Being a high school senior is a fun and exciting time for most.  After all the processes regarding college are complete, time just seems to fly by and before you know it, it’s fall!  Whether you’re living on campus at your new school or commuting, the whole experience can be extremely nerve wracking.  Who will you meet?  How do you know where to go?  What should you do with your down time?  A ton of questions and thoughts will race through your mind, but relax!  College is going to be a fun experience either way.

It is true that by living on campus you’ll probably make more friends, and do so more easily.  You’re basically forced to interact with people; you’d have to go very far out of your way to be one with the walls!  But see this as a good thing.  Yes, you’re going to meet people you do and don’t like, but you don’t have to be everyone’s best friend.  It’s very helpful to have many acquaintances, especially if the school is small.  If it is, chances are you’ll see these people often, so they can be beneficial to you.  If they’re in your classes, you can help each other study, exchange notes, and a ton of other things. 

If you’re not living on campus, you really need to put in more time and effort.  It will be more difficult to meet people especially if you aren’t on campus except for classes.  Even if you are living on campus, the best thing you can do is to join clubs, hang around popular areas, and just basically be open to everyone.  Don’t be selective about who you talk to.  You’re going to be around these people for a while. 

After you’ve met people, balancing your workload with school and fun may be a challenge, especially if you live at school.  If you’re not living there, you still need to set up boundaries for yourself to make sure you actually do your work.  Parties tend to be plentiful at college, but keep in mind that you’re paying to be at school.  If it’s not you personally paying, someone is.  Maybe it’s your parents grandparents, whatever.  If you’re on a scholarship, you better keep up good work or it can be taken away.  Don’t think you have a free pass because of that, or if you have loans; you’re going to have to pay for them later.  By keeping money on your mind, you remind yourself that college and doing well there is a way to open the door towards a career.  You shouldn’t be going to college if you are still too immature to get yourself on a strict schedule like that.

Face it, studying constantly between classes isn’t a reality; it does not happen.  You will probably find yourself with a lot of down time.  This is especially true if your classes don’t require much work, or if you’re not in any or many clubs.  What you can do is try to find a part time jobs.  Most towns where schools are located are college-friendly, so part-time jobs are fairly easy to find.  You may as well have some sort of job to not only keep you busy, but to have some funds for buying books, food, or whatever else you may want.

If you don’t want to work, you can also find other things to do.  Find things to do around campus, join a sport, exercise.  Try to avoid the Freshman 15 and make sure you get plenty of physical activity!  This will help your studies as well, believe it or not.

College is a fun time.  You get to break away a little bit and become your own person, do your own thing, and make your own decisions for the most part.  Keep your goals in mind.  Don’t see this new found freedom as a chance to party 24/7.  Consider consequences all the time.  Let your nerves go and think of all the new things that await you.