Preparing for College

05 Aug Preparing for College

Heading to college for the first time this year? Or maybe you’re a returning student? College can be a big shock to many students. Change can be tough to deal with, especially when it means completely changing your surroundings and your routine. Here are some solutions for when you are dealing with difficult times in college:

Worried About Your New Dorm Room?

A new school year means a new dorm room to organize. There are plenty of ways to maximize the space of your new dorm room. With just a little creativity and quick thinking, the right form setup can find you with more space than you thought, making life much better. These are some tips to declutter your dorm room:

• Focus on multi-use furniture.
• Take advantage of your vertical space.
  • Over the door shoe racks, hanging baskets, using command hooks to store supplies.
• If you choose to have a kitchen area be sure to find small appliances.
  • Mini-fridge, small microwave, and a coffee maker that won’t take of space/ can be stored easily.
• Maximize under bed storage.
  • Find storage bins, drawers, or boxes that will stack up or fit under your bed. You can also loft a desk, dresser, or futon below.
• Create above the bed storage
  • Add shelves to keep everything up and out of the way!
• Roll clothing to save dresser space
  • Rolling your clothes can allow you to store twice the amount of things along with preventing wrinkles.

Dealing With Homesickness in College

If after you are settled in for the new school year you find yourself feeling homesick in college, you’re not alone. Many students report feeling homesick and that’s okay. While everyone handles life changes differently, these tips might help you figure out what works best for you to deal with homesickness:

• Acknowledge if you’re feeling homesick.
  • Much of what you know and can rely on is home. Homesickness is a natural response t this sense of loss.
• Bring familiar items from home to your college.
  • Photos, decorations, or stuffed animals can help to give a sense of ease in the shock of the new environment.
• Get up can do something!
  • Stay busy. Try to do things you love to maintain a positive outlook.
• Keep in touch with the people at home.
  • Video chats, phone calls, emails, and even texts will make you feel like you are closer to home.
• Plan a date in advance to go and visit home.
• This will give you something to look forward to and help you avoid impulsive returns.