Leaving your friends, family and comfort zone behind to begin a new chapter in adulthood is scary and exciting all at once. It’s normal to be nervous before moving in to college and while some students would rather take refuge in their dorm room and stick to the books, others would rather venture out and experience everything higher education has to offer. However, if you’re one of the latter, take precautions before you spread yourself out too thin and burn out early on in the fall.

You can expect to feel lost the first week of school and one of the best ways to find your social group is through extra curricular activities, intramurals, frat parties, clubs or Greek life. There are so many groups to choose from and it’s really easy to sign up for a plethora of organizations in an attempt to make friends.

Choose activities you actually like

Volunteering 15 hours a week looks good on a medical school application, but if you don’t absolutely love the work you put in, why do it? If you load up your schedule with clubs and groups that are solely for making yourself look good, odds are you’ll burn out fast and regret not choosing something you like to do.

If Greek life isn’t your thing, but you desire to have a tight-knit group of friends, DON’T RUSH A HOUSE! There are so many different ways to get involved that you’ll enjoy doing. Don’t put yourself in situations that you don’t like. Life (and college) is way too short for that!

Some advice: Sign up for three clubs, go to the meetings the first couple weeks and decide whether or not you have found your niche. Remember, self care is more than some impressive stats on a resume.

Spending time alone to recharge is OK

It seems like you’re never alone in college. You’re either in a lecture hall with 2,500 other students, eating with your new friends in the dining hall or hanging out with your roommate. Constantly socializing can be really draining and peer pressure can get the best of you. Don’t be afraid to take a long walk by yourself or go to the closest coffee shop for some alone time. Here you can figure out what you actually want to do without the pressure of others. Be a proud loner!

Take advantage of your free time

If you’re an incoming freshman, you have about three more years to be busy, so don’t waste all of your precious free time stressing out about how you should be doing more to perfect your resume. Take a deep breath, relax and enjoy your first few moments of freedom. You don’t have to be constantly doing something, studying or socializing. The most important thing to do is pass your classes, so stop worrying about juggling everything at once. It’s OK to relax!

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