We’ve all been there. You’ve arrived to campus, hauled everything up to your room, decorated, met your roommate, said goodbye to your family and settled into your new residence hall. Everything is going great! But then you remember. You must start classes on Monday – Oh no.
The transition from high school to college classes can be extremely intimidating. You used to have all your classes in one building, and now you have them scattered all around campus. You used to know everyone in your classes, and now your faced with a bunch of new faces[MD1] . You’re probably thinking: How will I find the right room, or even the right building? What do I need to bring? What if I get lost? Will I know anybody? It’s only natural that you feel nervous. But don’t worry, thousands of Cardinals have gotten through their first day of classes, and you will too.
First, keep in mind that everyone else is just as nervous as you. As a freshman, you’ll most likely be in classes with a lot of other first-year students. You’re all learning together, so don’t feel like you’re being judged. And even if you’re in higher level classes, everyone s chill and won’t care that you don’t know what you’re doing yet. We’ve all been there! Here are a few tips to help you adjust to your first day at Ball State.
Before your first day:
- Go out and familiarize yourself with campus.
- Find the location of all of your classes on your schedule.
- Walk through campus and identify all of the buildings you’ll be spending time in.
- Go inside buildings and find your rooms.
- Log into Canvas, read notes from professors and read your syllabus.
Ball State’s campus might seem scary when you’re unfamiliar with it, but once you get to know it, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy to navigate!
The next issue you might face is socially. You also might be worried about going into classes with people you’ve never met or even being surprised by seeing someone from your hometown. It can feel awkward at first but see these new settings and new people as a new opportunity.
Most likely, your professor will have you do icebreakers on the first day, which is where you go around the room and tell the class about yourself, what your major is, and sometimes a fun fact about yourself. You’ll probably have to do this same thing in most of your classes, so come up with an interesting fact about yourself in advance so you don’t feel stressed out on the spot. Maybe you’ve never tried sushi or maybe you’ve been out of the country three times. Whatever it is, try to find something that’s a good conversation starter and people could ask you questions about.
Typically, the first day of class is pretty chill. Aside from icebreakers, your professor will most likely go over the syllabus, what to expect for the semester, what textbooks are required and allow you to ask questions. This is a good time to settle in and familiarize yourself. Make sure to bring your charged computer so you can access class materials and take notes if necessary.
All in all, the first day sounds a lot scarier than it actually is. However, once it’s over, you’ll realize that it’s not so bad. Good luck on your first semester; we know you’ll do great!
