The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WSU chapter.
So, my “freshman experience” decided to play hide-and-seek until sophomore year—thanks online classes! Picture this: arriving on campus, terrified, clueless, and feeling like college survival skills were a foreign language. My sister’s community college tales weren’t exactly a crash course on the college hustle. Fear not fellow Cougs, here are some tips that would have made my life a breeze.
Get to Know Your Campus:
- My biggest tip for this is to go to orientation! You might think you’re “too cool” to come to school a few days earlier to learn about the campus, but it’s a lot more than that. Not only do you learn where all the important buildings and the best routes are, it’s also a chance to meet people who are in the same boat as you. You may not become best friends with all of them, but it’s great to see familiar faces from your group in the first few weeks of school.
Preparing for the semester:
- Leaning your semester schedule is important for everyone no matter what year you’re in. By looking through your schedule, you will find the class meeting times, rooms, instructor’s name, office hours and so much more. While you do this, look at the different course syllabi. This will give you information on what you can expect to learn in that course, and the professors’ expectations, and you can even get a course schedule. I recommend copy-pasting this into your organization tool of choice (my favorite is Notion).
- This leads me to my next step: have an organizational system for school where you keep track of due dates and assignments, and plan your studying.
- Once you have looked through the syllabus, you will now know what you need for your classes, which can range from textbooks to writing materials. Whatever it is, make sure you know what you need, and get it before class. The Bookie has a great rental system that can save you some money.
- Practicing your commute is the final step in preparing for a new semester. This looks different for everyone because some people live on campus, some people live at home, and some people live in off-campus apartments. Whatever your situation, you want to find out how long it takes you to get to each class. A good time to do this as well is if you go to orientation!
Acclimating to University Life:
It can be hard to get your new rhythm on campus. For most of us, this is the first time we are away from home. We must now get used to new surroundings and daily routines. Here are a few things to make the transition a little smoother:
- Coug presence is a platform that shows you EVERYTHING that is happening on campus that you can get involved in from events related to your major to clubs and sports you might like to join. This is a great tool to help you get involved in campus life/ activities.
- Handshake is similar but more catered to professional goals. Handshake will be your one-stop shop for everything career-related. From career fairs to job opportunities. Take advantage of this to grow your portfolio, or just interact with people with similar interests & goals.
- CAPS: Also known as Counseling and Psychological Services. All WSU students get 12 free sessions with a counselor (this can either be group or solo). It’s no secret that campus life has its challenges, but one of the biggest ones that people often struggle with is having someone to talk to about your struggles. This is a great tool to utilize; CAPS has been a great tool for me and I recommend everyone to at least go for a few sessions.
- Transport: If you are bringing a car (which is ideal for these Pullman hills), look into getting a parking pass. Try and get one close to your dorm/residence hall. For those of you not bringing a car, no worries! You can take the bus for free. Just flash your CougarCard and you’re set!
Balancing Act:
The reason I think this is important is because there can be a lot of things to balance when you’re in college. You are now entirely responsible for your schedule, you have to do your own shopping, try and stay healthy, and so much more. These are some tips that have helped me:
- I cannot stress this enough. Keep some kind of planner or organizer. Whether you want to use a database like Notion, your notes app, or a piece of paper., you need to have something to keep track of what you need to do because it can easily get away from you in college.
- Try and build a healthy routine based on your productivity levels. Whether you are a morning person or a night owl, schedule your important tasks around that time and try and add things to your routine that just help you make a healthier lifestyle. Apps that I recommend for building a routine are MEE+(I personally use this, and I love it!), Streaks, HabitNow, Way of Life, Habitify and Habitica.
- Build healthy study habits. Just because you spend hours at your desk doesn’t always mean you’re being productive. Start being intentional with your studying. Half an hour of active focused study is more productive than hours of passive study. Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. The library is not the only place you can study, instead, why not try one of the study lounges around campus; most of them have whiteboards to help you visualize what you’re trying to learn. Bonus: if you need a break, the Chinook has nap rooms to help you recharge. If that’s not your pace, try one of the many coffee spots around. I personally love studying in a coffee shop; Pups & Cups, and Einsteins are my favs.
- Try and integrate some form of movement into your life. While that won’t be a problem with all the walking we do at WSU, it’s a good idea to do some exercise. I’ve had times when I don’t exercise as much and my mood is all over the place, I don’t have as much energy throughout the day, and I’m not as productive. You don’t have to spend hours in the gym, you can even go on a long walk if that’s what you like. If you’re not sure what you like, take advantage of all access week at the beginning of the semester where all the fitness classes offered at the UREC are free. Go try them out and see what works for you. Once you find something, try and incorporate it into your routine.
- Watch what you eat! I know most of us probably fall into the cliche college diet of having ramen every day at some point, but it is not ideal. As much as it might be affordable and easy, it is ultimately not good for us. If you’re on a meal plan always look for the healthier options at the dining halls (Natural). For those of you who live off-campus, meal prep. Not only will this save you time on cooking, but it will also make sure you know everything you are putting into your body. Finally, pack healthy snacks and stay hydrated!
And there you have it- a cheat code for surviving at WSU. Hopefully, my little nuggets of knowledge help you on this adventure! Go Cougs!