Top Ten Ways to Successfully Adjust to College Life
- Get involved. Involvement with others and campus activities are healthy pursuits. Involvement can breed positive thoughts and feelings and is related to good self-esteem and academic success.
- Stay positive. Work toward maintaining an optimistic attitude and interacting with others in productive ways. Be accepting and tolerant of yourself and others.
- Go to class. Attendance in class ought to be one of your top priorities. Your academic success and successful stress management is dependent upon good attendance.
- Party smart. If you enjoy partying, do it in ways that don't result in harm to yourself or others, and doesn't result in poor academic performance. Do everything in moderation.
- Stay on campus when you can. The college years are a time to develop independence and autonomy. This occurs when you become your own person and develop new relationships in your new community.
- Eat and sleep well. We function at our best when our bodies are appropriately nurtured.
- Practice good stress management. While some stress is inevitable, there are things we can do to prevent or reduce stress. Seek out and learn these methods.
- Communicate productively. Be assertive with others so that your own needs are met, but do this in ways that respect others and their differences.
- Maintain healthy relationships. Work to avoid "toxic" relationships, but also do a lot of give and take with your friends. Put effort into resolving conflicts in ways that honor yourself and others. Stay in touch with those who support you.
- Stay focused. Academic life requires students to focus and concentrate. Work to avoid or reduce things that interfere with your concentration.