Hey there, pal! Without a doubt, you have many questions about college life! It reminds you of an ocean full of unknown and probably dangerous species. But no worries, cuz Nerdify is here to help!

Making it through your freshman year at college is like stepping on a way of the warrior – the secret is to learn how to fight for your rights as you learn, analyze, interact, become organized, and start to think strategically. No, the real trick is to have fun no matter what! Here are some helpful tips to guide you through the first year of college life without too much trouble, stress, and anxiety.  

Getting Organized Is the Key!

You have read it right – you have to become organized no matter what as it is one of the most important skills that you should have in order to survive through college. It does not matter what your strong and weak sides are because you have to work on other issues. They are time management, learning all the due dates for important diverse events, keeping track of available funds, and so on. We have it summed up for you, so you know what parts of your life have to be under control:

1. Use organizers, smartphone applications or a big calendar on your wall to keep track of all the critical deadlines. It should not only be about college but about anything that is important in your life. Even birthdays, invitations, financial matters, family gatherings, and scheduled meetings with college professors.

2. Organize each task from the urgent to less urgent and less difficult to most difficult assignments. This allows you to manage your time and physical strength by starting with the most important tasks first while knowing what tasks can be easily completed to help you feel satisfied.

3. Create a budget for yourself, consult with your friends and family, so you can get a word of advice and see how you can feel financially secure.

Become a Jedi of Social Interaction.

You have to work really hard on your personality and place in the society as you enter college. It is not really difficult to become a Jedi of social interaction! No matter how complicated your studies may be, your strong social skills, charisma, warm smile or a friendly pat on the back will always do much more than you can imagine! So, what exactly has to be done?  Okay, just follow this list:

1. Do not miss meetings with your professors. There are special scheduled hours that all professors have, so take advantage of each opportunity and speak of what makes you feel concerned.  

2. Meet your academic adviser. This person is really important for your success and college progress, so getting to know him or her and becoming friends is critical. In case something does not work, remember that you can always ask for another academic adviser.

3. As a part of social interaction, get involved in all things campus: student organizations, clubs, voluntary work, all kinds of fraternities, if you would like. Start a band or become a part of a college sports team. You will not only make new friends and learn some amazing skills but will eventually feel connected and at home.

4. Build a network of friends, meet new people, and do not be afraid of taking mentoring roles to support and help other people.

Building a Bridge Between Studies and Times of Leisure.

One of the worst challenges a college warrior faces is fighting for the girl or a guy he or she has a crush on. No, seriously, it is quite an issue! Just be yourself and speak of your feelings! Unfortunately, romance is not the only problem you will face at college.

Okay, now another challenge is finding a right balance between the studies and times of leisure. Out of all things, find a cozy and calm place where you can study and concentrate. Next, study course syllabus more than twice and see when and what are your due dates, so you can plan that party without damaging your academic progress. College life is always balancing between your social life and study-related events, so the best thing you can do is make it 50/50. You have to study hard, so you can party hard!

As you strive for good grades, do not forget to use all the available study resources on campus. If there are learning labs and tutors, make sure that you use their help even if you think that you do not need it. After all, they have a purpose to be here… and that purpose is YOU! Still, if you do not think that it is an option, try to become a part of study groups, so you and your friends can schedule the same time for studies and leisure. This way you can find some peace and stop feeling like letting someone down!

Battle of Priorities

We are sure that you have heard it all before, but we will say it again that college life, especially the freshman year, is a battle of priorities where important things should come first. Okay, but what is important and how to understand what is really important? Yes, studying is necessary, but unlike most guides, we want to tell you that taking some time for yourself is just as important as academia! If you feel totally stressed, no high grades will be of any good. Even if it is your favorite television show, writing a journal, playing guitar or just riding a bicycle through the park, it is just as important!

All you have to do is to take full responsibility for what you choose and work on your priorities. Try to take one step at a time as you study and make a list of what tasks are closer to the deadline, what college assignments should be done as soon as possible to stop making your life a mess. Yet, at the same time, always ask yourself about what will make you feel best of all even in the middle of a Jedi battle with another complex subject!  

Just remember that even if doing things the last minute before the lessons start could work in high school, it may not work in college. So, it is much safer to stick to deadlines and prioritize your time and resources. In other words, do not take shortcuts and do not cut corners as you progress. Do not cheat because it is your life. It surely deserves the best you can give!

