Coming into a brand new semester at Carnegie Mellon, your friendly neighborhood editors of The Tartan got together to discuss our outlook on the new semester at our first editors meeting. Some of us shared great excitement whether that be for producing The Tartan, taking on new courses, or spending time with their fellow students in Pittsburgh. Many of our editors on staff are starting their last year at Carnegie Mellon and are a bit sad, but still hopeful for the year ahead! We wanted to share some tips with our lovely readers, whether you are a freshperson or not, on how to navigate your time here without getting overwhelmed.
Get yourself a treat. Do this at least once a week. You deserve it! (We would even recommend more than once a week, in moderation, of course.)
Find some time to be alone. Whether that be in your dorm while your roommate is out or in a random corner of ANSYS hall. Exploring campus is important, but don’t feel like you always have to be with other people.
Try something new. Go to a new club or event on campus. Though it may seem intimidating (speaking from experience), people are, more often than not, very welcoming to new people and want you to have fun.
Utilize an on-campus resource. There are therapy dogs at Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS). You don’t necessarily have to be going through a crisis to go. (They’re very cute!)
Change your routine. If you feel like you’re just going through the motions, add a detour on your route to class, sit outside to eat lunch instead of inside, or even rearrange your living space (within reason: Don’t piss off your roommate by moving your bed into the middle of the room).
Ask for help early and often. Classes get hard, but there are a ton of resources at your disposal if you make the move to reach out. Office hours, supplemental instruction, drop-in-tutoring, and most importantly, your peers, will become absolutely critical in getting you through the toughest classes. None of us would have made it to senior year without building an academic support network.
Drink water. Did you drink water today? You should do that, in the humble opinion of The Tartan Editorial Board.
Sleep. They say this is important, but it’s actually true. Don’t get caught up in the sleep-deprivation competition with your peers, because you will probably never win it. Take your eight hours (or nine, or ten) without shame.
Leave campus. Believe it or not, spending eight hours per day in the Baker-Porter-Wean catacombs can take a toll. Walk to Flagstaff to watch the sunset. Walk to Pitt and remember that other schools exist. Walk somewhere you’ve never been before and remind yourself that the world is larger than your Concepts problem set due at 11:59 p.m.
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