After the jam-packed car ride, back-breaking gear haul arrangement and rearrangement of a misshapen desk and teary-eyed goodbyes, the dust settles in your shoebox of a double. It’s time to make UConn your home.
Moving in is only the first part of settling in; the process is not complete until you build a community within your dorm, your floor and throughout campus. Though there’s certainly no replacement for home, when these circles exist, you create a kind of family that can both support and push you to make the most of your time at UConn.
For better or for worse, you will spend the most time at UConn with your roommate. Whether your pairing is the product of chance or careful research, building a strong relationship takes time. This can begin minutes after you finish unpacking and continue as you rush back to your dorm to open the door when they lock themself out. Helping a roommate move in and taking luggage off their hands is a good way to welcome them.
After the initial small talk, it is a great idea to “walk your classes.” Taking time to walk through campus with your roommate and try to find the classrooms for each of your courses will help you get familiar with both UConn and each other.
As the move-in weekend proceeds, the floor of your dorm will fill itself. Making friends on the “block” and introducing yourself to neighbors can help you to establish friends on your floor.
Finally, it is time to begin building a network throughout campus. If you have siblings or friends around campus, meeting up at a dining hall to share a meal is a great idea. Besides helping you better understand the eating options within campus, eating together can give you time to catch up.
As you begin the first weeks on campus, it is important to remain open. Being willing to introduce yourself to someone new when there are just a handful of seats left in the lecture hall can be the start of a new relationship.
Despite the fact that they may be college graduates, making connections with professors is an important part of settling into the classroom. Class participation, or even asking questions after class, is a great way to show engagement and can help you to meet your professor.
For more complicated classes, rather than struggling through an unintelligible problem set and giving up, it may be helpful to attend your professor’s office hours. While they are not apt to hand out the answers, they will not hesitate to give you insightful pointers and help to clear up your understanding of key concepts.
In the process, you will be able to establish a more personal working relationship with your professor. After all, in many classes, office hours are unattended; your professor will not only appreciate your effort but will be more than happy to get to know you better.
It takes a resilient social battery to maintain a college social circle. In the meantime, don’t forget where you come from — whether that be Connecticut or elsewhere. Remember to call home periodically and connect with parents, siblings or friends. When all else fails, and college life gets to you, they will be there for you.
While it is important to build connections with people who will be there for you in the coming years, take care not to forget those who have been with you from the beginning.