How to Beat the College Freshman Blues

A big change in your environment can sometimes cause you to withdraw from what is new and concentrate on what you left behind. Make the effort to move forward.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Academic Counselings
• Concert Tickets
• Health Club Memberships
• Job Applications
• Movie Tickets
• Sporting-event Tickets

1. Concentrate on your new surroundings and friends, not your old ones.

2. Hide pictures and mementos that make you homesick.

3. Accept any invitations from roommates or classmates.

4. Schedule time for an activity that puts you in contact with other people, such as sports, study sessions or volunteering.

5. Exercise or meet a friend for a cup of coffee. Exercise and caffeine are natural stimulants that can lift your spirits.

6. Avoid activities that isolate you from others, like reading or watching television.

7. Keep an open mind. Try at least one new activity.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't get over the blues, find help. There are counselors and groups designed to help students overcome feelings of loneliness and depression.

on 11/22/2005 -Everyone feels it a little bit. Find someone you can chat with about the freshman blues, this usually leads to the making of a good friend.
-Electronic devices are not your friends. People are your friends, so get away from your computer and cell phones and meet more people! I'm not saying you shouldn't keep in touch, but e-mailing, IM-ing, and phone calls shouldn't take up very much of your free time.
-Make at least one friend in every class. Study buddies became some of my best buddies.
-Try something that you've always been interested in. Getting involved with something that you love will also (hopefully) force you to meet people with that same interest and help you to put down roots in your new home-away-from-home.

on 11/22/2005 If you are feeling homesick or bummed out or even just bored at college, a great way to turn that around is to reach out to others. Visit a fellow dormie, go hang out in the common room, look at your school's website to find groups you might be interested in joining, give a new or old friend a card, or write a letter to someone from home or a friend at another school. You'll only be in college once, so put your best face forward and let other people get to know you. Aside from making friends, you might even cheer up someone else who was feeling the same way. HOOHAH!

on 11/22/2005 When you eat in the cafeteria you may not be with your friends. Sit by yourself, you will be surprised, usually someone will sit with you. Or if you see someone sitting alone, sit with them. They may be going through the same thing, and may even want someone to sit at the table with them but they may feel scared or too shy to sit with anybody.

on 11/22/2005 Is there a certain place that you've never been to before, such as a certain building, or a floor in a building? Go there and check the place out, just for the heck of it. It'll be like exploring something new. (This is especially true for large campuses.)

on 11/22/2005 Once you've established a routine between classes, meals, etc., it's easy to let it become stale. Instead, try something new each week or so - visit someplace on campus or in town that you never have before. Take somebody along and make it an adventure!