When Things Just Won’t Work…

Trust us, we all have been in situations when things just won’t work and you feel like it is the end of the world! It is perfectly normal because you are in a different environment, you are away from home, so there come anxiety and homesickness among other things. Even if you always wanted to get away from home, college is not always what you have expected. There are three basic rules that you should remember to help you overcome sadness, stress, anxiety, and this feeling when you just do not want to be in college any longer.

1. Stay on campus as much as you can, so the more time you spend on campus, the more you will feel at home and as a part of a community. Join social and cultural events that take place to get your mind away. Try to be creative, have fun, joke around, and inspire people because, trust us, they feel bad too even if they do not show it!

2. Be ready to feel stressed, tired, and overwhelmed. Just know that you are not the only one feeling this way. Do not feel pressured to make hasty decisions about chosen career or a major. Give it some time, try to learn and see what it is. It is not a race that you have to win. Hence, see what you really enjoy, but take time to learn it inside out, talk to professors and other students before you make a turn.

3. Seek professional help when and IF you feel that you need it. It is perfectly normal. The colleges have counseling and health centers, so if you are not feeling well, you should let professionals know. Depression, bullying, feeling isolated, harassment or any conflicts should be reported, as you do not have to face these challenges alone.

We hope that all these little tricks and tips will help you to get through the freshman year at college. Be determined, take advantage of your social network of friends, voluntary work, and the special skills you definitely have. Have fun as you learn, give some time for yourself and remember that it is your life that you can control. You are already a warrior who is winning the first battle because you have what it takes!

Do not forget that you are studying to help yourself feel good about life and do not let any stress ruin it, just contact Nerdify for help any time.

Starting your college career is usually stressful for most students. After all, you are making the initial leap from adolescent to adult. And while there is no manual for this, there is something called freshman orientation. This is a program for incoming students where they can participate in several activities that provide a smooth transition into college and their new independence.

For some schools, orientation is optional while for others it is mandatory. The reason college orientation is mandatory in some schools is so that you can confirm that your financial aid is in order and provide your primary tuition payments. 

Your parents can usually attend too, and orientation also helps them to put their minds at ease since they know more about where you will be living. And for those students who cannot attend in person, some schools are holding their orientations online so that nobody misses out.

In this article, Nerdify Reviews experts will provide three reasons why it is important to go to college orientation and answer any questions you might have about it.

Nerdify Reviews 3 Important Reasons to Go to College Freshman Orientation

1. You get a chance to ask questions

Hopefully, you learned plenty about your college before you even applied, but orientation is the time to learn even more, like their campus, culture, and traditions. There should be academic advisors as well as upperclassmen there to discuss any last-minute questions, comments, or concerns you might have. 

Be sure to ask about college safety, like what number should you call or where you should go if you feel unsafe. Many colleges have curfews for freshman students. Check to confirm that you know exactly how curfews work so you don’t get locked out of your dorm at night!

This is the perfect time to ask questions! We’ve collected from the Nerdify Reviews on Reddit a few important questions to think about:

• How can tuition fees be paid?

• Who should I contact if I have any problems or concerns?

• Where are the best places to go near campus on the weekends?

• Where is the best place to park?

• Is there a club for ______ (based on your hobby or academic interest)?

• What classes will be needed for my major?

• Can I receive college credit for my AP classes? (for Advanced Placement students)

2. This is the perfect time to make new friends

One of the most important things to consider is the impact of orientation programs on new student engagement and transition. One of the best ways to get students engaged is to meet new people. Some orientations will have a lot of information for you to absorb, while others will try to push you to meet some of your peers and establish social connections.

Sure you can get to know the administration and academic advisors (and ask them some of the questions listed above), but one of the best reasons to join an orientation is to get to know your fellow students. This can mean the upperclassmen or the new freshman like yourself. Hearing from upperclassmen is particularly important since they can share their experience and tell you exactly what to expect.

Sometimes, the leaders of the orientation will introduce you to other peers once they learn about your background. Everyone is there for the same reason, so don’t feel nervous about talking to strangers there. They’re probably just as nervous as you!

Some students in the Nerdify Reviews on Reddit ask, “What happens if you miss orientation for college?” Making new friends should be your primary reason for going. Try to locate students that are interested in the same major. That way you can help each other out when it’s time to study for an exam or a big project. If you really want to make friends, find those with the same hobbies as you (or frequent the same Reddit forums).

