It’s Back-To-School Season
Written by our readers, for our readers.
“She reached out to me on Instagram and we started out as online friends. We ended up picking the same residence hall our freshmen year and both moved onto campus a couple days earlier than the rest of the class. So we spent the entire time touring campus. Was a good vibe.”
“We took the same GESM together and lived in the same dorm building!”
“I met my first friend at transfer orientation. I was so nervous to talk to someone and ask for help on classes, but I muttered the courage to say hi. She said hi back and now we are great friends and take classes together. I am thankful to meeting her especially when we are both transfers and everything was just so new to us.”
“I met my first friend in a International Student gathering”
“The first good friend I made in college was a girl I met in my chemistry lab. We initially bonded over our confusion, but later found that we had a lot in common.”
“After finding out we lived across from each other”
“I recognized her from my math class and decided to approach her on the way to class. Turns out we were both twins and bonded over that.”
“Didn't have anywhere to sit in the dining hall & sat with her. We're now best friends!”
“I was randomly assigned to my roommate and she actually shared some classes with me!”
“Friends from Instagram (USC class of 2023 page)”
“I thought I was going to be super busy, but I realize now that I have a lot of free time and need to learn how to manage and allocate that time. Also, I thought I was going to have everything together because I was going to be a college student and no longer a high schooler.”
“College isn't all fun and games. It can be really rough at times to keep up with academics, sleep, and a social life.”
“I thought that you were able to find the love of your life and meet so many cute guys/girls, but thats not the case. relationships are way too complicated right now, and I hate how complicated relationships are, especially if you are looking for some romance.”
“I thought I'd have time to party but turns out I love sleep more than alcohol oop”
“Extreme stress, no time to sleep, no time to socialize. While a lot of that can be true, studying is actually rewarding and you definitely have time for friends!”
“I thought I would find my best friend during welcome week and stick with them the rest of college”
“I thought I had to be a certain way and into certain things, but I've found that if you pursue what you enjoy, things will fall into place.”
“I thought it was easy to make friends with Americans as an international student”
“I thought college wasn’t as flexible as it is. I did not expect to have this much free time which I wish I spent in a better way.”
“You need good grades to be successful in college”
“Thought college life was an escape from hellish high school turns out its just jumping to another pit”
“Most of the people like partying”
“You have to party or live in certain dorms to meet new friends/ become social; partying isn't that fun anyways”
“Rush frats, but don't fall into the trap of peer pressure. Recognise when the frat isn't for you, and it's okay to back out.”
“Be open to making friends with literally everyone”
“I wish I knew that you don't have to feel pressured into doing things that you are not comfortable with and that it is okay if you don't vibe with the first group of people you meet. There will be other opportunities to meet people if you continue to put yourself out there.”
“I wish I knew how fast time flies in college & to take every opportunity you get to enjoy school”
“Record class lectures and listen to them later if you don’t understand certain parts. Textbooks can be helpful but reading everything is too time consuming and not as important as what was said in lectures.”
“I wish I knew about the freshman forgiveness rule and also about easy GE classes to take”
“Something that I wish I knew would be that you should just enjoy college rather than stressing about grades and exams. Although those are important, the campus life goes by so quick and you are going to regret it if you don't take it, especially now during the pandemic, there are so many things that I regret on not doing because I wanted to savor it for the next year.”
“Time management helps you excel in your first year”
“Don't be so stubborn/ fixated on everything; take college life easily; chill with friends; connections/ friendships matter more than other things”
“A global pandemic - COVID - was gonna hit soon”
“I wish I could've joined more clubs and met more people”
“Make time to stay in shape. It helps so much mentally and physically. Positive self talk/affirmations for when you're struggling, and set time aside to actually enjoy life every week.”
“Cleaning up my room. Spending time with friends for a bit. Getting some good snacks (Cheddar Goldfish :3)”
“I recommend creating a playlist of your favorite songs that will excite you. it will help with de-stressing especially when you are feeling down or super anxious of an exam or presentation. I also recommend eating chocolate because especially dark chocolate helps soothe anxious feelings and is not as sweet as milk chocolate.”
“Take retreats, explore SoCal for more than instagram spots”
“Rationally think through the stress and make a gameplan/strategy to make the stressor less stressful”
“Get on a phone call and talk to your parents (that can also help with homesickness)”
“To de-stress, I found it helpful to talk to people I care about and am comfortable with.”
“I play games with my friends often when I complete my work, it exercises the mind and calms the nerves”
“Distract yourself. Watch comedy movies/streams/videos. Remind yourself to take life one day at a time instead of stressing out about the future too much.”
“Play games, watch movies and light scented candles”
“Always make sure you’re sleeping enough, take a walk in nature, don’t engage in fun activities that end up making you feel tired.”
“Sports; hangout with friends; never wait until last minute to finish your assignments”
“Give yourself breaks in between school work”
“Go on a walk by yourself and listen to music”
“Getting drunk and sleeping well”
“Play sports or hit the gym”
