After a series of applications, rejections and acceptances, you’re finally heading off to the college that you’ve decided to attend to.
College is such an exciting new adventure but a terrifying one at the same time. It’s a brand new world out there. I can’t blame you if you’re on a rollercoaster of emotions right now – a mix of excitement, sadness and anxiety.
If you’re one of the thousands of incoming freshmen this year, don’t fret. Here are a few tried-and-true ways to calm down those pre-college jitters and overcome the anxiety.
Find someone to talk to.
Whether it’s someone who has been through it, a current college student or your friends who are going through the same emotions with you right now.
A lot of jitters come from the fear of “not knowing what’s going to happen,” which is why talking to someone who has been through college or in college right now is one of the best ways to calm and ease your anxiety. These people can share their positive experiences and give you answers to the questions that you may have.
Be productive.
To be honest, spending too much time thinking about what’s going to happen when you enter college is useless. However, you can turn those thoughts into something productive. Think about your dorm room – how you would want to decorate it… what supplies you need to buy… or why not use this time to learn a few skills that you might be needing when you will be on your own? Like how to cook a simple meal, how to do the laundry… Basically anything that can distract you from those negative thoughts that will just make you anxious.
Attend orientations or school-related events.
This isn’t required but is a great opportunity that will help you big time. During these events, you can get the feel of the whole campus, see different organizations and meet some of your future classmates. Also, take this as a chance to explore your campus if you’re anxious about getting lost on your first day.
Think happy thoughts.
Lastly, just put it all in perspective and just think positive thoughts. You may feel like you’re not yet ready, but heck you are! It’s a whole new world out there but trust me, you’re going to be just fine AND it’s going to be a fun ride!
