The transition from high school life to college life is very intense for a lot of people and knowing how to ease that transition is essential if you want to make the most of your college years. The truth of the matter is, smoothing out that transition is as much about preparation as it is about integration. You want to make sure that you know how to take care of yourself, but you also want to make sure that you know how to connect with new people. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of starting your new life, here is how to adjust to college.
Create Solid Routines
The key to finding stability in your new life away from home is creating some solid routines for yourself. You won’t have your parents to nag you about eating healthy, getting enough sleep, or doing your homework, which means that you are going to have to discipline yourself. The more regimented you are with your sleep schedule, your diet, and your school obligations, the less stressed out you will be in the long run.
Get Involved Early
It can be easy to feel very isolated at first when you go to high school. After all, the majority of friends that you had in high school were friends that you made over 12 years of schooling, so it can be hard to start all over. That’s why it is so critical that you start getting involved at your college as early as possible. Try to find clubs, activist groups or other organizations that you are interested in and start getting to know likeminded people as soon as possible.
Learn How to Cook
It can be difficult to adjust to your new life at college when you don’t have the comforts of some of your favorite family recipes. Then again, who says that you can’t make those dishes yourself? One great way to really bond with your parents before you leave for college is to start cooking together. This way, not only will you be able to make memories that will last your whole life, but you will be able to enjoy the meals that give you the most comfort when you are feeling stressed or isolated in college.
Find Study Buddies
Some people are accustomed to earning good grades even if they don’t study that hard, and some students aren’t. Either way, you are probably going to have to study much harder in college than you ever had to in the past. This is especially the case if you are earning a difficult degree or studying at a competitive school like Vermont Law. No matter the case, finding a few reliable study buddies can really help you to feel confident about your ability to ace all of your exams.
Stay Active
A lot of people find it easy to stay active in high school because they either play sports, or they have a lot more time to work out at the gym during their teen years. However, when you’re in college, you will spend a lot of time in a seated position. With all of the long lectures and hours spent studying and writing, you will need to get proactive about staying active. So make sure that you get yourself to the gym or on the track on a regular basis.