Collage is very exciting. For the first time you’re away from your parents and you control your life. You get to be surrounded only by people your own age and everyone is experimenting with who they are. It can also be very scary even for the most confident people. It’s the first time you need to be responsible for yourself, your motivation, taking care of yourself and so on. You get used to all of it but the initial few weeks can be very daunting. Here are a few tips I learned to help you along:

Socialise
In the beginning everyone will be out of place in this new environment, even the kids who were the most social in high school. Take advantage of this and talk to as many people as you can. Go socialise with people you may have not hung out with before. Collage is about exploring and this is the perfect time to start. Get out of your comfort zone.

Reinvent yourself
Leave your high school identity behind and find out what else interests you. If you loved shop class, take dance lessons and of you were in a band, try playing a sport. You may not like it or fail at it but this is the perfect time to explore your interests. You will also meet interesting new people. Don’t hold on to your high school identity. Don’t just find your safe comfortable space, similar to the one you had in high school. Reinvent yourself and most importantly have fun with it.

Party
In the beginning there won’t be any tests yet and you will be away from home living with your peers for the first time in your life. Relax and enjoy it. You don’t have to go wild if you don’t want to (and you can if you do) but at least go out, meet people and have some fun. If you’re a bit shy make sure you come equipped with conversation starters. For example, everyone loves games and drinking so bring a beer pong set and people will soon join in and remember you fondly for it.

Don’t forget to work
It’s a hard lesson for a lot of people. Collage is very hard work and the more you procrastinate the worse it will be. So don’t start off with bad habits because the will be impossible to rid. I know it’s so much easier said than done but if you do create a good routine from the start your future self will be grateful beyond belief. So go to all your classes, make notes, study and then don’t forget to reward yourself by having fun. If you set unrealistic goals, then you will have failed before you even start.

Have a good relationship with your roomie
Not everyone gets a roomie they like. It’s a big gamble. But no matter what happens, whether you get your new BFF or someone you simply can’t connect with it’s a good idea to have a positive relationship with them. You are sharing a space with them so you want to be able to work out any issues. There is nothing worse than a roomie feud.

This article was written by Neza Vizintin, a content marketer for an PPC services agency in London.