Living on campus? Here are 15听tips to make听the most of your residence hall experience all year long.
Acclimating to your new home
- Don鈥檛 drop your old connections. Continue talking with your high school buddies while you're in the process of making new friends.
- Leave your door open. To meet other people in your residence hall, consider leaving your room door open.
- Take time for yourself. It's okay to spend some quality听time alone;听the first few weeks are crazy!
- Know that it's okay to eat lunch alone鈥攜ou'll notice plenty of other people do it, too.
- Get to know people in your classes by forming study groups or inviting a classmate to get coffee after class.
- Step out of your comfort zone. Go to events, regardless of how cheesy or ridiculous they sound! You may be surprised to find interest in a club听or program you wouldn't necessarily have considered on your own.
Living with roommates听
- Start with an icebreaker.听If you can, find your new roommate(s) on Facebook and message them prior to moving in to help ease any awkwardness. On move-in day, focus on unpacking and setting up your room together. Ask questions to learn about each other and discover shared interests.
- Establish some ground rules鈥攇et the not so fun part out of the way.
- Explore campus together. Check out a campus event听or sign up for a club听that interests you both.
- Venture off campus. Grab lunch on The Hill or find your go-to off-campus coffee shop.
- Be patient. Working things out with听someone new takes time.
Programs and resources
- Meet your RA and hall director鈥攖hey can help you get involved.
- Become aware of your resources (you have a lot!)听A good place to start is the . There is also free academic support through the听.
- Participate in hall programming. Join your hallmates for听community-building activities and events right in your own hall.
- Get involved in your on-campus community by joining听听(part of the听),听the Golden Buffalo Chapter of the 听or a year-long .