pull up to the gate where I’ll be spending the next four years. As I turn the engine off, an armada of students bearing college colors swarm the vehicle. In seconds, all four doors and the trunk are open and my stuff is being carried off. The thieves are smiling at me and shaking my hand as I try to gauge the situation. This is probably the most polite robbery I’ll ever experience. Then it clicks that they’re actually taking my stuff to my room and I can call off the police who are already on their way.
How Important are the First Days of the Semester?
The first few days of college can be a lot like this. Not robbery per se, but a series of overwhelming encounters with thousands of new people, new college traditions, and, if you happen to be international like myself, a whole new culture to acquaint yourself with. All of that said, moving in is generally a fairly relaxed process. People tend to lend their hands to their roommates and it’s the first time you’ll officially be meeting your new class. Settling down, however, can be a pain if you aren’t prepared.
Bringing the essentials with you is rule number one. Toiletries, laptop, writing materials and the extended director’s edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy are obvious and you probably already brought them with you. Figuring out your class schedule and buying the right books are another issue. Take time to discover which classes appeal to you most. DO NOT buy all your textbooks before arriving! If you walk into the classroom and the professor isn’t great/the workload is ridiculous/the final exam is 60% of the grade, it may not be the class for you. Try before you buy when it comes to class selection.
Attending any and all orientation events is also really useful. Not only may there be information on numbers to call for various emergencies (such as losing a room key at four in the morning, which happens more often than you’d think) to contacting the student finance office, orientation is there to help you look after yourself in the best way.
Of course, the main purpose of the first few days is to get you as acquainted as possible with how your college does things. But this is also the time when friendships are formed for life. Try not to tempt yourself into taking an extra few hours to sleep in and instead get out there and meet some incredibly diverse people. Sign up to a bunch of extracurricular activities you’ve never tried before and see if they’re for you. Measure the success of your first few days by how many people you’ve met and how cluttered your inbox is with bizarre extracurriculars.
The point is to really make the best use of your time over the first few weeks. They are the foundations on which your entire college career will be built. Meet people and try new things. You can’t go wrong.
