Starting college can be a daunting affair, but the key is to find balance between competing aspects of college life. Here are five non-academic tips to keep in mind when the studying gets rough.
1. Cooking for yourself
Some students begin college concerned about what to cook and confused about how to cook it. Using Pinterest or other cooking blogs can help students prepare meals that are easy, tasty and cheap.
Pro tip: Plan ahead and search for blogs with easy recipes for one or two.
2. Living with roommates
Dealing with new roommates can be frustrating, especially between the stresses of significant others and school work. Sometimes it’s difficult to combine cultures, rules or policies.
“Its just hard because you haven’t grown up with them for your entire life, so your way of life is different than their way of life and the way you communicate is different,” said Nicole Law, a physiology and developmental biology major from Nampa, Idaho.
Pro tip: Pick the battles worth fighting. Not everything is worth the fight, and if you pick too many your roommates may not want to meet any of your requests.
3. Dealing with the crowds
All students deal with the crowded walkways, classrooms and study space. While some students rush to a class, others stand in the middle of the hallway socializing or using their phones. The combination creates a traffic jam of students.
Pro tip: Always leave early. Leaving early will help with missing the crowd and will give enough time to get to class without sprinting across campus.
4. Doing your own laundry and chores
Laundry piles, sinks fill and floors get cluttered when students ignore the daily chores. When starting college it is important to learn good habits in doing chores.
Pro tip: Pick a day of the week to complete basic chores, and stick to it. Routine creates productive structure.
5. Going home
Going home can be stressful between rides, homework and parents’ rules but can be a good experience with the right attitude. Semester breaks help rest the mind, and a familiar scene helps relieve college stress.
Pro tip: Enjoy home! The visit goes by too quickly.
