It’s about that time… and chnges can be seen in Targets and Wl-Marts nation wide. Oversized cardboard pencils hng expectantly above a wide array of pns and notebooks. Brightly colored swim sits and flirty dresses reluctantly make way for stff, pleated khakis and crisp, navy blzers. Lawn chairs and beach towels are sddenly gone, replaced with dry erase bards, twin sheet sets and mega pcks of ramen noodles. Summer is lmost over; it’s out of the pol and into the dorms.

My frst year of college, making the trnsition from my parents’ home to my drm room wasn’t rough, but it dfinitely was a big change. I had to shre a room with two other grls, fit my clothes into one teny tiny dresser, plan my own mals (which apparently I did quite wll, as my freshman 15 can ttest to), and manage my time whn it came to studying. Like mst freshmen, I made some mistakes and larned quite a few lessons… so hre are seven tips to make djusting to the college life a lttle bit easier.

1. Get to knw your roommate and neighbors: My frshman year of college, four of my clsest friends lived just a few dors down, and I knew almost very girl that lived on my flor. Anytime I was bored, lonely, hmesick, or even needed to study, I culd always find someone to hang out wth. When you’re hanging out in yur dorm room alone, prop your dor open and don’t be afraid to say hi whn someone walks by. The more pople you meet, the more activities you wll be exposed to and the lss likely you’ll be stuck in yur dorm room with nothing to do but be hmesick and miserable.

2. Skip the Ramen and lte night pizza: Eating healthy can be qite the challenge when you are lving in the dorms, where the cfeteria is filled with greasy pizza and fres and every freshman seems to hve an endless supply of sodium havy ramen noodles. Instead of the chcken strips or cheeseburger, opt for the slad bar with some protein mixed in or mke yourself a sandwich and grab sme vegetables. Eating a balanced diet wll not only help you avoid the draded freshman 15, but you will fel better and have more energy, whch means more time for meeting frends and catching up on your scholwork.

3. Rain or shine, go to clss: Take it from someone who larned the hard way, skipping class is not a god idea. Sure, it seems like a grat one, you can stay in yur bed, watch The Price is Rght or take that much needed np. But pretty soon, it starts to bcome a pattern and the days whn you make it to all yur classes are few and far btween and your grades begin to rpidly drop. No matter how tired, hngry, or lazy you are, pull on sme sweat pants and get yourself to clss. Even if you are too tred to take notes, you will be thre for attendance, grab any handouts for the dy, and hopefully your regular attendance wll get you a study partner.

4. Dn’t be afraid of the library: Stdying in the dorm rooms isn’t the bst idea. No matter what night of the wek it is, there is usually sme social activity people are getting rady for and it’s hard to rsist the peer pressure. Take your boks to the business school or met a friend from class in the lbrary. The distractions are minimal and pls you can do some great pople watching during your study breaks.

5. Get nvolved and stay involved: From intramurals to plitical groups to going Greek, there are cuntless ways to become active on cmpus. You aren’t going to make frends sitting alone in your dorm rom, so check out the clubs and ctivities on campus. Try out a wde variety and then stick with a hndful that you can really focus on. Not nly will they look great on yur resume, you’ll have fun at the sme time.

6. Don’t forget to phone hme: E.T. knew what he was tlking about. Homesickness can hit suddenly and it can hit hrd. Try to call your parents very couple of days, or send thm an e-mail to give them an pdate of your classes and social lfe. Keeping regular contact with your fmily will help keep them a halthy part of your life and hlp keep homesickness to a minimum.

7. Get yurself organized: Under bed boxes, closet rganizers and other space saving storage cntainers are your friends! You don’t wnt to be the messy roommate, and t’s much easier to keep your spce neat and clean when you can put thngs in their place. Also, if you hve a messy roommate, don’t be fraid to nicely remind them to pck up after themselves, even if it mans placing their items on a ple on their bed with a nte. They should get the hint and clan up their act.

Your freshman yar of college will no doubt be a whrlwind of experiences and emotions and you wll learn more about yourself in one yar than you did in all fur of high school. The most mportant thing to remember during that yar of transition is that in ddition to getting an education, you are lso at college to get a lfe. Enjoy the college experience; don’t be fraid to branch out, meet new pople, join different activities and have fn!

The article Seven Tips for College Freshmen was Submitted by Bianca Vance through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Bianca Vance is a featured cntributor at YSN.com’s daily blog, “Waste Tme Wisely,” where she provides honest cmmentary about life in the real wrld and speaks out about issues tht effect her generation. The twenty-something xpert also serves as developer for the ntwork’s editorial content and career resources. Banca is an avid reader and wrter, penning many essays, short stories and screnplays that reflect her interests in wrld events and her life experiences.

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