Back to School with Birchbox Interns: 6 Holy-Grail College Life Hacks

When it comes to attending college for the first time, we, the Birchbox interns, know it can be exciting and even a little intimidating. We all have the first year under our belts and we came together to bring you some of our favorite tips to get you through your first year with ease!

Dealing with the New Roommate

Whether you're going into your new living situation knowing who your roommate will be or not, it’s important to reach out beforehand and say your hellos! Once you're at school, take your first night together to go out to dinner. Discuss how the two of you want to create your own spaces. Remember, your dorm room will be a place where you’ll want to relax after a long day, and you want your roomie to understand that. Get in the habit of communicating with your roommate so that you can have a happy and healthy living space. Respect each other and be sure to set some guidelines and rules that you can agree on!

Quick tip: Want help breaking the ice? Share our Mask Matchmaker Kit with your roommate and the other friendly neighbors on your floor!

Making Friends and Putting Yourself Out There

This can easily be one of the scariest parts about going to college. You're starting your life all over again and it can be sad to say goodbye to friends from high school. But remember, everyone is coming to make new friends, so they’ll appreciate it if you’re the first one to extend a welcoming hand! Keep an open mind and try new things—from clubs to Greek life—and see where everything falls into place.

Quick tip: Treat this as a learning process. If you try something and you don’t like it, you can always try something else! You should spend your time at college with people you like and doing things that make you happy.

Creating a Home Away From Home

As we mentioned earlier, your dorm room, although small, should be a place where you can relax and feel cozy after a long day of studying. Decorate with tons of pillows, fairy lights, and art prints in order to add color and personality to the room—they can be pretty drab on their own. Be sure to create a set cleaning day during the week for laundry and cleaning your room. That way you'll get into a routine of having a clean and calming space!

Quick tip: If you love having candles in your room at home but your college doesn’t allow them, don’t fret! Use a reed diffuser to get the same pleasant fragrance!

Sleeping

We all know that some nights you won’t be getting the essential 8 hours in. But, sleep is incredibly important because it allows you to feel more energized and productive during the day. Get into the habit of going to bed at the same time every day so your sleep cycle is consistent. Set as many alarms as you can! You don’t want to miss any important lectures.

Quick tip: Spending some late nights in the library and don’t feel like washing your face when you get back? Remove your makeup with makeup wipes until you can wash your face with a cleanser (try Acure Organics' Coconut & Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes—they’re effective and don’t cost the world). And on the days when you know that you need to wash your tresses but have overslept before class, be sure to use a spritz or two of dry shampoo.

Classes, Organization, and Professors, Oh My!

Classes can get very busy, very quickly! When you combine that with club meetings and your social life it’s very easy to get overwhelmed—fast. Use your calendar! Color code it and your notes—not only because it makes things a little less boring, but because it will also help you keep track of what type of events you have going on. It’s important to stay on top of things in order to minimize stress, so keep a planner for all your assignments and pick a note taking/study system that works best for you. As for your professors, don’t be scared! Remember that they're there to help you! Take advantage of their office hours, and don’t be afraid to ask for extra help!

Quick tip: Walk your routes to class before the semester actually starts so you don’t get lost on your first day! After you’ve done this, set your class schedule as your phone background so it’s always conveniently located.

The Importance of You Time

At college, you're constantly surrounded by people. You eat, live, and work with your peers and friends. That being said, it’s easy to forget to take time for yourself. Always set a time in your planner to do so. Through the stressful times, it’s important to take some alone time so that you can be in touch with your emotions. You can do this by talking to a school counselor at your university’s health center, talking to a trusted professor or friend, writing everything out in a journal, or taking a yoga class. The possibilities are endless, but the most important thing is to pick something that will relax you and make you feel rejuvenated.

Quick tip: Journaling can help blow off steam and it’ll be cool to look back on your first year of college in writing.

Most importantly, have fun! This is the time to get to know yourself. Remember, you are young! It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do for the rest of your life, or even what you want for dinner! It’s a time for growth and all sorts of learning experiences in and out of the classroom. You got it girl. The best is yet to come!