College and university life can often seem overwhelming and stressful to new students. It’s a big transition from previous stages of life to a new journey. Students will often have to become comfortable in new settings and environments.

Chevar Gordon, a criminal justice major, found the transition to be difficult at times and suggests that students should realize the different setting sooner rather than later.

“Despite it being your own pace and not as strict as high school, be prepared to lock in. You’re not being monitored, so you got to have better time management,” Gordon said. “There’s no teachers to remind you about your homework, so you have to do it on your own.”

Time management and keeping priorities in order throughout university is crucial. Not only do students have classes to worry about, but many have jobs, extra curricular activities and other responsibilities that may be on their minds. It’s important to figure out a schedule that works for them and try to stick to it as best they can.

However, unexpected events and unforeseen circumstances may arise, but students must remain strong willed to keep moving forward. Students should take advantage of all the resources available to them such as the counseling center, food pantry and other support services.

With a resource such as the counseling center, mental health should be a top priority in all students lives. It is unreasonable to expect to excel academically or in other areas of life if they don’t feel okay. Taking a mental break, breathing and relaxing is important, everyone needs a break every now and then.

Students entering college may also believe that the path they choose at first is the one they are meant to follow, but a good thing to consider is that it is okay to change their mind during their time in school. Changing majors may be beneficial for them if their mindset or goals change throughout the year.

With that in mind, students should also be aware of their degree plan and what classes are needed to graduate. Ecology and evolutionary biology major Persephone Saavedra, believes that students should know their academic path once selected and be sure to double check it.

“I feel that people should know more about how to run a degree plan because our advisers can sometimes lead us on the wrong track,” Saavedra said. “Run a degree evaluation and figure out what classes we need next.”

With everything going on in a college student’s life, a social life is quite important as well. While you may find yourself to be very busy and maybe even losing old connections, there isn’t an issue with this. Making friends and companions is part of the journey at a university and those friendships and connections will come when the student needs them most.

While the life of a university student may not be easy, it is an important step in a person’s life. Students not only learn and work towards a career that they are preparing for, but memories and moments that will last a lifetime are made. You aren’t in college forever, so it’s important to make every single day count

Joseph Montero is a staff reporter for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected].