The first day of class is just days away for many college campuses. That day can be very emotional for any student. However, there may be no one more emotional than the incoming freshmen. The first day of college is more than just attending a new class, it’s entering a whole new world.

It’s been 12 years since I had my first day of classes. Many of my biggest fears came true that day. I couldn’t find a place to park, I got lost, and I was very late to my first class. It was a public speaking course. The first assignment was to give a quick speech about the person sitting next to you. My partner had very little time to interview me as I was so late. Her speech went something like, “I can only assume she’s not a very punctual person given she was so late today.” That got her a laugh and me a red face.

Looking back, I find it funny, too. But that day I was ready to cash in my chips and assume college wasn’t for me. Our emotions have a way of getting the best of us. By my final semester I had made many more mistakes, been late a million more times, and still managed to get lost on campus after all those years. Those issues among a million others seemed to happen to everyone though, and after a few years of it, the fretting stopped and it was just understood that college is a dynamic environment. Everyone was trying to find their way, it wasn’t just me who struggled from time to time.

More than a decade later, I wondered what today’s freshmen were dealing with. What fears are keeping them up at night as they prepare for their first day. I asked several members of the class of 2016 and here’s what they said were their biggest fears: Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in high school, I had a self-imposed bedtime and woke up at the same time every morning in order to go to my classes. As a result, I got eight hours of sleep every night and felt more energized and aware when I woke up in the mornings. My energy levels stayed high throughout the day and when it was time to go to bed at night, I fell asleep easily.

All that changed when I went to college. During my freshman year, I would stay up until 4:00 A.M. one night, wake up at noon, and then go to bed at 10:00 P.M. in order to wake up for my 8:00 A.M. class the next day. My sleep schedule was completely wacky, and as a result, my overall health suffered.

It turns out I was not alone. Many freshmen struggle with getting enough sleep as they transition into college. Also, when freshmen do sleep, they tend to think that they are getting a better quality of rest than they really are.

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If there is one thing that I wish my high school had required as a general education class during my senior year, it would have been Small Talk 101. I know this seems kind of silly, and I really thought I had this area of social interaction covered when I walked across that graduation stage, but I quickly realized that I was not the expert that I thought I was when I came to college.

During their first year of college, many freshman have to use small talk to get to know people on campus. It does not matter whether you are rushing for a sorority or fraternity, forming a study group for your Political Science class, or getting to know the people who live on your dorm floor, being able to engage in small talk is important. Small talk is the easiest and most natural way to start getting to know someone, and without it, you run the risk of having a very hard time making friends and acquaintances in college.

However, you do not have anything to fear if you are not blessed with the gift of gab. EDUinReview wants your freshman year to get off on the right foot, so we are here to offer a few tips for being the Small Talk King or Queen of your class!

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