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First off, congratulations on starting college! That’s a major accomplishment and you should be proud.

I’ve been a college student for a few years now and know how overwhelming starting college can be.

From the application process, deciding on your school, packing, moving in, navigating a new campus, going through orientation, starting classes, and more, it’s a lot.

That’s why today, I’m sharing 10 college hacks to make your first few weeks as a college student easier.

This is a list of general tips on all things college: packing, navigating campus, buying school supplies, time management, and more.

Maybe you’ve heard of some of these and maybe others you haven’t.

Either way, they’re all simple hacks, tips, or tidbits of information that have helped me during my time as a student, and I hope they can do the same for you!

So, here are 10 college life hacks all incoming freshmen should know.

Must Know College Hacks

Hack #1: Use Google Maps

The first college hack I want to share is to use Google Maps to navigate your way around campus.

Especially during your first few weeks, you’ll have a ton of in person meetings and events to go to whether it be for class, orientation, a club, or something else.

Before you go, plug in whatever building you’re trying to find and you’re on your way!

By a few weeks in, you’ll probably know your way around campus a lot better, but until you don’t, this is a great tip that helped me out a TON during those first few weeks.

Hack #2: Wait To Get Textbooks To Save Money

Once you’re enrolled in classes, you might get an email prompting you to buy textbooks.

It might be tempting to go ahead and do so in advance, but my advice is to wait until you’ve actually been to your classes before getting your books.

This will depend on your class, but sometimes you’ll find that you only use the “required” textbook once or twice the entire semester.

So, before you drop hundreds of dollars on books, get some more information from your professor on how important getting the textbook will actually be for your success in that class.

The first day of class during the course intro and syllabus reading is a great time to do this.

During this time, your professor might also share additional info like if you can find an online version, if it’s available at your campus library, and other tips helpful to know beforehand,

But hang on - even if you do need them, you don’t have to buy them! And that leads me into my next tip.

Hack #3: Rent (Don’t Buy) Textbooks

Renting your textbooks is advantageous for one obvious and important reason, which is that it’s much cheaper than buying them.

Unless you need the book for multiple semesters, it’s not worth it to spend a ton of money on something you might only use a couple of times.

It’s no secret that college is expensive, so anything you can do to save money and avoid paying full price for things goes a long way!

The cool part with this is that you can rent a physical textbook or the digital version if you want to save some space in your dorm (which I recommend).

Hack #4: Understand The “Codes” For Courses

Next in this list of college hacks - more of a general piece of information that’s important to know, especially when registering for classes.

Some might already know this and it might seem obvious, but talking to my sister (who’s about to start college) made me realize that it might not be obvious to new students!

When registering for classes, you’ll notice that courses often use a code like ECON 301 or GRDE 102.

It’s the part with the numbers I want to talk about. The lower the number, the lower level the course! Simple enough.

Generally, courses in the 100s are taken by first years, courses in the 200s are taken by second years, and so on.

Courses listed in the 100s through 400s are usually undergraduate level courses, and anything 500s and above are graduate level.

Hack #5: Use niche.com

You’ve probably already stumbled upon Niche while applying to colleges and deciding which school to attend.

If you haven’t and you’re starting or in the middle of that process, then be sure to check it out because it’s a super helpful site!

Even for anyone about to start college, it’s still useful to get a general idea of what to expect on your campus.

Use it to get a sense of what the school culture is like, the food and housing quality, campus safety, and any other important information to know before you get there.

Hack #6: Use Garbage Bags To Pack Clothes

Next is going to be a college packing hack! This hack is pretty well known by now, but in the slight chance you’ve never heard of it, I just have to include it.

It’s seriously a game changer when it comes to packing and moving into college and makes the process of moving your clothes so much simpler.

The hack is to keep your clothes on their hangers and tie garbage bags over them (see photo).

Transport your clothes as such and when it’s time to unpack, pull the bags off and hang them right up. Easy!

Hack #7: You Need Less Supplies Than You Think

One of the things I found most surprising about college is how little school supplies I used for class.

In elementary all through high school, I made such a big deal out of back to school shopping!

I went all out every year and got brand new folders, binders, notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, staplers, stickers, lined paper, colored pencils, highlighters, calculators, pencil cases, scissors, sticky notes, and more for every single class.

I wouldn’t end up using even half of it! In college, I’ve found that most times, you just need the basics.

Think a laptop, school bag, writing utensils, and a note taking method (whether it be digital or physical).

Keep in mind that this of course depends on the class and on your major.. Art majors for example, will probably have extra required supplies like drawing pads, special pencils, erasers, charcoal, etc.

The tip here is similar to my tip for getting textbooks. I suggest attending the first class before going all out with supplies unless you’re specifically told ahead of time what supplies you’ll need.

#8: Use An App Blocker To Focus

A pretty simple and straightforward tip when it comes to having a productive study session is to use an app or website blocker!

This has actually helped me a lot when working on assignments, this blog, or my shop.

Some sites/apps you might want to block are Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Snap, FaceTime, Pinterest, any social media, or anything else you find distracting.

What I like to do is block these apps during the times I tend to work on assignments, like during a break in between classes or after dinner.

The app blocker I use is an app on my phone called SiteBlock that allows me to customize a specific daily and weekly block schedule.

#9: Use Rate My Professors

This website has become an absolute must visit for so many college students when figuring out their schedules each semester.

It’s similar to Niche in that students can review their college, but with more of a focus on specific classes and professors.

It’s great when trying to find information about a professor you’ve never had before, or when you’re trying to decide which section of a class to enroll in and the professor is the deciding factor.

#10: Check Your College’s Subreddit

Finally, I want to talk about reddit! By now, I think most colleges have their own subreddit. How often students post and what they post about will vary from school to school.

On my school’s for example, you’ll see lots of questions from students on things like housing, tech equipment, and class recommendations with helpful responses in the comments.

I’ve also seen job and internship postings, event notices, and other general information students, faculty, and staff find helpful.

I like checking in from time to time to learn some new tips and encourage you to do the same on your own school’s!

Outro & Closing Thoughts

So, that wraps up my post on must know tips, tricks, hacks, and info for new college students.

I hope this post helped you out in any way and best of luck with the up coming semester!

Thanks for stopping by my post “10 MUST KNOW College Hacks For Incoming Freshmen! (For A Seamless Transition To College).”

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10 POWERFUL College Hacks For Freshmen (College Transition Tips)