"I hate it here and I wanna' go home," says Allison Ford, shortly after arriving at her new dorm room at Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). She was crying hysterically on the telephone to her older sister Amy, who had moved to college three years prior.

"I was overwhelmed and I didn't feel like I had a place on campus," Allison explains.

Freshman year can be tough. According to the American Council on Education and UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute study, 30 percent of freshmen feel frequently overwhelmed by all they have to do. Take it from these students who've "been there, done that" to make sure the first week of your freshman year doesn't turn out to be a bummer.

Make Allies
Hilary Behrman recalls being a freshman at Quinnipiac College (Hamden, CT) and curling up on a black futon with her three potluck roommates she had just met earlier that day.

"We compared our class schedules to see when we could meet for lunch so we wouldn't be alone on campus," recalls Hilary, originally from Bedford, N.Y.

Hilary's tactic was the make roomies her allies. She later learned to accept them as friends.

"As soon as I met Andrea, I thought this was going to be an interesting year," she explains, simply because they came from different backgrounds and had different styles. Hilary discovered, however, that those differences ended up making their friendship blossom.

"If your roommate is not a clone of you, don't stress out that you're not going to click," she says. "When you're in college, you have a chance to become friends with people that you would not have necessarily been friends with in high school because of cliques."

Crack the Books
While the alarm clock flashes 7 a.m., Allison slowly types a paper at her computer in her two-person dorm room, trying not to disturb her sleeping roomie. Living with a roommate can be really hard, says Allison, because you have to be willing to change your schedule. "I had to be respectful."

Allison learned early on that finding compatible times for her and her roommate to study made living in small quarters easier, not to mention helped both their grades. Jane Munt, the chairperson of the study skills department at Rochester Institute of Technology's Learning Development Center (Rochester, N.Y.), agrees that putting together a study schedule is a great thing to do during the first week of classes.

Freshmen need to figure out what time of the day they study best and develop a schedule around that, suggests Munt. "Some people are more alert in the morning and some at night. Find a time and be consistent."

Munt adds that freshmen should learn how to become active learners, as well, which involves writing in textbook margins, outlining essays, and making 3x5 inch note cards. In short, the key is to make enough time for studying. "Freshmen tend to underestimate," says Munt. "I always tell freshmen to estimate how much time they will need to study and double it." A good formula is to spend two hours of studying for every one hour of class.

A Penny for Your Thoughts
Rose Jordan, a freshman at Indiana University, takes a $10 bill from her wallet to pay for another "girls' night out" meal at Texas Roadhouse, but her new budget is not far from her mind. She used to blow a lot of money on clothes, tanning, and anything that caught her eye; she had to make adjustments.

"I have shopping problems," Rose admits. "That's my only real issue."

Unfortunately, it became a big issue. That's because unless you set a budget from the very beginning, you'll fall into bad habits even before Thanksgiving break. Rose ended up running out of money in her checking account shortly after the beginning of her freshman year and had to call Mom to transfer money from her savings account into her checking. Since then, she works overtime to keep her excessive spending to a minimum. Although this was not a good experience, Jones is happy to share the valuable lessons she's learned.

"Balance your checkbook all the time and figure out how much you can [afford to] spend per week," she says.

Caryn Bilotta, director of education for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of America, a non-profit agency that educates students about wise money management and how to be responsible with credit, says students can avoid running out of cash if they devise a basic spending plan.

"Sit down and figure out what kind of expenses you are going to have," says Bilotta. "After that, get an idea about your income."

Many freshmen rely on credit cards for their purchases, a big mistake in Bilotta's book. "It's a good idea to have a card for an emergency, but you have to remember that pizza at 2:00 a.m. is not an emergency," she warns.

In addition, be aware of hidden bank charges for going under a minimum balance, withdrawing too many times, or using another bank's ATM machine.

"Those hidden fees can really add up," she says. While bankruptcy, a failing first semester, and horrible roommates all plague the minds of soon-to-be freshmen, take heart. As Allison says, "Just remember, that everyone is in the same boat you are."

Sound Off! Post Your Comments