You’ve just spent the last few hours moving basically your whole life into your shoebox of a room for you to call home for the year — unless you we’re able to convince your parents you needed a private dorm with the extra spacing. My mom didn’t quite fall for that one.

Regardless of where you’re living, the final moment of moving in your last box of high school t-shirts will come, and whoever moved you in will be leaving in their now-empty car. Or if you moved yourself in, eventually you will finish reorganizing your closet or where each throw pillow will lay. 

You’ll get to the point when there’s no more rearranging to do and you’ll sit there with your roommate or roommates and wonder… “What now?”

Well, have no fear. I’ve got some ideas to keep you and your new-found friends busy for your first night at college.

Walk around campus

You’re going to be here for a really long time, so walk around get to know it all. Check out the classic of the Main Quad, but also be a little more adventurous and try checking out the Japan House Garden the first night. You could also use the first night to figure out where your classes are. Go with your roommates, and do a dry run of your schedule. That way when the first day comes, it won’t be so scary.

Check out Green Street

Head over to Green Street and try out a restaurant, and no — not a chain restaurant you can get at home. Try a restaurant you don’t recognize. Even better, try and get a group of kids together from where you’re living so you can grab a bunch of different foods for different restaurants. Make it a picnic where everyone can try a little taste of Green Street. 

Make some friends

Go around your dorm or apartment and introduce yourself. You might feel stupid at first, but how else are you supposed to make some friends? Honestly, everyone is scared to be the one to make the first step the first few weeks of college, but everyone is looking for new friends. So be bold, keep your door open, and ask people to go play frisbee on the Main Quad with you your first night. 

Relax with your roommate

You’re about to live with this person for the next year,  so spend your first night just relaxing with them and getting to know them. This can be by watching T.V., heading to Jarlings for some ice cream or just sitting in bed playing “20 Questions” back and fourth. If you’re lucky this person will become one of your best friends, so make the extra time and effort to get to know them. 

Overall, your first night of college will feel kind of weird no matter what you do, but remember it’s just your first night. Try not to put too much pressure on it. You have the next year to figure out what you’ll want to be doing with your college evenings.

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