Sunday, August 11, 2013

My First Day of College Experience + First Day of School Tips!




Whether you're going into high school or college soon, first days can be nerve wrecking! In today's post, I'll be sharing my first day of college experience with you guys as well as some tips that you can use on your first day of school!

I was 16 when I graduated high school here in Kuwait. I moved to the Philippines (Bacolod City) for college and it was going to be my first time being out on my own! Well, I wasn't exactly on my own since my brother was finishing off his senior year in college and I would be staying with him. So, I was more excited than scared at the time! I remember arriving to the Philippines a month before my first semester and still having to register for my classes! It was a stressful time but I was grateful I had my cousin help me out since we were taking the same major. I wasn't fluent in Hiligaynon, Bacolod's dialect, so most people avoided talking to me because they had to speak English. This bothered me at first but eventually I got over it. Anyway, once I had finished registering for my classes and got my schedule, I had a couple of weeks to kill before school officially started. I took this time to move myself in, buy my school supplies and just relax. The night before my first day is when I started getting nervous and excited. First day eve feelings cannot be put into words but I'm sure every one of us has been there! I somehow managed to fall asleep that night and the next morning, I remember feeling so confident that since our housing was close to the school, I didn't need to be in a rush. Big mistake on my part because I ended up being stuck in traffic and arriving 10 minutes late! As if that didn't stress me out already, I got lost and couldn't find my classroom! In my head, I thought I knew where it was but wow was I wrong. I texted my cousin hoping she would come to my rescue but she was already in class. Thankfully, there was a man I spotted in the hallway and I went up to him frantically asking for directions to my classroom and just my luck, he turned out to be the school's disciplinary officer and first, I got told off for not approaching him "politely" but he ended up giving me the right directions and I FINALLY made it to my class. Before I stepped in, I could already hear the teacher's voice and that was my cue to prepare myself for the walk of shame - walking in late. He did cut me some slack though since it was the first day. We went around introducing ourselves and since most of the people in my class came from the same schools, they knew each other. I made one friend that day who thankfully, did not feel awkward speaking in English with me! I tagged along with her for the remainder of the day and made it to all my classes (without getting lost!). We didn't do much on the first day aside from just introducing ourselves and getting to know our classmates and professors. More of the actual school work took place the following day.

Overall, I wouldn't consider my first day the best but it wasn't that bad either. It definitely didn't define the rest of my college experience. I would say the 4 years I spent at college were some of my best years!

We all could learn a little something from my experience so here are some tips for your first day!

1. Start school shopping early! Get the basics first - stationary, school bag, outfits (some schools may require a uniform so have this prepared in advance). If you're taking classes like calculus, architecture or any class that requires you to bring special tools, take note beforehand!

2. Print out a map of your school and class schedule and familiarize yourself with the buildings where your classes are going to be held!

3. Set a reasonable bedtime where you can get at least 8 hours of sleep and follow this schedule a couple of weeks before the beginning of school.

4. On the night before your first day, have all your things prepared (you're not going to need much - I pretty much just carried a notebook and a pen) and have your outfit already laid out and this will save you a ton of time in the morning.

5. On the morning of your first day, give yourself enough time to have a decent breakfast because it will help you get through the day! Take it from me and leave your house early! In case you get stuck in traffic, you'll still make it in time for school.

6. My final and most important tip for you guys is to BE YOURSELF. Don't be pressured into doing things and acting differently to get people to like you. You will never feel comfortable this way. Be yourself completely and you'll attract the right kind of people that will like you for you!

I hope I helped some of you guys out! If you have any more tips to share, please leave them in the comments below! I'd love to read them. I wish you all a great school year ahead! Good luck!

Kisses,

S

No comments:

Post a Comment