Finding your way around a university campus on your first day of class can be a strenuous and daunting task. If you’re coming straight from high school it can be overwhelming to attend a school so much larger than what you are used to. Without a few helpful hints, being left to manage alone can lead to frustration a great waste of time. Here are a few helpful hints to save time, energy, and sanity when you first arrive for class.

To begin, many campuses are divided up by schools, such as the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences. It is important to note that your first 1-2 years of college will be focused on a more general breadth. This is your “general education.” Depending on the college-prep classes you took in high school, you may have a number of basic writing and math courses. The locations of these courses will most likely be a good distance from each other, so prepare to stretch your legs in the 10 minutes you may have to get from room to room. Firsthand experience has shown me that identifying your class buildings can be difficult, which can leave you frustrated and also late! That is, many buildings within a “school” (e.g. Engineering) are big and usually only show the name on the front side, and if you’re in a hurry you won’t have time to run around the structure. To find my way, I found the best thing to do is, sometime before the first day of class, to just walk around for fun. Not only will you learn your campus, but if you are going into the university system, most maintain beautiful environments.

The University of California system is known for its prestigious undergraduate educations, and their facilities, parks, and overall atmosphere demonstrates that status. For instance, the University of California, Irvine, dons a 19-acre park with over 11,000 trees in the center of campus, a lovely place for a stroll and also a major shortcut. Conveniently, around your campus you can find on-site map directories, very similar to what you would find on your college website. If you’re one that plans ahead, I recommend using the online map, which can be saved in PDF. Instead of clicking on a labyrinth of links, just use the sites search engine.

Another helpful strategy for navigating through all those dorms and countless parking lots would be to ask any family, friends or roommates that are either attending or have attended your college. If no one is available, and you have truly lost your way, pay a visit to the administrative services building or see your school counselor. You can also shoot either one of these an email. As a last reminder, you definitely want to know where the food court is, where you can grab a quick little snack or meal before your next class; never underestimate the power of hunger while sitting through a droning lecture.

It is critical you prioritize your time efficiently so that you arrive to class on time, knowing beforehand how long it will take to find a parking spot, or how long your bus ride is, and from there how far of a walk you will have. I loved strolling along from class to class at my college campus, it doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience (although, I wouldn’t have minded cheaper parking!). Just relax and remember that there many tens of thousands of students attending your college, but they all find their way around and so can you!

Author Bio: Windy Reigns, Student Online University

Category: Education
Keywords: college degree, university, four year college, first year college, college education, university lif