In a few days, I will start my first day of my first year of university!! I moved in last weekend to one of the newer dorms on campus and I love it (however, there was a gnat problem in the bathroom, but it is supposed to get fixed soon). Here are my goals for the first semester:

Academic Goals

Academically, I’ve always been very hard on myself – the word most of my friends used to describe me in middle and even high school was serious. I would get super stressed if I didn’t get an A. That kind of changed in my senior year; I felt less stressed because I had less classes, but then college applications took the place of that stress.

I know that the first year of uni will be challenging, but here are the strategies I’m going to try to use to help relax:

1. Ask questions in class and go to tutoring. This one is self explanatory.
2. Set times where I don’t work on academics at all (including work for clubs) AND turn off my phone and computer. I think this’ll help my mind rest and prevent myself from comparing myself to others.
3. Don’t go on my phone in bed. This one is kind of easy because I can only charge my phone on my desk and it is underneath my lofted bed, but I also got a new phone recently and the battery life is really good, so I could charge my phone and leave it on my nightstand. . .but I don’t want to do that.
4. Read the syllabus and put all of my assignment dates in my calendar before.
5. Get out of my dorm room to study. There are a few places on campus that I love and some outdoor places.

Social Goals

In the past year, I’ve learned that I need alone time, but I also need to balance that with a social life. I don’t want to isolate myself in my dorm, but I do want to make it a space where I can hang out with others.

1. Join organizations – self explanatory.
2. Get off campus – go to bookstores, find cute cafes, and find museums that give student discounts.
3. Get to know my roommates – self explanatory.
4. Reach out to people I know.
5. Maintain my relationships with my high school friends.

Personal Goals

Outside of university life, I want to continue developing my hobbies. I want my life to not be consumed by uni/feeling like I need to do things for others.

1. Read for fun. This might get hard when I have more reading assignments, but it’s a nice thing to do before I fall asleep.
2. Maintain my blog and bookstagram, but also make sure that I prioritize homework and organization responsibilities.
3. Workout – luckily, my campus is very walkable, but there’s also a decent gym and pool that I can use.
4. Stay clean and organized.
5. Join organizations such as the Filipino club and the Asian American Activism club.

Do you have any advice for a college first year?