As the new semester approaches college students’ schedules tend to fill up faster than we can keep up with. Here are some tips to stay on track early on.
- Familiarize yourself with academic and other support services
The University of Idaho provides many resources for students to stay on track. From drop-in tutoring to Writing Center writing assistance. Familiarizing yourself early on will save you the stress of scrambling to find a resource that will help you when you’re behind. This doesn’t mean you have to visit these resources right away, just familiarize yourself with them so you know where they are in times of stress.
2. Join a new club
There are countless clubs at UI that caters to most, if not all student’s interests. Clubs are a great way to meet people and spend time doing something you love that may or may not be related to your major. Either way, joining a club early on provides you an outlet to enjoy yourself right away.
3. Evaluate your commitments
Many college students tend to take on more than they can handle because of the countless opportunities college provides. Evaluate the commitments you have now, dropping one of them may save you unneeded stress in the future.
4. Take a trip to the Humane Society
The Humane Society of the Palouse allows anyone to come in and play with the animals they have there. This is a great way to de-stress and get your pet fix, and it will make those animals happy.
5. Plan out your study/work time
Having a set schedule early on for times to get your work done will help you ensure you have enough time to do everything you want to do.
6. Don’t buy your textbooks, check the library first
It’s no secret that textbooks are expensive and sometimes you don’t use them very much in classes. The library has textbooks on reserve where students can check them out and use them for a few hours if they stay in the library. This saves hundreds of dollars in the long run. Although they don’t have every textbook, it’s still worth it to check.
7. Plan one hour a week to relax
Setting aside just one hour to yourself to do something you love during the week is a great way to de-stress and keep your mind healthy. Having that time to yourself can be extremely beneficial.
8. Visit the Rec Center
Physical activity calms the mind and can be a great stress reliever. Even if you’ve never been there before there is something for everyone. Setting aside time to unwind and get your body moving will help your mental and physical health.
9. Get off campus and explore Moscow
Moscow is known as the heart of the arts, but it offers so much more than that. Moscow has so many opportunities for everyone and getting away from the stressful college environment can help you. Exploring parts of Moscow that you’ve never been to before can be a great way to discover something you may have not found otherwise.
10. Live the way you want to live
Regardless of what you do with your time at UI, college is your time. College is the time to find yourself and discover more things that you love.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HindbergNicole.