Woohoo! You've made it to college! You are probably brimming with excitement (and perhaps nervousness) about embarking on this new adventure. There are a lot of NEW things that you are trying to do all at once. You may be asking yourself how do I balance the pace and rigor of school, meet new friends, find some cool orgs or other activities to join, and still make time to eat, sleep, and do laundry? So much to do, so many people, so little time!
You are not alone! Each year, freshmen struggle with one or more aspects of this transition. The good news is that there are some well-tested strategies that can help you manage challenges with greater ease. Check out the articles below to help you master your freshman year transition!
You are not alone! Each year, freshmen struggle with one or more aspects of this transition. The good news is that there are some well-tested strategies that can help you manage challenges with greater ease. Check out the articles below to help you master your freshman year transition!
@MHPeers Helping You Tackle Freshman Year: This was way more than I was expecting. |
Climbing Mount Syllabus:
Students come from different high schools that prepared them in different ways. No matter what your background, you probably weren’t prepared to jam what you would have done in 1 year in high school into just a 10 week quarter. You probably also didn’t expect a test to be worth more than 40% of your grade. The pace, rigor, and deadlines might be more than you expected and adjusting to these changes can be difficult. With the right tools, transitioning to college level coursework can be more manageable. Read this article to learn how to better tackle your academic load.
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Adulting 101 It's All Up to You Now:
Living independently provides students with a lot of new responsibilities. Laundry is not the only new load you have to deal with. Living on your own means that you are responsible for taking care of yourself (e.g., meals, cleaning, etc.) while also balancing school and social time. When daily living responsibilities, like laundry, pile up it can become difficult to feel balanced and you can instead feel easily overwhelmed. Check out this article to learn tips and tricks to taking care of the basics with greater ease.
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Finding Your Way:
Having trouble locating your classes as a first year student? Not knowing exactly where you are can be confusing and stressful. Some days, successfully crossing the bike path, avoiding being run over by a skateboard, and making it to class on time can feel like a win.
Familiarizing yourself with a new place can take quite a bit of time. But it doesn't have to be overwhelming if you make each day a new adventure. Check out this article to make the newness less scary and more of an adventure! |
Managing Homesickness:
Moving away from home for the first time can be exciting...you have the opportunity to learn about yourself, meet new friends, and experience new adventures. That certainly doesn’t mean that you won’t miss home, too! And, getting familiar with UCSB and making it feel like your home away from home will take some time and effort.
Read this article to learn more about how to manage homesickness and work toward making UCSB your home away from home. |
@MentalHealthPeers Helping You Tackle Freshman Year: Skies aren’t always blue when you’re missing home. |
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Housing Peaks & Valleys:
When nearly 4,500 incoming freshman from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds converge to live in a common space, what can happen? Lots of long-lasting friendships to be formed and fun to be had. But putting all of these folks with different personalities, different habits, and different values in the same living space can also bring about disagreements and conflict.
Read here how to manage some of the challenges that come with cozy living. |
Getting Involved:
Extracurricular activities are not only good for fostering new friendships and building community, but they are also great for your mental health! There are well over 500 student organizations at UCSB. The number of choices can be exciting as well as a bit overwhelming. It is important to involve yourself in things you enjoy doing or find interest in. From poetry, to swing dancing, to chess, to outdoor adventure...YOU NAME IT... there is probably a club for it. Check out our tips for finding groups that speak to you!
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Life In Balance or Imbalance?
Maybe you were able to "do it all" in high school and that’s in part what got you in to UCSB. However trying to do it all in college is difficult because it’s a different experience. The classes are more rigorous and you have more responsibilities to take care of yourself. It is okay to feel like you need more help. There are healthy ways you can find a balance while still managing the various tasks to do. Read more here about how to create more balance in your daily life.
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