Five steps to a successful first week

Start out on the Right Foot:

Five steps to a successful first week

5. Map out classes and route times- No one wants to get lost trying to find their class and stumble in 15 minutes late on their first day. The Saturday or Sunday before classes begin, scope out where your classes are. Take a map and feel free to meander around the campus learning the quickest routes and even the location of the room inside the building. (I’ve gotten lost in Williard and so many other buildings that I would have to backtrack and start over!) Invite your Roommate or the girls who live in the dorm next to you. Not only is it a great way to meet new friends but they will likely have classes in different buildings which allows you to familiarize yourself to campus even more!

4. Keep your door open- Your RA’s will probably talk to you about “Open Door Policy” and you might want to just shove it aside, but don’t! It really works! People will walk by and they might see a poster or something in your room and stop to talk to you about. It’s a great way just to learn about your floor mates and become more comfortable in your dorm. Feel free to return the favor and strike up a conversation if someone has their door open, I mean, they left it open for a reason!

3. Go out of your comfort zone- Every college freshman coming into school barely knows anyone. You’re in the same boat, everyone in that first week just wants a friendly face, to know they aren’t on their own. So, the more outgoing you are, the more people will open up to you. You’re in college now! Do something bold to make friends that you wouldn’t normally do! Towards the end of my first week of freshman year, I was sitting in my friend’s dorm next door to mine. We decided we didn’t have enough guy friends so we grabbed post it notes and ran up to the boys floor above us. We went around sticking post it notes telling the guys to come visit us and get to know us. Some boys happened to be watching us do this and struck up a conversation. Now we are all so close, we go on vacations together during the summer.

2. Plan out a basic daily schedule and goals- I’m a planner. I write literally every moment of my day down in a daily planner but what I love to do at the beginning of each semester is make up a rough daily schedule. You can do it on Microsoft Excel or just with a piece of paper and a pen. I go through hour by hour of the day. I set a goal to wake up by a time, pencil in my classes, color code possible times I could fit in a workout, take time to relax or buckle down and study. (Did I mention I was a planner?) I also go through my goals for the semester and add them in at the bottom. Then I print it out and post it right next to my mirror or on my closet door, somewhere I can’t miss it so I can keep it in my mind. The quicker you get into a routine, the quicker you can adjust to the life and differences of college.

1. Create a home away from home- Bring comfort items from home. It could be stuffed animals, pictures, yearbooks, blankets, anything! (Thanks to Toy Story 3, I had to bring all of my stuffed animals because I thought one of them would feel left out if I didn’t bring them…) Anyway, I filled my room of pictures of my family and friends from home. Every time I got a card from my family I put it up on the wall to read when I was discouraged or down. I made my dorm room into a little bubble of home. Everyone gets lonely in that first week, but it’s nice to know with these items that you’re really not that far from a home. As time wore on, I brought less and less comfort items from home and filled my room with more pictures and notes from college, but that only comes with time. Although, after Christmas break, you’ll be surprised to learn how quickly Penn State becomes a part of you!

So remember- Be yourself and be outgoing. Keep home close to your heart but try new things and your heart will grow to fit in your new home away from home.

See you at WEPO

Maggie Golden is a junior in Architectural Engineering. This summer Maggie worked for Brinjac Engineering in Harrisburg, PA. She is a mentor for WEPO 12.