We know that the first months of college can be a bit overwhelming for new students. That is totally normal since for most of you it is the first time away from home and the first time that you need to make your own schedule and balance all your daily duties. You will find yourself with a very hectic schedule between classes, homework, practice and trips with your athletic team. However, while the first few weeks might seem like a struggle to fit all these activities into one day, it typically becomes easier once you get used to everything. Once that is the case and you feel more comfortable, we hope that you will get a chance to fully enjoy your college experience and really start embracing the American college culture. So how do you approach this? What activities can (and should) you participate in? Here is a quick list of some activities that we recommend at least trying so that you can fully soak up this great experience:
- Attend other sporting events like football, basketball, or baseball games
- Join a club or fraternity/sorority (only if it does not interfere with your athletic schedule)
- Participate in intramural sports (again, only if it does not interfere with your regular schedule and if it is not a sport where you might risk an injury)
- Attend school events such as speeches, workshops, get togethers, etc.
- Do small road trips with your friends to explore the surrounding areas
- Go home with one of your friends or teammates on a weekend when you don’t have practice or any matches or tournaments
- Fully embrace the local culture (attend local events and try to learn about certain customs that there might be in your area)
- Experience an American Thanksgiving with one of your teammates or friends
These are just a few examples of how you can make the most out of your college experience. We recommend at least trying these things once as they are all part of the college culture in the US. Depending on where your school is located, these might vary slightly and other events or activities might exist. For example, some states or areas are better known for basketball (Kansas or Indiana for example), while others prefer football (Texas or Alabama). So depending on where you are, attending one or the other might be more “typical”. No matter what activity you decide to participate in, make sure that you don’t forget that you are in the Unites States and that you need to follow the laws that exist here. We are mainly referring to the legal drinking age here (you have to be 21), so even though it might be totally ok in your home country to drink alcohol at an earlier age, here you need to follow the law or you risk getting in a lot of trouble. So please keep that in mind!
As you can see, there is a lot of fun stuff that you can do over here, especially during the offseason or during weeks when your team might not be traveling. So as mentioned above, try as many of those activities and we guarantee you that it will turn your college experience into the best four years of your life!