Advice for the New School Year
As many of us are close (or possibly have already begun) the new school year Iād like to offer advice/words of wisdom. Iām a senior in university now, so Iāve learned a lot over the years.Ā
1. If you can, invest in a good backpack. I tried sticking with this old ass backpack that Iād had since early high school, and let me tell you that thing broke and all my shit fell out in public on the third day of freshman year. I then bought a High Sierra backpack which I had for 3 years. Homegirl and I went to South America and back together. Also, she was water-resistant and had a ton of pockets. I did just buy a new backpack though because my High Sierra was weathered down :( Donāt try and be cute with those bags as backpacks because your shoulder will die. Comfort > style in this case
2. If you can, buy an agenda and write down EVERY SINGLE DUE DATE found in all of your syllabi. This is legitimately the first thing I do as soon as my uniās portal opens and I can access my class syllabi.Ā
3. Read your syllabi right away and make sure you can handle the class. I donāt know about your school, but mine doesnāt release syllabi until the morning of the first day of class. Unless I know someone whoās taken the class, I have to wait until the morning of the first day of class and sometimes I end up dropping a class right then and there.Ā
4. Donāt be afraid to shop around for classes. For example, Iām currently signed up for more classes than I need. This is because I want to physically go to every class and get a feel for it myself.Ā
5. So you realize you hate your major. I changed mine 4 times and Iām doing just fine. It happens. It really hurts (trust me, I know), but your future isnāt over if the major you were set on doesnāt work out. I was crushed when I realized pre-med wasnāt going to happen, but my life went in a different and more beautiful direction than it would have been had I stayed in pre-med.Ā
6. Donāt stay in a major that you hate. I know this is cliche, but youād be surprised how many people donāt follow this. I understand wanting to be practical and realistic, but if you are in a major that makes you dread even going to class, what is the point?Ā
7. Always carry a water bottle. Plastic? Our environment is DYING people.Ā
8. Always carry a strong umbrella. Let me tell you. One time, I was walking to class in a storm. My weak ass umbrella broke and I showed up to class dripping like Iād just come out of the pool. After that class, I bought a wind-resistant umbrella and my life has changed for the better. Where I live we have bad storms, and my wind-resistant umbrella and I have survived them all.Ā
9. If you can afford this, try to invest in a good laptop. I know itās a lot of money and itās the reason I put off buying a good laptop until very recently. You donāt need a freaking MacBook okay. To be honest, they arenāt all that. Iāve used them enough to say that. Just get a good laptop that wonāt crash all the time or freeze in the middle of an online quiz or basically ruin your life. And get insurance on the laptop too!Ā
10. Always have some snacks in your bag. Buying food every day? In this economy? Not me. I pack my lunch anyways, but I always have additional snacks. Especially since Iām on campus for most of the day and canāt easily get home. The only thing I miss about dorm life is the convenience.Ā
11. You really donāt need to show up to your professorās office on day one. Personally, I donāt see a point. Truthfully, there are some classes that are easy and that you can walk away with an A without issues. If thereās a small issue, an email will suffice.Ā
12. On the other hand, if you do have issues, donāt be afraid to talk to your professors! There was a professor that I had who I got to know because of some concerns I had in my class. Now theyāre writing my graduate school letters of recommendation. Another professor ended up boosting my final exam score because he knew who I was and how hard I had worked for him.Ā
13. Donāt lock yourself in the library and donāt lock yourself in your dorm. My first year of college was miserable because I spent it either in the library or my dorm. It really will drain you and hurt your health.Ā
14. All-nighters are not cute. They suck. A lot. Shit happens and sometimes an all-nighter has to happen. But if you can, please donāt do it willingly. It really fucks with your sleep schedule. When I have to pull an all-nighter to turn in an assignment (because I procrastinate), I usually have to skip my earlier classes to catch up on sleep because I simply cannot focus.Ā
15. Find a support system. Sometimes, they come to you by accident. Sometimes, you have to seek them out. I hated my university my first year, and it was only when I began developing a support system (along with some other changes) that I began to enjoy my time.Ā
16. If youāre going to college in the US like I do, you probably wonāt enter old enough to drink. Youāre probably going to want to drink which is fine. I mean, Iāve done it. I donāt know anyone who hasnāt. But listen to me: donāt be stupid and donāt get caught. At my school, they take it seriously and youāll get into a ton of trouble. Iāve heard too many horror stories about the consequences.
17. On the flip side, donāt feel pressured to drink. Iāve avoided gatherings with friends when I know theyāre going to drink because I just donāt want to.Ā
18. Stay safe fam. Follow your gut. If your friends are going out or going to do something and you have a bad feeling about it, donāt go with them. I had a bad feeling about going to a party with friends so I stayed in my dorm, and I found out the next morning that the police raided the party and a bunch of people were arrested.Ā
19. Buy some rain boots and wear them if it says itās going to rain. The number of shoes that have been destroyed because of the rain is actually kind of heartbreaking.Ā
20. You got this fam!!!Ā
I hope this helps. Itās all stuff that I would have liked to know when I was entering my first year in college.Ā


















