firstly, thank you so much for 100 followers! you are all sweethearts <3
so, 2018 is pretty much over. this was my first year as a university student and i learned a lot of things, not only academically but about how to deal with being a full-time college student. so, these are my tips you, precious souls that are about to start college too (or any college student, actually). these are drawn from my experience, but i really think they could help!
find a coffee shop that you like. find out if they have students discounts. if they have it, hold them close to your heart and never let go. my favorite coffee shop is in the mall next to my campus and they have 10% off for students of the universities nearby. i think at this point all the baristas know my name, because i go there almost every day. trust me, you will need the ally.
actually, students discounts in general are your best friend. in my country, every student has 50% off in cultural activities such as cinemas, concerts, museums, theaters, basically everything that requires a ticket. there are places where you can get discounts from all sorts of stores. in my university, we have access to language classes for a really cheap price. look them up, research, and that will save you a lot of money in the long term.
on the same note, find out what you have access to. dedicate some time to walk around your campus and the other campi your university may have in the city. talk to other students about programs, events, everything from big things, like internships and scholarships, to small ones. my university, for example, provides free transportation from one campi to another, since it has multiple campi all around the city, and that has saved me a lot of bus tickets. those hacks are usually things you can only learn from experience, so get yourself out there asap.
get to know the surroundings of your campus, especially if you’re new to the city. knowing what is nearby, what kind of stores and restaurantes you have within walking distance, which public transportation stops or stations are close, if there are any cute coffee shops, museums and such. you’re going to spend a lot of time in that area, so get to know it.
use! google drive! for! everything! google products like google drive, google photos, google docs/sheets/slides are a MUST-HAVE. they’re completely free and they will for sure make your life 100x easier, seriously. i used google docs for LITERALLY every single group project i had this year.
LEARN HOW TO USE MENDELEY!!!!!!!!!!!! it is a sources and references manager that will make dealing with research papers and papers in general actually your whole life SO. MUCH. EASIER. i used it to write a huge semester-long scientific article last semester and it saved my life. here is a video on how to use it, and i might do a post later on how i use it, but download it and get acquainted to it because it’s MAGICAL and people don’t talk enough about it.
go to every possible class in the beginning of the semester so you can skip classes in the end of it without having to worry about attendance. in the end of the semester, you will be so burnt out and stressed that you will BEG yourself a day off, but if you have skipped classes back in the beginning of the semester you won’t be able to skip them now because of attendance, and you’ll want to punch yourself in the face. so please. resist the temptations and don’t skip classes in the beginning of the semester unless you really have to.
that’s a cliché one but try and be one of those people that join things. clubs, projects, events, meetings, there’s something out there for everyone. find something that you like and join. not only you’ll probably get credits for it, it’ll be an opportunity to get to know other people and to understand the dynamics of the academic world. and, in the end, it usually ends up being a lot of fun! and, if fun for itself is not enough motivation, remember i got two (2) paid internships in my first year because of the extra activities i had on my resume. just remember to make to be doing something that you like and that makes you feel comfortable and enjoy the ride!
and lastly, but most importantly:
don’t! feel! pressured! to! do! anything!
you don’t need to prove yourself. no one is keeping scores, even though it sometimes feels a lot like it. take your time. if something is making you uncomfortable, leave. you don’t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. you can always try again in the next semester. repeat with me here:
- college is NOT a race.
- college is NOT a race.
- college is NOT a race.
