Find success during the first week of school

School is back. What should you being doing to get ahead and reduce stress during the first seven days in your new life?

Start thinking before the actual first week. Get all the supplies and technology needed as a student. More than likely dorm room shopping is a must. Get only the necessities because your budget will grow increasingly tighter. Get pens, pencils, notebooks, and print off your schedule. If you can get your books ahead of time, go ahead and do that. Buying textbooks can save a lot of time that can be focused on studying.

Why that's the day after today!

Relax. Every single professor on the first day of class will try and make their class sound so incredibly difficult. This is a classic move to scare, or motivate, students to pay attention and take the course seriously. This is also a great way to cause panic attacks! Don't let the classes that seem impossible on the first day intimidate you. You will find throughout college that most of your classmates are in similar situations.

Most colleges have first-week activities lined up. Take advantage of this to meet new people and learn information about what extracurricular hobbies could be of interest. If your university doesn't have first week activities (as cheesy as some can be) it must be a pretty boring school. This is a great opportunity though to socialize and make a first impression. This is the time when new friendships and circles of friends are made. Getting involved with a group of friends is a great way to avoid having to introduce yourself later in the year. Finding friends is also a great way to avoid homesickness and enjoy good laughs.

Do a fake school day. A fake school day is when you go around campus and make sure you know how to get to every class and where the classroom is located. Take a mental note of how long it will take to arrive to class. All of this information will make the first week that much easier.

Get moved in and make sure everything is working. That laptop case you decided to pass on may have resulted in a wonky computer. Make sure everything is ready for lift-off.

Avoid getting the blues of school's first week. Spend time with friends while staying productive. Put your energy towards something effective. Avoid those who are irritating. Avoid getting frustrated at an earlier wake up call and realize that the academic demands the first week of school are so simple. However, this is the time when everyone transitions into "school mode." They go from summer free birds to student cyborgs who "-*-Fall Mode Activated-*-!"

What should I wear the first week of school? Well, if you're that shallow and vain I would recommend wearing something comfortable because a lot of studying is in your future if you don't get your priorities straight.

Relax Again! This is not high school. Don't worry about the seniors picking on the underclassmen. As a college student you are a mature adult, act like it. Be outgoing and friendly. Even though some people never change, sorry, there will always be that girl talking behind peoples back or that guy trying to start a fight. Regardless, it's important to relax and change that nervousness to excitement. After your first year of college, much less the first week, you will feel changed and will have learned important life lessons!

Be flexible your first week back at school. Attend as many orientations as possible. Read the syllabus for that class and try and work future assignments. Asses how arriving to class went, where you late or too early? Take advantage of Greek rush parties too. Greeks through large parties for freshman to get them interested in recruitment. Try and get ahead of some classes by printing out all the material, making sure you have the right textbook, and ensuring your laptop is capable of downloading all the new software that math class requires. Meet people throughout your dorm and find your own routine.