As the start of a new academic year rolls around, university students around the world are figuring out ways to transition out of vacation mode. The first days at a new school are often a whirlwind of emotion.
Anxiety, excitement, homesickness, and a profound sense of freedom all fuse into one jumbled ball of sleeplessness. Yet here are six strategies you can employ to ensure that these days are more uplifting and launch your hospitality education in a positive direction.
Meet Your Roommate
Whether you fly in on an airplane or cruise onto campus in a car, there will be that awkward point in which you greet your new roommate. Although you may have already chatted - extra points if you've actually met face-to-face - this moment is unique. After all, this is the time that she will learn whether you snore or leave your dirty clothes on the floor. He'll be privy to your lengthy conversations with your parents every night or your copious amounts of time spent on the laptop. Either way, it's important to use this first week to bond with your new roomie. Chat over a tasty slice of pizza or EHL take away burger!
Scope Out the Campus
There's nothing quite like waking up after a restless night's sleep and wondering how to find class. That first day is not the time to impress the professor with your ability to make excuses. Instead, walk around campus well in advance of that first course. Determine where you'll need to be and when. Find out where other facilities are as well. Food Court? Security? Gym? These are all places you'll likely visit and it's better to discover where they're located before you need them instead of when you need them.
Become Connected With Social Activities
There's no shame in not wanting to join a sport or in hoping to spend some time in solitude. College can be exhausting and the social expectations compound that exhaustion. However, it's important to find a place where you develop a sense of community and feel like you belong. This may be on the field, in the kitchen lab, on stage, or in a darkroom. Regardless, make sure you find that space in the first week of school so you can thwart off loneliness when it comes creeping around.
Related article: 10 things that will happen whilst you are studying abroad
Scrutinize the Syllabus
Professors tend to write the syllabi with painstaking attention to detail. Pretend you're Sherlock Holmes and decipher it for clues. Often, there are hints contained within that indicate what will be on tests, how much homework you can expect, and what the instructor deems most important. Use the syllabus to determine how the class is structured and the intended objectives.
Get your class material
If a prof says a specific book is needed, chances are high that you will be using it. Don't delay in picking up the materials you'll need for a successful academic year. Consider connecting with an upperclassman who just finished the course so you buy their books.
Develop a Support Network
It goes without saying that your first several weeks will be tough. Tough, but definitely not insurmountable so long as you have the right support team in place. Make new friends but stay in touch with the old ones. Reach out to family regularly. And develop a study group of peers in your classes. Taking this advice will be worth its weight in gold in no time.
Congratulations on making it to EHL! While no one can pretend it's going to be easy, we are confident it will be insightful, interesting, and important.
