Heading off to college for the first time?  This is a huge deal!!  You’ve finally earned the right to live your life your way.  This can be completely overwhelming.  You’re meeting new people, making new friends, and most likely these will be the contacts and friends you carry with you the rest of your life.

Since this is probably the first time you’ve been away from home for an extended period of time it can be a huge adjustment.  No more Mom or Dad to drag you out of bed in the morning.  No teachers constantly reminding you to do your homework or a test is coming up.  You’re an adult now and you need to fend for yourself and stand on your own.

You can find thousands of suggestions and what items you need to start your freshmen year on the internet.  You’ve probably been given a list by the college of your choice as to what they recommend. Here’s a few tips we’ve found that make life a little easier:

1/ Don’t over extend yourself and book more classes or activities/clubs than you can handle.  You want to get yourself out there to meet people, but you don’t need to stress yourself out in the process.

2/ Have a daily planner.  This way you can write in when your homework/projects/tests are due and won’t forget anything.  You don’t want to wait until the last day to start a huge project, it may have worked for you in high school, but this isn’t high school anymore. Schedule out several times to work on the larger projects before the due date so you can do a little a time.

3/ Use the resources available to you. Talk to your counselor, your T/A’s and your professors if your struggling. Chances are they’ve all been in your position at some time.  The resources are there for you to utilize, don’t waste them.

Up until now you’ve been living your life with blinders on and now you get to take them off.  A whole new world is opening up to you. Congratulations! Before you know it, you’ll be graduating and ready to take your place in the world.

Need supplies for your dorm room?  Try buying second-hand items.  www.findnflip.com is a great place to find good, used items!