Starting university? Don’t want to freak out? This is the video for you! Now that I’m starting my last term of my masters, I wanted to share a bunch of things that I wish someone had told me back when I first started my undergrad. They’ll save you time, money, and heartache, and make sure that at the end of it all you’ll have something positive to show for it!
See also:
- NPR: Food and Housing insecurity may be keeping students from graduating
- Medium: How I got through college without buying a textbook and saved $2,250
Fun Facts:
- Getting out of the Dorms: Trying to do as much as you can outside of your dorm except for sleep or other bed activities helps your body and mind build an association of being in your dorm with sleeping — which in turn makes it easier to fall asleep! And trust me: you’re gonna want that.
- Volunteering: This is something that, honestly, I swear by. I’ve always volunteered whenever I can because aside from what I mentioned in the video, it’s a great way to keep things in perspective. First, my life is hard and so are other people’s! Second, doing good for others can be surprisingly easy, and is always worth doing.
- My two favorite on-campus activities were being in student government and being a wellness peer.
- Student government can teach you about how organizations like businesses and non-profits operate, how to work toward the best interests of a group, and how to negotiate. Wellness programs can teach you about mental, physical, and sexual health, and how to have hard but important conversations with your peers!
- Research Help: Librarians will help you find journal articles, blog posts, podcasts; they can put you in touch with experts in the field, or track down materials across the country and have them shipped to you… for free. And I promise, librarians are way nicer than they often get portrayed in the media!