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.

Reading a boring blog is like watching a 10-minute intro to a 12-minute YouTube video – annoying and just not worth it. Fortunately, nowadays blogs for students are numerous, including your favorite Nerdify blog, and you have what to choose from. To save your valuable time we’ve selected 10 best blogs for you to follow as a student in 2018.

Things you need to know about blogs for students:

1. Articles are often written by the same students like you or college graduates, so they are relatable and realistic

2. Many of them contain practical advice on how to save money and learn budgeting, which is a great and useful skill any college student needs to have to make the money topic less painful

3. All blogs reviewed in this article are alive and well, and new articles are published regularly

4. Many articles in these blogs focus on issues that you didn’t even think about researching but will benefit from learning about them anyway

Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Student Life Network

Wondering about style on a budget? Dorm essentials? How to stop procrastinating? How to save money as a student? This student blog based in Toronto has it all. Every article in this blog is to the point, clear, and very informative. Authors keep it simple and relatable, while every article is illustrated with hilarious (okay, sometimes just funny) GIFs for your entertainment. Reading this blog is like listening to a friend who genuinely wants to help and knows how to do it. If you’re a student, checking this blog out is essential in 2018.

Go Abroad

This blog is all about studying abroad (duh). Here you’ll find useful and practical advice about studying abroad, cheap study abroad programs in different cities and countries, guidelines on how to study abroad for free, and maximizing career benefits while studying abroad. This blog will answer all concerns you might have about studying abroad and bust some myths about it. Want to study abroad in China, New Zealand, or Bali? This is a blog for you to follow as a student in 2018!

Student Hacks

Oh, where would we be without life hacks! This blog isn’t about how to make 99 useful utensils using an empty Coke bottle. Let’s be honest: nobody really needs that kind of advice, even if it seems fun. This blog is about giving real and actually applicable tips on how to improve your life as a student. During college years, anyone can struggle with writer’s block or developing a good thesis statement, and articles in this blog will answer all of your burning questions. Students deserve useful life hacks and this blog really delivers them without messing around!

College Cures

This blog has a wider range of topics than the previous one. Topics include work, life in college, life in general, health, college finance, and school. Here you’ll find articles about student loans, house parties, tips for becoming a better driver, tips on how to overcome anxiety, and even an article on what it’s like to be a male escort. Another great thing about College Cures is that new articles are published very frequently. This blog answers the questions you’ve always wanted to ask, so go ahead and get your answers!

College Info Geek

Smart is the new sexy. Being a geek today doesn’t mean being a lonely loser like two decades ago, but being an expert in the certain field (or several fields) and one step ahead of the crowd. Top 75 educational channels on YouTube? We are already intrigued. 42 best educational podcasts in 2018? Hell yeah. If you like taking your studying one step further and your brain just craves more, this blog is a godsend. Thank us later.

Studenomics

Money is often sort of intimidating to talk about. This blog will turn the topic of finance and money management into a casual one for you. Forewarned is – always – forearmed. Articles here will help you choose between Uber and Lyft, get to the bottom of student loans, and learn about effective substitutes for budgeting if you hate it. This blog will help you make your finance management fun and easy as well as get rid of the anxiety and stress caused by them. So don’t hesitate to check it out!

Society19 College Life

If you’re looking for a fun and useful read to distract yourself from stressful studying, this blog might be just perfect. It has an elegant and simple design and new articles are published almost daily. Wondering how to avoid the Freshman 15? Or, maybe, you’re concerned about not getting sick as college students? Need dorm design tips that won’t break the bank? Society19 College Life has got you covered! This blog has got everything you need and more!

Save the Student!

Yes, the title might be dramatic, but let’s face it: college student life is full of difficult situations. This blog will teach you how to make money from blogging and choose best bank accounts for students in 2018. Student finance, budgeting, and student money news are all regularly covered in this blog. You’ll find all kinds of advice here, so it’s worth bookmarking this blog.

Bonus blog for students: College Tourist

Let’s be real here: traveling, especially abroad, is often too expensive to afford for a college student. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t plan it and dream about it! In fact, having a dream or plan will inspire you to save up, learn to budget, and perform better in college knowing that an awesome reward is waiting for you someday in the future. This blog contains articles about traveling as a college student, studying abroad, and ways to save up. If traveling is a passion of yours, make sure to check this blog out!

