Hello Readers, I hope the semester has been going well for you all.

These last few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my journey at Missouri State and how everything was for me as a freshman living on campus. When I was growing up, I didn’t attend any parties, join groups or make friends very quickly because my parents shielded me from a lot. During my senior year of high school, I came out of my shell more and was seemingly ready for college. Going to Missouri State excited me, but I didn’t realize exactly what it would mean until my family drove me to Springfield for move-in day and then left to go back home. I slowly figured out, then and as more time passed, how important emotional adjustment is to someone’s college experience.

Emotionally Adjusting to College

I’m going to give you some of my best pieces of advice and tips to help with adjusting to your time at Missouri State or any college for that matter.

Know your way around campus

My first year on campus during Welcome Week, I walked around campus to find my classes’ buildings and the places I would be visiting often like the library. Knowing where everything is can help you feel a lot more in control of yourself and avoid things that can stress you out like getting lost. With a big campus like this one, being familiar with campus can help you to feel better about where you’re living and spending so much time.

Decorate your dorm/living space

College dorms rarely have the designs or the aesthetics that you like so decorating and moving furniture around can be a big help to you emotionally. Where you live is the place that you’re most likely coming back to after classes and to unwind for the day. Decorating your place can help you feel more at home and comfortable. College is already a different and new adventure on its own, so make sure you have a positive or uplifting space to go back to after class.

Keep in contact with your family and friends

Even if it’s only a text or a five-minute phone call, communicating with everyone you care about can be important for you emotionally. Your family, friends, or anyone that you’re close with can be there when you need to talk, vent, or just ask for help. Communicating with people back home can keep you going and be part of your biggest support system. Keep as many of your strong connections as possible while you’re in college. It’s also important to note that if you don’t come into MSU with a great support system, you can create one here from new friends, instructors, advisors, and others.

Always ask for help, even if you don’t think you need it

I’m very guilty of not asking my professors questions that could have helped me understand the class better. Emotional adjustment is important inside and outside the classroom so if you feel disconnected from a lesson, confused by material or just need to gain clarity, be sure to ask questions. You can avoid stress this way, improve your grades and even learn things other students don’t know.

Take time for yourself

College has a way of trying to run your life; learning to overcome this can benefit you the most. Emotional adjustment is centered around you and if you aren’t doing great emotionally then everything else can suffer. Don’t lose yourself in college but if you do, pull yourself out. Make time for yourself, have fun with your friends, treat yourself and never lose sight of what’s important to you.

Takeaways

These tips and pieces of advice are intended to assist you in emotionally adjusting to college life. Keep in mind, however, that adjusting takes time and every student is different. Take the time to figure out how you operate individually as a student and think about what keeps you going. Also keep in mind that the MSU Counseling Center is available to support students with their personal and social concerns.

These tips continue to work wonders for me, so I hope they do some magic for you too.

Happy Week Five!!!

~Alexandria

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.)