August 26, 2025

by Katharine Weiner

The transition to college life brings a lot of mixed emotions. If you’re a rising college student, you may feel some nervousness or anxiety, as well as excitement and anticipation.

Transitions can be challenging! Here are five tips to help ease the transition to college before the start of the school. These activities can help ease your transition before you start school. Let’s dive in.

1. Spend time alone in nature

Maybe a forest, a park, or just under a tree. You don’t need any belongings other than a journal if you would like. This allows for intentional alone time without the distractions of a phone/music/social media. This is an exercise that you can continue once you move on campus. You can also spend time in nature with others!

2. Talk to your loved ones about the transition

If you’ll be going to school away from home, talk to the people close to you about how that might affect all of you. Maintaining long-distance relationships can be a challenge, but having a conversation before you leave for school can help to ease any feelings of loneliness during the year.

3. Start a journal/scrapbook

Journaling provides the space to slow down and reflect on the transition. You can use your journal as a way to remember both the exciting and hard moments, and also as a space where you can be honest with yourself. If you start journaling before you leave for school, you’ll begin a habit that you can continue when many of your other routines are changing. You could also incorporate scrapbooking and collage into the process. If you want to share any of it, that can be a great opportunity to connect with others.

4. Create a “sonic passport”

A sonic passport is a playlist or a presentation showcasing the musical “destinations” that have shaped your life. You may choose to reflect on your familial, cultural, or emotional connection to music. The act of creating the passport helps you reflect on music that has a special meaning to you or that you love in the moment. Music taste is a common topic of conversation when getting to know someone, so this exercise will help prepare you to make new connections on campus. If you want, you can even show your presentation/playlist!

5. Make your space your own

When you get to school, create a comfortable space that feels like yours. If you’ll be living with other people on campus, small details like meaningful photos and familiar bedding can help create a space on campus where you feel at ease. Sometimes a poster can be a conversation starter and a way to begin a new relationship.

We hope these tips help to inspire curiosity, confidence, and connection in the weeks ahead!

Written by Katharine Weiner, collaborator with The Foundation for Art & Healing. Katharine is a rising first year student at Harvard who worked with FAH on a research project during her senior year of high school.