This list of blogs you need to follow as a college student in 2018 is really diverse, so you’ll certainly be able to choose something for you. If you check out any of these blogs, you’ll find that there are many ways to make a life of a college student much easier!

Authors of these blogs share awesome advice that will make you wonder why you haven’t read them earlier. If you can do it the easy way, just do it! It’s like texting Nerdify to get some help with your studies.

It’s been a hell of a year for Nerdify. We’ve helped a record number of students this year and we’ve doubled in size (hooray!). But the New Year is on the horizon… Which brings us to the question of how we can celebrate it? Certainly, most of us will be celebrating it with our friends and family, but what if you want to do something special this year?
We’ve created a list of five creative ways how you can celebrate this New Year, check it out, maybe there’s something in this list that you may wanna try 😉

1. Visit real Santa

That means going to Finland. Yes, that’s not exactly a half an hour ride from your house, but bear with me, there are lots of awesome things you can do once you get there.

Finland has a fantastic national travel-website that has already collected all the main adventures Finland is famous about:

* You can go on a husky ride through the snowy forest (one of our Nerds actually did that – said it’s super cold, so make sure you bring warm clothes and some vodka with you. You gonna need it).
* You can check out beautiful auroras in the night sky (those are free of charge, thank you solar winds, yay!)
* You can go Gold panning (this is a perfect activity for kids – they get to collect their own GOLD, how cool is that?!).
* Cruise on an Icebreaker (and see real polar bears on little icebergs, oh… so cute 🙂
* And, obviously – see the real Santa Claus (that’s what New Year is all about, right?)
And much more actually. In Finland, you truly feel special during the New Year. You indeed think that miracles can happen during this special night, it’s absolutely magical.

2. Celebrate New Year following traditions from another country.

Just a few examples for you, of the crazy shenanigans people do across the world during the New Years Eve:

* In Burma people splash buckets of water on each other to “start New Year with a clean soul”. They certainly can do that in Burma, because it is quite hot during the New Year. I suspect that wouldn’t really work somewhere in Canada, now would it? 😉
* In Russia, people write their wishes on a piece of paper, then set it on fire in a glass. When only ashes remain – they pour champagne into the glass and drink it “bottoms up” before midnight. That way your wish will come true in the following year. For additional tips on how to “Party Like a Russian” we suggest you check out the Robbie Williams video-guide.
* In Italy, Argentina and Bolivia it is a common tradition to wear colorful underwear. It is believed that it will bring luck, love and prosperity to the one who’s wearing either red, pink or yellow underwear 🙂 What can we say, those folks are definitely not boring 🙂
* In South Africa and Peru, people tend to get more violent. In Johannesburg, South Africa, it is common to throw old appliances out of the window. That way locals “step into the new year leaving old things behind”. While in Peru it is common to have a fist fight with a person you have a grudge on. That way you can “wipe the slate clean” before the New Year.

Just make sure none of these local traditions get you in jail. As far as we can tell, no country has a tradition celebrating New Year’s Eve in jail 🙂

3. Be real Santa Claus.

Why not create some miracles yourself? You can be the master of the night by putting on a Santa Claus costume and grabbing a red bag full of goodies. Better still – gather a group of like-minded crazy people who will do a flash mob of Santas in the center of the city. You can build a huge snowman and give away presents and sweets to passers-by or baking a cookie that’s gonna crush the Guinness world record. Let your imagination go wild!

4. Outdoors

Being outdoors on the New Year’s Eve is also exciting. Imagine skiing in the mountains during the night.. Isn’t it magical? Alternatively, you can go full bananas and go camping in the forest. Greeting the New Year under the stars with a glass of champagne and a loved one. Romantic… but also quite chilly so make sure you have a heating pad with you or something. Getting a cold is not part of the plan here!

5. Do some charity-work

New Year is also a great time to think about those who are less fortunate than we are. What kind of a miracle would it be, if you could dress as a Santa and visit a local orphanage and give presents or sweets to the ones in need. Donate to the homeless shelter. Or visit a local animal shelter and adopt a puppy.

Remember, New Year is the time of miracles. It’s the only time when the whole world is celebrating, so why not do something special this time? 😉

Nerdify will be back with you next year to continue doing what it does best – helping students achieve their academic goals all across the world. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you!