Hey! New here?
We know exactly what it feels like. Not sure how anything works at uni while moving to a new city where you have to find your way all around? Yup, been there. In this article we will guide you through the most awkward stages of being a first year student. We will provide you with the top 5 tips and tricks to make the start of your student life as smooth as possible. And remember; we have also been victims to these awkward first year dilemmas. You are not alone! :)
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First day
So today is going to be your first day at University. At first, it might be hard to find the location of the lecture room. If you need some help, just ask a student on the campus. The lecture rooms, where you will spend much time during the coming years, might be pretty big. Therefore, it is nice to see some familiar faces. You might have met some fellow students during the Eurekaweek. Don’t be afraid and just grab a seat next to them. If you don’t know anyone in the lecture room, it might be nice to grab a seat not in the front of the room, but also not in the very back. Just get seated just behind the first few rows. For a lecture, you just need some paper and a pen. After 45 minutes you have a break. Try and talk to some of your fellow students about the lecture or about what you're planning to do after lecture. You could also visit the bathroom, although if you are in the middle of your row, everyone has to get up which might be awkward at first.
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Making friends
Since most of the first year students do not know many fellow students, you will definitely not be the only one looking for a nice group of friends to spend time with. Therefore, FAECTOR organizes many activities for new students. For example, there might be a pub crawl, where you will also be able to discover some nice places to have a drink in Rotterdam. Furthermore, there might be a pub quiz in which you can join a team and beat the rest. And ofcourse you can always go for drinks in cafe Concordia, the home base of FAECTOR. These activities are so much fun to join, since only Econometric students will be there, so you can make friends to not only just drink with but also study with.
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Explore Rotterdam
At first, Rotterdam might seem to be a very big and overwhelming city. However, once you get to exploring, you start getting to know many really nice places. Therefore, after a while, Rotterdam is probably going to feel like a safe haven. If you don’t know where to begin, you can always take a look at our article about nice and hidden places in Rotterdam to kickstart your exploration. One of the best places to go as a student is the “Kralingse plas”. This is a nice park around a lake, where you can sit in the grass for a drink or organize a BBQ for your freshly made friends.
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Your first exam
Oh god, one of my most stressful experiences was most definitely my first midterm. My first real test in university! Most freshmen make the mistake of ‘hyping up’ their first exam way too much and later flunking due to the stress it gives you. In reality, university exams are not that different from any other test you have done. As long as you have done the exercises and understand the material, there really is no need to worry. Just don’t put so much pressure on yourself for this first midterm, because that will only make you underperform. Even if it does go south there is always the next one.
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Your first hangover
Let’s be honest here, most of us have had to deal with some pretty bad hangovers. Don’t think for a second that it is now ‘uncool’ to genuinely feel a bit sick the day after having gone out. Besides the basics like drinking a ton of water, I find that there are a lot more things that help you feel better. Like eating an apple before going to bed, it won’t make you sick yet still hydrate you, it’s also great if you’re not at home and don’t end up having a toothbrush at hand. While we’re on the topic, if you are not yet home in the morning, get home! Even though it might be tempting to sleep on someone’s couch at 6 am, I can tell you it is better to go home and just sleep in your own bed. That’s the only way that you will actually recover. Besides that I usually just eat a lot of pasta and cheese, drink some lime water and go out on a walk.
We hope you can all use these tips this semester and that everyone gets off to a great start!