Moving away from home and into the college dorms can be a stressful process. The chapter of your life known as “high school” has come to a close and now a new stage of your life is beginning.
Living away from home for the first time will be an adjustment. Mom will not be there to do your laundry, give you medication cold when you do not feel well, or cook your favorite meal on Sunday… not cool. However, I have some good news for you! If you avoid these 3 common mistakes that many students are new, you will be installed in the college life sooner than you think!
Mistake 1 – Staying Alone
You should try to spend as much time outside your dorm room as you do inside your dorm room. This is crucial to meet other students. Try working in the fitness center campus, or hanging in the center of the cafeteria or student. These are all great places to start a conversation with other students.
Research indicates that 1 in every 4 students leave campus before their second year. I think the inability for students to make friends and feel like they are part of the campus community is the main reason why students leave campus after their first year.
This is why it is important that you go out and meet other students with similar interests! Even if you were shy in high school, and not out of your comfort zone to university is sure to make your college experience less enjoyable.
An upperclassman at SIU-Carbondale said: “The students who remain in their dorms all day are usually the ones who go home in the first month.”
Remember, this is a scary process for any freshman college new others too, so you can take comfort in knowing they probably feel just as uncomfortable as you do!
Mistake 2 – Racking Up Credit Card Debt
Credit cards can be dangerous for new students. Before signing up for a credit card, make sure you understand the terms and are ready to handle this type of responsibility
A credit card is not free money. When you sign up for a credit card, you enter into a contract with the company credit card. In simpler terms, the contract states that you repay all the money you spend including interest.
Most students make the mistake of getting a credit card and go to the mall to load a pile of clothes or shoes, forgetting that the bill will come in the mail later.
If you decide to get a student credit card, here are some things you should keep in mind:
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Do not apply for every credit card student offers to you. Take time to read each application and select the one that has the lowest interest rate, no annual fee.
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If you can not afford it now, then you probably will not be able to afford when the bill arrives. Therefore, you should not use your credit card in case of emergency. Get a flat tire is an emergency, do not have enough money for pizza on Friday night is not.
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Pay your bills on time. Late fees and interest that you will pay just is not worth it.
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