Your First Week at College or University

Are you excited? Nervous? Both? Relax! Here's what to expect.

You have lived at home with parents and siblings your whole life, and now it's time to head off to university. Soon, you'll be living on your own for the first time, after saying goodbye to high school friends who are all leaving on their own educational journeys.

You're curious about how you'll do with college courses, but your biggest question is how you'll fit with your new roommate and the other students in your dorm. For example, maybe you've always had your own private bedroom, but now you'll be sharing a room with a perfect stranger. How's that going to work?

Feeling anxious is perfectly normal

Being anxious about your first week at college or university is as normal as breakfast. Every other student in your first-year class will be going through similar emotions, to some degree or another. You're not alone! So what can you do to make your first week a blast?

Step one: Relax

First, relax! It's going to be okay. You'll quickly learn the location of all your classes, get into a weekly routine, and meet friendly students in your dorm. And, before you know it, your first week of school (in particular, all the jitters that went with it) will seem like the proverbial 'blip on the screen.'

Step two: Chat with other students

Secondly, ask questions of your new friends. Be a good listener. You'll meet students from different parts of your province and country, and you may even meet some students from around the world. Remember that everyone you meet has a fascinating story of how they arrived at college, what they dream of becoming, and why they think the way they do. Take a genuine interest in others, and you will quickly become known as someone who truly cares.

Step three: Go to orientation

Thirdly, take advantage of all the orientation sessions offered at your school. For example, Liberty University provides special orientation sessions for students from outside the US, and breakout sessions specifically for Canadians. We want non-US students to learn all the benefits of studying in the US. Sessions such as these are great times to meet other new students. Because you're all newbies, the people you connect with may become friends throughout your entire college career and beyond.

Step four: Mix it up

Finally, be sure to attend all the mixer opportunities taking place before classes begin. Soon enough, you'll be attending classes, hitting the books, and studying for exams. So before all that begins, commit to having lots of fun.

Liberty's Welcome Week includes crazy things like Bingo Night, an open mic, and an outdoor movie, "Godzilla vs. Kong." Now, you may think that Bingo is for senior citizens, and have no interest in monster movies, but grab a new friend and go anyways! You're only in first year once, so make it a great experience.

Tou'll be surprised how quickly all the jitters and anxiety melt away. Soon, you'll join the ranks of adults looking back on college, thinking, "those were the best years of my life."