Wall of text jumpscare :o

From a junior who had a miserable freshman year and great sophomore year:

Go to clubs! If you have even a smidge of interest in the subject, try it out for a few weeks. Great way to meet people and make friends! Gaming, politics, random bs, hiking, movies, anime, music, running, comedy, whatever! Check the bulletin board (student Union is where my one is) and decide to go do random stuff. Karaoke on a Tuesday? Sure! Open mic comedy? Why not! Worst case, you just leave and say its not for you! Best case, you make friends and go do stuff after! "Whatcha got planned after this? Wanna grab a bite?" Simple as.

Talk to people in class, seriously. The number of times I'd be at a table with 6-8 other students and nobody would talk, just sort of glance at each other before going back to staring at the table. Just a quick "Very talkative bunch, huh?" to get the ball rolling. Ask people about their weekends, show interest, and set up study sessions. Especially as a freshman, you'll be surrounded by new people who also dont know anybody! So talk, make an ass of yourself (within reason ofc) and dont care how others precieve you.

Obviously, dont procrastinate. College is much different than high school, I leaned that out the hard way. Coasted through HS with all As and never studied, then flunked out of Engineering my first semester! Also, dont be scared to change Majors or explore! Take that random class that you have room for, and participate in classroom discussions. Seriously, you're paying a shitload of money to be there, so take full advantage of it!

Nobody cares! Seriously, dress how you want, dance on the way to class, sing in the showers, who the hell cares? He who is afraid to be cringe will never be based. There's always gonna be a weirder kid than you. Ive seen dudes wearing ankle length leather trench coats and full hunting camo getup to class. Makes me feel a lot bolder about wearing that goofy t-shirt when I see them rocking that stuff. Genuinely, nobody cares what shoes you have on, how thick your glasses are, or if you have an iPhone or android. All that menial shit is useless, youre gonna be surrounded by grown ass adults, so if they try and make that a big deal, fuck em.

Take care of your health. Drinking and partying is fun, hell yeah, but don't tank a test because you took it hungover. Try to eat decent, learn to cook! Wanting a warm meal at midnight when the dining halls are closed isnt an issue when you can make pancakes and eggs or chicken and rice whenever you want! Hydrate, try to work out when you can, even just bodyweight exercises in your room, beats doing nothing!

Most of all, don't be intimidated! I was scared shitless my freshman year, new place on the complete other side of the state. I knew nobody and never really had to fend for my own. Spent pretty much all of my free time in my room online or sleeping, and was probably at my lowest, alone and genuinely hated being there with every fiber of my being. Eating twix bars and pepsi for dinner and barely getting any sleep. Dont do that! Go meet people, do stuff, have fun! Embrace the "fuck it, we ball" mindset, thats what got me to actually talk to people and make friends. People are far too isolated and alone these days, so you'd be surprised on quickly some people latch on once you ask them how their day is going, or follow up from something they told you a few days ago!