Freshman tips and tricks on how to survive the first semester
By Reagan Thomas
Once parents say their goodbyes and your dorm room is all fixed, what do you do now? High Point University is a campus that never sleeps. There is always something to do! However, with people constantly throwing what to do around campus in your face, you need to take care of yourself as well. Many individuals get overwhelmed, especially being away from home for the first time. Even though everyone constantly is telling you school comes before anything, you and your mental health come first. Therefore, I put together a few tips and tricks on how to come out of the first semester better than ever!
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Everyone loves to eat! As a freshman, you need to try all the dining locations out fairly quickly so you know all your options. The Bakery, The Pointe Sports Bar, Subway, Chick-Fil-A, 1924 Prime Steakhouse, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, The Cafe and the Farmers Market all have so many options within their menu for types of food that you have endless chioces. The Grille and Silver Line Diner are both not located on the main campus, but you can take the trolley or drive to both locations. You really cannot go wrong with any of the food on campus.
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Best Friend = Success Coach! You need to become BFFs with your success coach because they want you to reach out and talk with them. If you are struggling with anything, not just academics, they want to help. HPU provides a great support system for their students, and if you are suffering alone, you shouldn’t be. Help is waiting for you and we all want you to succeed!
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Learn laundry room etiquette! It goes without saying: no one likes rude people. HPU provides us with washing machines and dryers in every residence hall. Although it may be provided to you, you do not have the right to trash the laundry room and be inconsiderate of others. Set a timer when your clothes will be done and get them as soon as possible. Everyone needs to wash clothes and we have a limited number of washers and dryers. Don’t take others’ clothes out if they are still wet, and don’t move their stuff unless the cycle is finished. No one wants soiled clothes! You would want someone to do the same thing for you, so please don’t be rude. We are all in the same boat fighting over washers and dryers.
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Call your parents at least once a week! If you don’t call them very much, you should. If you are calling every thirty minutes, that’s a problem too. They want to be updated on all the new exciting things in your life, and you owe it to them to let them know after sending you to an extraordinary campus. The downside to calling too often might make you miss out on the new chances in an environment on your own. While talking to a loved one from back home is comforting and may ease the homesick feeling you might acquire from time to time, calling too much can make the homesickness grow even more. Thank your parents for the opportunity to study at a school that wants you to have a great time while you work toward your goals, and try to keep a healthy balance between your family back home and the new life at school.
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Breathe in and out! We throw a bunch of new stuff at you the first semester. All colleges and universities do. It’s okay to take a step back and breathe from time to time. Don’t push yourself to join every club or jump at every activity email. Overloading your social schedule will cause your academic schedule to fail, and you are a student first and foremost. Try to find the one in the middle of the spectrum from being extremely bored to having a mental breakdown from too much unhealthy stress. Enjoy it all and find where you fit best on campus!
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When in doubt, schedule it out! Planners are the best thing to happen to anybody. You can set up your whole day on a tiny piece of paper. The only challenge is to stick with it. This way you will have a set schedule of what you need to accomplish. Throughout the day, you must have set aside times to do your homework and study. If you know exactly when you have time to study and when you wont, you won’t be overwhelmed with work. Once you start to getting in the groove of things on campus you may want to set up daily workout times. This is another healthy way to burn off stress and excess energy.