Starting School

School.

It's coming, and if you're going to school at University of Wyoming, soon. The official first day for classes is the 26th of August, but if you're moving into the Dorms you can come the 22nd. Literally only a month away before we will be back. I for one am extremely excited. However, being an upperclassmen is wonderful, nothing like last year when I was excited but so unprepared. I didn't know the first thing about being ready for school, or anything else. 

So for those I recommend five extremely important things:

1) Get involved. Honestly, it is the best thing you can do.

I didn't, my best friends Rushed Greek without me, and now after realizing what I did wrong I am Rushing this fall. When about halfway through first semester I started to get lonely and miss my sports teams from high school, freak out over classes, and get frustrated at my dorm mates, my friends had sisters to bond with, go places with, and get advice from. I ended up being great friends with girls from Greek Life and that was just from meeting them in class. It doesn't really matter what you're doing as long as it's something you love. Greek, intramural, and other groups are great.

2) Do the Homework.

This is the first time you don't have parents over your shoulder and a lot of the time, you don't have to turn in the homework. However, if you don't end up reading the chapters they tell you to, come test time you are going to realize how behind you are.

3) Go to Office Hours

Just go meet your professor. I read all about that and I heard everything I needed to know that it was the best idea for someone. However, I didn't go. And to prove that it really does help, when I did end up going I understood everything so much better, my chem teacher? ya I didn't get anything in his class until we were one-on-one. It is scary, but if I'd been going from the beginning instead of from midterms, I might have actually passed the class.  Now, technically a is passing, but you need a C to move on, so in reality it really isn't.

4) Leave your dorm door open.

It sounds silly, but everyone in my dorm did. We all became really close, with closeness came some drama but with 40 girls and 40 boys living on one floor that is bound to happen at least a little bit. I had friends in other dorms that didn't know the girls living next door, and it was eerie to go to their halls after my loud boisterous floor. Over time they eventually got to know each other, but not in the way my floor did. We had girls nights and went out to dinner together. We all just wanted friends and wanted to fit in,  I may not end up being best buds with all of them forever, but now that they are in apartments and we aren't living together I know that if I need something I can just call.

5) Read The Freshmen 50 by Carly Heitlinger

I was looking through my Pinterest board and found Carly's blog, The College Prepster.
I then proceeded to find the book and buy it and read it. It includeds litterally everything I went through, how I felt and what I wished I'd done. She puts everything perfectly. I really can't recommend a better thing to do than to read it. There are tips I'm going to take from her to help with this next year of school. I am making plans and getting ready to go back, I'm ready to get the most out of college and put myself out there. This is my time and now that my feet are wet I can't wait to jump in wholeheartedly.

If you want to go to Carly's website here is the link: http://www.thecollegeprepster.com/

Hope your first year goes great!!

-WyoBelle