3. You can take care of any last-minute business

If you’re wondering when college orientation is usually beginning, it occurs at different times depending on the school. It can happen the summer before the fall semester, or it can even be a few days before school officially starts. A university will usually send you a checklist by email or the school portal. This checklist will list all the recommended things you should do before the first day of school. 

Make sure you turn in any required documents BEFORE the first day of college, say Nerdify Reviews experts. The college will probably send reminders of what you still need from you beforehand, so always check your email, especially 2-3 weeks before school starts. Sign up for the college’s online portals so that you don’t miss valuable information from teachers, administration, and academic advisors. 

If you want to know how long college orientation is, it can be anywhere between a couple of days to an entire week. This is a great time to take care of any required last-minute items before the school year starts and things become more chaotic. You can do things like getting your student ID, purchasing your parking pass, and finding out exactly where everything is located on campus. 

In conclusion

Freshman orientation is something that most incoming students should take advantage of. The benefits of going far outweigh not going. As a final tip from Nerdify Reviews experts: Make sure you attend the correct orientation! Sometimes there are specific ones for first-year students, international students, and transfer students. It will be very embarrassing for you if you arrive at orientation and nobody calls your name!

If you would like more tips on how to succeed in college and university, subscribe to Nerdify blog for a comprehensive game plan on how to achieve great results in your studies.

It has been a packed weekend, hasn’t it? Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday (Nerdify’s marketing has been busy) – lots of holidays smashed together in such a short period of time. We do hope these few days have been a blast for you, guys 🙂

Now, it’s time to get Nerdy again 🙂 We thought it would be a good idea to tell you some secrets behind the success of the biggest names in the tech industry today. How did people like Jeff Bezos (who’s fortune recently surpassed $100 billion) and Steve Jobs manage to build such large companies?

We have done a thorough investigation and here are our findings. These are general rules that can be applied pretty much everywhere, no matter what you want to do in life.

Perseverance and passion

These 2 points have been cited by everyone – Bezos, Jobs, Obama, Buffet and many others; and we think these are literally the most important factors for success – having a passion for what you do and having determination and tenacity to work hard for a sustained period of time. These two go hand in hand because it’s passion that gives birth to perseverance.

As Steve Jobs once said – “it’s so hard (to create anything) that if you don’t have passion, any rational person would give up. You have to work really hard for a sustained period of time. And if you don’t love it, eventually you are going to give up.” And that’s what happens to most people. Lot’s of people start projects/businesses, but eventually, a good chunk of them give up, when problems start piling up on their desks.

Jeff Bezos, when setting up his private spaceflight company Blue Origin gave it the following motto – “Gradtim Ferociter” which means “Step by step ferociously”. This is how he explains statement: “You can’t skip steps, you have to put one foot in front of the other, things take time, there are no shortcuts”. People who persevere, eventually get sh*t done, which ultimately leads to success.

Don’t be afraid to fail

This is a very popular reason why people don’t want to start new projects/ventures – they are afraid that they will fail; they are afraid that people will judge them as a failure if they don’t succeed on their first try.

The reality is different, however – people who never fail, are the ones who never try anything. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs in the world have failed a lot before they’ve achieved great success.

Take Mark Zuckerberg for example. He said: “I have made so many mistakes any mistake you can think of, I’ve made it. But if you’re building a product that people love, you can make a lot of mistakes”. Today Facebook is worth more than $500 bn. Not bad for a “made all the mistakes you can think of” scenario, right?

Jeff Bezos said, “I’ve made billions of dollars of failures at Amazon”. His reasoning is that continuous experiments (bold bets as he calls them) will not only offset any losses you make from failures but will eventually lead to high profits (because you would have acquired so much learning and knowledge from your failures). Companies that don’t promote experiments and are not prepared to fail from time to time, will eventually die. The important part is to learn from your mistakes.

Everything around you was built by the same people as you are

Steve Jobs once said: “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again”, meaning that you don’t have to be special to act – you just need to have the will to get the job done 🙂

Nerdify’s Conclusion:

• The core of success is perseverance -> being able to work hard and staying focused on achieving your goal.
• In order to do that for a sustained period of time – you have to love what you do, or at least have an inner fire in you that disagrees with the status quo that keeps pushing you forward.
• Don’t be afraid to fail, it’s all part of the learning process.
• Finally – everything around is built by the same people as you are. You are just as good and as capable.

Good luck, guys! 😉