Whether this is the first day of your freshman year or the first day of senior year we could all use a few tips and tricks to help us survive a new semester. I’ve had my fair share of first-day hangups and mishaps, so I wanted to help everyone else out so that you can all avoid, say, going to the wrong classroom. As I start my LAST SEMESTER EVER (cue dramatic music and distant screaming and thoughts of why I’m graduating early) here are a few tips and tricks to help you survive your first day.
- Know your class schedule. I don’t mean ‘generally know what you’re taking,’ but figure out the exact building and room number, and check the times! On the first day of my sophomore year (when I should have been a pro) I walked into a class at the wrong time and sat there for 5 minutes until the professor walked in and said “History, right?” After which I very awkwardly had to get up from my seat and scurry out the door. The best part? Someone from the class saw me later that day and said, “At what point did you realize you were in the wrong class?” Thanks, dude. I needed that. Moral of the story- know your schedule. If you are starting freshman year, try to walk the campus before classes start and figure out where you need to go. The summer before my sophomore year, they changed the name of our communications school and it was chaos for any upperclassmen who hadn’t gotten the memo.
- Eat breakfast. I know I sound like your mom but I’m a big breakfast advocate. If you have a full schedule, you may not have a break for several hours, and those extra 30 minutes are going to feel wasted when your stomach growling interrupts your lecture.
- Check the weather. I have this weird luck where on the first day of nearly every semester at Hofstra it rains. You don’t want to be that person stepping over puddles and feeling your brand new shoes fill with water.
- Checking the weather means also picking out your outfit the night before. Because who doesn’t want to look cute, at least on the first day? Save the leggings for midterms. I try to always pick out my outfit the night before to save me a lot of time and stress in the morning.
- Charge everything. I mean everything. If you take notes on your laptop, charge it the night before. Otherwise, you are stuck in the middle of the classroom, nowhere near an outlet, with 5% battery left.
- Get everything ready the night before. Pack your backpack. I know, you feel like it’s the first day of 6th grade, but trust me, you will thank me when you’re not that person asking around for paper and a pencil because you forgot everything.
- Relax. Yes, you should be excited, but you also have an entire semester ahead! Don’t worry too much about school just yet- see your friends that you have been separated from all summer, finish decorating your dorm, wait a couple days before diving into your syllabus. No matter what, you are going to have a great semester!
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These are all such great tips! It can be such a stressful time for so many people and I definitely think preparation is key to making sure the first day goes as smoothly as possible!