What not to do in the first week of college

As colleges are warming up for new academic year so are students who are excited to enter a complete new world. They say the first week of college is a complete blast and you’re going to love it. This is the time to put yourself out there, meet a huge variety of people, and start college on a high note. Most importantly, though, the first week is the time to be a carefree and happy collegiate!

Here is some basic etiquette for the first years of the college which will guide you for a fantastic year.

Pick teams

Avoid hanging out at the same place every night. Don’t spend all your time in the same people. We get it you don’t know many people yet and having a familiar place to go is comfortable. But we promise you that if you keep an open mind and don’t limit yourself to one place and/or one group of people, you’ll be more comfortable at your new school in the long run. This is the time to branch out and, trust us, it’s harder to branch out and randomly introduce yourself to people the further into the school year you get.

Pick your besties

You cannot, should not choose your best friends and play ‘favorites’ the first week at school. The first week is an opportunity to hang out with lots of different people and see who you really click with. Don’t let one person or one group of people hold you back from meeting more. A girl’s circle of friends changes up a lot during the first year of college, so it’s important to mingle a lot from the beginning to get to know a variety of people.

Run your mouth

Don’t talk about people you just met (or worse, people you have yet to meet) behind their back. This is probably one of the easiest ways to repel friends, not make them.

Get dolled up the first day

Don’t get overly dolled up for your first day of class. Dress for yourself: wear what makes you comfortable, and wear it with confidence. While you want to make a good impression on your peers and potential future friends, you can’t forget about the other important group of people you’re meeting for the first time: your professors. Even though we say you should dress comfortably, do not wear sweatpants or pajama pants on your first day of class.

Be a homebody

You didn’t move away from home just to go running right back (metaphorically speaking) to your mom and dad. Try to avoid the urge to call home every time a problem arises. For example, before you pick up the phone to ask for the step-by-step directions about how to do your own laundry (yes, you are a grown-up now—well sort of), try asking someone in your suite or hall if they want to brave laundry day together. Chances are, you’re probably not the only one who is unsure about whether to wash in hot or cold water… So, how about it? Instead of being a homebody, try meeting somebody.

Make too many “friends”

The majority of friends agree hands down that you should not friend everyone in your freshman class on Facebook. Crazy Facebook-adding spree during orientation will not only creep people out, but you’ll end up never seeing half of the people again. Try and be selective with your friend requesting and add people you truly think you’ll become friends with.

Fear the front

Again, this isn't high school. The front row of class isn’t reserved for “nerdy losers,” “brown-nosers,” “teacher’s pets,” etc. Don’t fear the front row! In fact, you’re probably better off sitting up front because those who don’t are going to wish they were you come midterms and finals. Trust me, sitting in a spot where you’ll actually be able to pay attention will only benefit you during exam week, when others are scrounging to learn a semester’s worth of material.

Be a snore

Don’t develop a sleeping disorder. Whether it’s oversleeping or not sleeping at all, it’s important that you try to nail down a solid sleeping schedule that first week. Bad habits are harder to cut once they’ve begun, so don’t get in the habit of going to bed every night at 3 a.m. the first week. Sleep has to happen sometime and if you don’t sleep at night chances are you’re going to crash during the day, sleep through class, and probably miss out on some fun daytime activities with your new friends as well.

Drastically change your ways

When all is said in done, you really don’t have a lot to worry about as long as you’re being yourself. Who else would you be, right? It’s as simple as it sounds: don’t drastically change who you are the minute you step on campus. It’s true that college can be the perfect time to “reinvent” yourself, but whoever coined this phrase needs to include an addendum to clarify that what this really means is you have a clean slate to be yourself in a new place and with new people. -