by Sara W.

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

You may have been the most popular, top-dog, superstar cheerleader in high school, but there's nothing like freshman orientation to burst your bubble of over-confidence when you go off to college. Students are running everywhere, you can't hear yourself think, and students much cooler than you aren't even giving you the time of day. You feel like a lost puppy in a snowstorm. But don't stress. You will survive this madness, and face it, high school popularity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. College is going to be so much better than high school, so cheer up! This is your time to shine! Here are a few tips to survive (and thrive) during your freshman orientation.

Don't Be Shy

If you find yourself standing or sitting next to a perfect stranger (odds are, everyone will be perfect strangers), strike up a conversation. Smile and make a comment about how crazy this whole thing is. Introduce yourself and talk about where you're from. But don't be a conversation hog. Most people can't stand it when you only want to talk about yourself. Ask lots of questions about your new acquaintance. Make him or her feel special. If you two hit it off, you just might have found a new friend. Worst case scenario, you have someone to hang out with during orientation so you don't look and feel like a complete loner. And don't limit yourself to just one new friend. The more people you introduce yourself to, the easier it will get. Smile a lot and try to look and sound confident, even if you don't feel it. Just realize that every single person is in the same boat you are in, and they are hiding the very same feelings of fear and inadequacy. Once you realize that, it becomes easier to open up.

Be Yourself

You're not in high school anymore, Toto. College is a whole new world, with a whole new species of people. These people actually like it when you are genuine and real, as opposed to high school, where everyone was fake and enjoyed having jerks for friends. The quickest way to feel like a big reject at your freshman orientation is to act like an immature high school kid. So try something brand new for a change: be yourself. Don't try to impress people with false pretenses. If you take this advice to heart, you will be guaranteed to walk away from freshman orientation with at least one or two solid friends. And once you've mastered the art of being yourself and building quality friendships, you have already taken a big step in the path toward succeeding in your college career.

Network,

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