Every summer students come to Nicholls orientation to begin their new journey of being a college student. Students may have high hopes and are eager to find out about what there is to look forward to. On the other hand, some students may be scared to death about life after high school. Despite maybe having a pool of emotions and thoughts, the best thing to do when you don’t know what to do is to ask for some advice on how you should be preparing for your college experience.

For any incoming college freshman, the endless advice of “how to college” could be very overwhelming. But the fact of the matter is, no amount of advice should be considered enough for first time college students. You actually have to learn your way around college from first hand experience, inside and outside of the classroom.

Here’s some advice to first time freshmen that might answer some of the questions about “how to college.”

The best thing to do this summer is to start preparing yourself in many ways for the first college semester.

Getting settled
Before settling into your new college lifestyle, it’s important to overall have an open and positive mindset overall. Know that your roommates can either turn out to be your best friend or the person you try to avoid during your entire undergrad. If you know the person you will room with, try to figure out who is bringing what to the dorm. Try not to over pack, even though you certainly will. Don’t underestimate the power of organization material for you dorm because by mid September things can and are likely to get hectic if you’re not organized. Lastly, remember to let your parents help you move in, even though it’s hard on them watching their baby grow up.

Extracurricular activities
Whatever hobby you enjoy doing right now before entering college, make sure you keep it and continue to enjoy it. School will be busy enough in the fall, but try to never get too busy to continue doing the things you love. Over the summer develop ways to manage your time by keeping track of your daily activities so that way you can still do what you enjoy.

Academics
Mentally prepare yourself this summer. In the fall, go to class and work hard in the classroom.Really hard. It’s cool to play hard also, but understand that your GPA could suffer from a first year slump. Whether you bust your behind doing your class work or you chose to goof off, your GPA will certainly show it in December. Teachers will not always remind you about due dates, so start thinking about what you will need to help you remember things. Get the books you need early on and start preparing.

Social/Party life
Don’t worry, no one knows anyone around campus those first few weeks of school. Befriend others early and as often as you can. Being at Nicholls, it would be smart to be cool with a culinary major, for obvious reasons. Over the summer you may be thinking, “I’m not even a party person,” but when the semester gets here that is subject to changing. There’s a quote, “you can always retake a class, but you can’t relive that party last night.” Have fun, just the smart fun not the dumb fun. If you can, have as much fun as you possibly can this summer to get most of the “partying” out of your system. Trust me!

Rest
Sleep cannot and will not be overemphasized during each semester. Power naps are probably the most clutch thing you can do to get you through the day. Maintain some private space and create quiet time for yourself throughout the week. Being sociable and into studies becomes stressful, which is why balancing a healthy diet and being well-rested helps the body be in the mood to get things accomplished.

Nicholls is a pretty close-knit university, and the faces around campus become more and more familiar as you stroll around campus. Trying to find buildings and remembering professors names comes along with the process. Most of the things you may want to think about before you even step foot into a college classroom. You will get tons of advice during your college years; just remember to look forward to your experience. Most importantly, Enjoy your summer while you can.