HOW WE SURVIVED FRESHMAN YEAR (NILE)

The semester is over. Summer time is finally here. Nerdy Naturals is back, and better than ever. 

Hey readers! A few of us here at Nerdy Naturals have recently completed our freshman year of college. We thought that in the midst of being out of school for about a month now that we should share exactly how we each survived freshman year. We also would like to congratulate the Class of 2017. College grads, you did it! High school grads, you're up next.

How We Survived Freshman Year is going to be a two-part series written by two different members of the Nerdy Naturals team--starting with me, and then a new contributor...you'll find out who she is soon. Scroll down to see how I survived my freshman year of college.

Nile

Nile
Co-Founder

Twitter:@NaturallyNi
Instagram: @ineedyoulikethesun
Snapchat: niwashere_xo

Hey there! It's Nile. I'm one of the founders of Nerdy Naturals, and I'm a rising sophomore Communication major (concentrating in Public Relations) with a minor in entrepreneurship. Below are SIX ways that I survived freshman year.

1. TIME MANAGEMENT. I cannot stress this enough. Time management is the key to life. Make sure that you're constantly balancing work and "play". You don't have to dedicate ALL your time to schoolwork, and you shouldn't be constantly partying (partying gets old anyways).  Hit the books--and go out and have fun.
1. GO TO CLASS. Yes, I understand that you're on your own now and no one can tell you what to do, but you're still in school. There will be days when it's extremely hot and sunny, extremely cold, snowy, or even rainy, but you should still make it a priority to go to class. If you're really sick, I would suggest staying in or going to the Health Center, and you can take a mental health break if you really need to. Often the lectures from classes can be found online, but it's easier to ask questions and get extra info from professors when you're physically in the class.
1. STUDY. This should be a no-brainer, but some people think that they can get by without actually studying, and just by skimming through their notes instead. Newsflash: It doesn't work. This is college. Use the notes that you took in class, and put them to good use. Use highlighters, colorful pens, sticky notes, index cards, etc. And do not cram. I repeat--DO NOT CRAM. Something that I do is break up my studying in chunks. For example, if I have seven chapters to study and one week to study, I'll just study one chapter a day. 
1. GO OUT AND MEET PEOPLE. This is especially important if you go to a large university, like me. The freshman class at my university was about 4,000 people. My graduating class in high school was 69 people. So you can imagine how nervous I was when I stepped on campus. Try to get involved in some group chats, talk to people on your floor (if you're living on-campus), join clubs, and you can even become friends with people in your class.
1. GO FOR THAT INTERNSHIP. Whether it be a fall internship, spring internship, or summer internship, go for it! Don't let being a freshman make you feel as if you don't have access to the same things that upperclassmen do. People will actually be impressed that you're being so ambitious as a freshman. I got an internship the first month of school, and I love it. Build those relationships, because they will come in handy!
1. DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO DRINK OR SMOKE. I cannot stress this one enough. Often times, college is portrayed as this place where people study during the week, and party hard on the weekends. If you don't want to drink or smoke, don't! I don't, and no one really cares. I also have great friends who don't pressure me to either. If you have friends who pressure you to do things you don't want to do, you might need to re-evaluate the friendship, and find new friends (See #4).

Tweet me: @NaturallyNi using the hashtag #NerdyNaturals if you have any questions or want more tips!  Tell me what college you're going to! I hope this helped all of the incoming freshmen! College might seem scary, but it can be amazing if you take advantage of everything it has to offer.