If I was to give one piece of advice to incoming first years it would be to remain open to anything and everything. The best way to accommodate your new environment is to be comfortable with the unfamiliar.
You can’t just sit there and wait for things to happen. I’m not saying to join 100 societies, but join some. You have to go up to people. Talk to strangers. Talk to the people sitting beside you in the different lectures. Talk to as many people as possible.
It’s going to feel like you’re saying the same thing again and again and again. Talk about the subjects you studied. Ask about the schools they went to. Whatever it takes to get a conversation started. It’s tiring, but you have to put yourself out there, if you want to make friends.
You have to become comfortable with discomfort.
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If you have friends from school attending the same college, that’s great. But try to make new friends also.
Something I was told by someone before I started college was that it’s okay if you don’t know what you’re doing. I found that so comforting. For the first few weeks, you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t know where your lectures are. You’re trying to meet new people. You’re trying loads of new things. So remember you’re new to this. Don’t aim for the perfect start, and don’t compare yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy – so don’t do it.
I commute to college from Kildare and that can make things a little harder. You can feel like you miss out on evening events. If you’re commuting, make a commitment to stay late one or two evenings so that you can attend events and entertainments. Use the time between lectures and the evening’s event to catch up on college work or assignments.
When it comes to study, try to have a good schedule, but focus on settling in first. It’s okay if you don’t know how to study.
You will learn strategies, so don’t panic.
