Starting Over.

Maybe you are still in touch with friends from high school.
That's great, but take time to meet new people. When you need some homework help or a shoulder to lean on, having someone close on your campus will be a great comfort. Be open, everyone is different, but we at least have one thing in common; we're all students and working through the same issues.

Put yourself out there!
Introducing yourself and starting conversations can be intimidating, but students like to meet other students. Join a club, intramurals, or ask the person next to you in Bio if he/she wants to study together. Roommates and people that live in your residence hall (or apartment complex) can become great friends because you don't have to make plans to hang out. Invite your neighbor to come over and watch TV or play a game.

Social Networker

How do you stay in contact with your friends?
Facebook? MySpace? We've all been told about putting personal information about ourselves online and know the safety risks. As a college student, there are other concerns about online information.

When creating your personal pages, don't think that only your friends are going to look at them.
The Internet is a public place. Future employers, professors, family members, and others may have access to your information. So while your wild (and possibly inappropriate) stories and pictures may gain you popularity among your friends, the potential employer you interviewed with last week might not feel the same way.

 

Respect. Decide.
Own it.

We’ve heard a million lectures from parents, teachers, and other adults. Now we’re in college and can do what we want without having to answer to mom or dad. But, just because your parents don’t hear about it doesn’t mean others don’t. It also doesn’t mean that your behavior won’t stay with you longer than your college career.

To your high school classmates, you will always be the person they knew in high school. The same goes for your college friends. If the people you meet in college see you as a three-day-a-week partier who doesn’t go to class, getting a recommendation from them for a job a few years down the road may be tough.

Map out a life course and create an accountability network; friends and family that will check in with you and find out how you’re doing.

Part of being an adult is being accountable, “I did that.” Taking responsibility and making an adjustment. You can come back bigger, better, and stronger. Small adjustments can make a big difference.

Think about the way you present
yourself and the choices you make.

It does matter.