame in me simply trying it. So check out that club, go try a new sport, do something you might be bad at! Don鈥檛 play it sa/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fe. Learn how to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fail, how to be bad at something, and still have a good time. Branching out o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f your com/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fort zone is a great way to meet people and make connections.

Tip #2: Go to the dining hall. Just do it. It can be loud and intimidating, but I鈥檝e had some o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f the greatest conversations with strangers who became /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends at the DH. Don鈥檛 be shy in asking to join someone at a table, especially i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f they鈥檙e sitting by themselves. Being bold and introducing yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f to strangers may result in a great /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friendship you never knew you needed.听

Tip #3: Take initiative, extend yoursel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f, and invite people to things with you. Plan a study group, a movie night, or a game night in your dorm. People love being invited to things, so a simple invitation may result in 30 people drinking tea in your common room at midnight. You never know!

Additional Advice /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from Fellow Owls

I asked /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends at 大象传媒 /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for personal advice they鈥檇 give to their /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/freshmen selves, so here are some words o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f wisdom /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from them as well!

鈥淲henever you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel you're the only one who /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feels a little homesick or is not going to a party, just know everyone else is in the same boat. They might just /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel it or express it a little di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferently. One thing about college is you get really personal with people at some point, so don鈥檛 be a/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fraid o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f telling your roommate or /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friend you need a hug because, trust me, at some point they were crying in their room too, but didn鈥檛 want to say anything.鈥� -Cami R. '24, marine biology
鈥淒on鈥檛 be discouraged i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find your classes harder than you did in high school; that鈥檚 the point o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f college. You鈥檒l be pushed in ways you aren鈥檛 used to and that鈥檚 a good thing! Just make sure to ask /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for help /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/from /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends, pro/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fessors, and tutors when you need it. I promise no one will think di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferently o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you just because you need help.鈥� -Marissa S. '22, biology
鈥淭he library and burrow are your best /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends during exam times. Whether you want the quiet or to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find someone who can help you, you鈥檙e likely to /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/find both there.鈥� -AJ S. '22, psychology
鈥淚t isn鈥檛 worth stressing over an exam you have or haven鈥檛 studied /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for. Remember that even i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f there are a million assignments to do, i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fail one, you are still living. Nothing ends. Maybe a new door will open through that /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/failure. It鈥檚 not uncommon /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/for people to change majors, so don鈥檛 /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feel bad about it. The /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/future can worry about itsel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f. You are in the present, so worry about the present. I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f you aren鈥檛 sure what the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/future holds, no worries. Many people in their late 20s or 30s come back to college to get a di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferent degree.鈥� -Calvin D. '25, biology
鈥淪andals are your best /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friend because they are com/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fy, easy to put on and take o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f, and they can be uniquely stylish i/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f worn correctly.鈥� -Paolo B. '23, environmental studies
鈥淚n college you will meet lots o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferent individuals and bond in many di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/ferent ways. Joining an organization or club is always a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fun way to get involved but personally, I get it. I/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f that sounds scary or like it is piling on extra things to do in an already new and busy time, joining a new club can wait. At orientation, I made /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends who I am still close with today. Try starting a conversation with someone and asking them why they chose their major or speci/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fic university. Typically these conversations end in a polite 鈥淥kay, nice meeting you!鈥� Or, they go on to become an intense conversation about why Ant Man could have de/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/feated Thanos single handedly. (Or something like that 馃槈) But as time passes, /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/friends are made. College is /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/full o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/f like-minded students and it鈥檚 super /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fun to get to know your /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/fellow classmates.鈥� -Elizabeth C. '23, vocal per/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/advicetofreshman/formance

听