Two of the biggest things I wish I would have known coming to college as a freshman, would have been to not stress over all the little things and how to manage my time. My first few weeks of college were an absolute nightmare. Between trying to make new friends and perfect all my homework assignments, I felt as if I were drowning. It wasn’t until week three that I finally took a step back and realized, wait a second, what’s wrong with only having one close friend at college? Why do I feel the need to stress over every homework assignment and double and triple check things? I wish I could go back and tell myself at the beginning of the school year to tell myself that it is okay to relax and it’s okay to take a break if something is stressing you out. Looking back, I think in those first few weeks I was struggling with my time management because I was so worried about trying to make everything perfect that I forgot the importance of having down time.
One thing that I think all incoming freshmen should be told is that it is okay to struggle. But when you get to the point where you are realizing this, you should take a step back and wonder. When was the last time I called my parents, hung out with friends, went and to get food or just sat back and did absolutely nothing. If your answer to this is “I don’t know” that’s completely okay, it just means that you should sit down and make plans for the next couple of days out. A plan helps you balance out your homework, social time, and your personal time. You still might be struggling in classes or over preparing for something, but at least you have something to look forward to in the near future. If you just keep on working with no set time or goal at the end you are going to burn yourself out. This is why learning how to better manage your time in your first few weeks of school and learning to not stress over the little things is crucial for you to have a happier and more successful college experience. 