5 Tips for A Helpful First Week at College

Happy Monday!! Today or sometime this week most of us starting school. If that's so then this month's guest post series will definitely help you. Today we're continuing all those amazing tips and advice for back-to-school with Valerie from Wildflowers & Curls. 

The first week of school is seriously the hardest thing to do for anyone. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what grade your in. I remember my first semester of college I didn’t know what to do. I only knew one person, I was socially awkward, and I was on a campus that was 10x the size of my high school. I had these huge gaps between my classes and I literally spent my first day by myself on the lawn tables until my next class. 

I want to therefore dedicate this post to a few helpful tips that can get through your first week of your very first semester without dreading or stressing about it.


1. Finding Classrooms: Being new on a campus can be super intimidating and scary. I’d recommend sparing a couple minutes or even an hour (if you have it) before your initial classes start time to look for your classes. Get a good look at where they are! This will allow you to not be late on your first day.

2. Smile & Say Hi: Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the person beside you in class. They’re probably as afraid as you are so it doesn’t hurt to just smile. Y’all could be helpful to each other!

3. Explore the Campus: As I mentioned my first day included isolating myself while waiting for classes and I deeply wish I had not done this. The first week usually includes mini events or activities to get to know other students and enjoy your self. I know every semester at UIW (my university) on the first day they hold something called River Jam. It’s this small event held near the river on our campus that lets students unwind on their first day with some BBQ and live performances.

4. Go to the Student Organization Fair: If your campus has a fair that allows you to see all the student organizations, go to it! This is a good opportunity to see maybe what clubs you’d be interested in joining. I highly highly recommend attending something like this. Since I’m apart of the student newspaper on campus and we have a booth each year I see first hand how helpful they can be.

5. Print out/Write out Class Schedule: Remember you’re in college now so there is no bell schedule like in high school. Jot down the times your classes start and end. It is easy to lose track of time if you don’t have anything to remind you. Have the class schedule with you at lease for the first week so you can get use to it. There have been so many times I get lost in thought and glance at the clock to see I only have 3 minutes till class starts!



While it can be something at first to be afraid of it will get better. Every year after will become easier to manage and the anxiety will disappear. As a third year student I’ve grown to let the jitters fade and make memories from it.

 Valerie is the founder of Wildflowers & Curls, a beauty+lifestyle blog that has anything from beauty tips to collegiate tips. She is a 20-year-old from San Antonio, Texas attending the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a Communication Arts major. Valerie is a student journalist and assistant editor for UIW's the Logos Newspaper.She one days hope to manage her own print publication as an editor.