10 Things To Do The First Week Of College

The first week of college is really emotional, hectic, stressful and overwhelming. Excited yet? Oh yeah. Although it is intense, it’s also a great week and it’s quintessential when getting yourself settled and established in your new home away from home.

Instead of getting lost in the chaos, here are ten things to do the first week of college in order to stay organized and focused on the important things.

1. Find the location of the laundry room & trash room.

These are important and (hopefully) will be used by you on a daily basis. Find out where they are as soon as possible. Also learn the policies concerning both. Does your college recycle? Is laundry free or does it cost quarters?

Also, read up on some College Laundry Tips while you’re at it because if you think you’re ready to do laundry in college, you might not be as ready as you think.

2. Meet your neighbors and floormates.

Whether it’s by bumping into them in the hallway, propping your door open, going to a floor event or even heading next door with some cookies, it’s good to know who you’ll be living next to and around for the entire semester (or year).

Pro tip is to get their phone numbers or add them on Facebook. It’s good to make connections and in a more pessimistic and realistic sense it’ll save you time when asking them to lower their music while you study and whatnot. Although, when it comes to college you have to learn to tolerate noise a little bit more. You definitely need to adapt or be selective when making noise complaints and asking someone to turn their music down because it can come off as being rude or a little bit too intolerant.

3. Hang your class schedule on the wall.

This will make it easier to dart off to class and know where you’re going. It’s also very convenient for immediate reference. It’s also helpful for your roommate and more good roomie tips can be found in my How To Be A Good Roommate  post, BTW. Additionally, if you’re noticing something that’s already an issue or is starting to become an issue with your new roommate, deal with the problem. It will only get worse if it’s left untouched.

Another bonus tip is making your schedule your phone’s lock screen for the first few weeks of classes so you can easily get the hang of your schedule and know where you’re going.

4. Connect your phone, laptop & other electronics to the school’s Wi-Fi.

Don’t use your data! In the business of the first week of college you might forget to connect to Wi-Fi but set a reminder to do so. Make sure you’re able to actually connect to your campus Wi-Fi because if not you’ll have to go through tech and you don’t want to wait until last minute to do that.

5. Check your class websites & professor e-mails.

Some classes might already have an assignment or textbook requirement. Just because classes didn’t technically begin it doesn’t mean you don’t already have things to do. Welcome to college life!

6. Follow campus clubs on social media.

This will help keep you in the loop about events on campus and all of that jazz. Like a few of the college’s club and activity pages and be sure to join your graduation year’s Facebook group (if you haven’t already after Orientation).

7. Decide on a first day of class outfit.

Okay, this seems a little bit superficial but you don’t want to spend the morning of your first day of classes freaking out about what to wear. Lay your outfit out the night before so you’re prepared for the first day of class, which will be really soon after move-in.

8. Attend every welcome week event you possibly can.

As someone on the board for the club on campus that plans all of these events, I know how much work goes into them. This is a great way to socialize, make friends, distract from homesickness and generally just have a great time. Attend the BBQs, fireworks, comedians, bingo and all of that jazz. It might sound silly, but it’s a great way to meet freshman and get out of your stuffy dorm. You’ll quite possibly make a better friendship sharing a laugh at a comedian than you will by getting drunk at a frat party, but that’s just my guess.

9. Figure out where your classes are.

Figure out where each building is located in advance to avoid being the freshman running around campus, about to cry, looking for the building of your class that started two minutes ago. You don’t want to get lost or be late for the first day of your class. Pull up a campus map or go for a stroll and take note of where your classes actually are. I promise you will not regret this. Bonus if you actually use the stopwatch on your phone to see how far away your classes are and plan your departure time accordingly. I’m not saying I’ve done this but I’m also not saying I haven’t done this either.

10. Unpack everything.

Everything should not and will not be unpacked on the first day you move in. The first day of college should not be spent hanging up every poster and arranging every book, but the first week should contain a good amount of unpacking.

Bonus: Complete all 8 Ways to Prepare For Your First Week of Classes!

The first week of college is full of energy and activities, but remember to make time to make your dorm more of your home. Get yourself settled! Whenever you have free time during the week, be sure to unpack and arrange your belongings. Give all of your items a place to help yourself truly begin to feel at home in your dorm. With this being said, don’t turn down socializing to hang up posters.

In the grand scheme of things, the first week of college isn’t the beginning or end of the world. It’s just seven days that can make an impact on your attitude. Remember to be positive, friendly and focused on what’s most important.

What are your tips for the first week of college?