First year will always be stressful for people when starting out in college/uni. It's (for most) a completely alien environment, where you are (sometimes) for the first time forced to fend for yourself and truly become independent in your studies and living. Luckily, living on campus in a dorm can be a big help to guide you on your way.
There are many opportunities to make new friends, like on your floor or in your apartment depending on the type of residence you're in; campus clubs often host events both during the week and on weekends to bring out first-years (i.e. frosh week if your college has one) and get them to mingle and make new friends; and so much more. Your college will likely have in place quite a few opportunities to get out of the first-year stress, both recreationally and academically. The biggest thing you can do here is to not be too shy, figure out what you like to do (even at a high level, it can be difficult) and put yourself out there.
I regret not doing as much as I should have in university. Since I didn't live on campus I just wanted to bus into school and then bus out right after, making it harder to keep longer term friends. I think you have a great opportunity to really enrich your life and find some people that you can stay friends with for a long time. Not only that, but you have the opportunity to learn things about yourself that you would never know otherwise - your likes, your dislikes, activities and interests you may have never done, and more.
There are a lot of good places online to look for tools, tips and tricks to surviving first year as well, including some subreddits (if you like using reddit), college blogs and forums as well. I'd recommend doing a google search for "tips and tricks for surviving college" and similar topics as you'll get a bunch of useful articles that might pertain to you. Definitely do some broad research on that, and see what might be relevant to your college that you've just started.
In general, I'd say take some of these points home with you:
- SOCIALIZING: do this as much as you are comfortable with. It will help you make friends and get so much more out of your college experience.
- STUDYING: For the love of god, don't party all night and day. College is first and foremost for education and getting your degree, so give yourself as much time as you can to study and keep on top of subjects. Your school will have many resources to help you if needed (online help, tutoring, etc). One important note on this - your professors aren't demons. Talk to them, get their perspective on things and (although this sounds bad) get on their good side. You never know when you might need an extra hint or some leniency on a final, if your school does such things.
- FOOD (this is important, I didn't touch on it before this): learn to cook your own meals, and not just TV dinners. Eat as healthy as possible, and do it without burning a hole in your wallet. Which leads me to the next point;
- BUDGETING: Don't spend your entire life savings in one month. Learning to save and budget properly will help you once you're out, and will teach you the value of a dollar. Fast food can be attractive but it will kill your financials.
- HYGIENE: Clean yourself, goddamnit. Shower regularly, brush your teeth, clean your sheets (PLEASE!) and keep your room tidy. Never know when someone might come over.
- PERSONAL TIME: This is one of the most important ones. Make sure you make time for yourself - read, go for a walk, meditate, whatever. Keeping calm and de-stressed is a key to sanity in college. Giving myself time alone during the day helped me loads, especially with tests and exams.
There's much more that I can think of, and I know this is pretty disjointed, but I hope it helps you out. College doesn't have to be impossible, besides some of your classes if you're in a hard program (RIP if so). Feel free to ask me questions if you ever need, I'd be glad to try and help you out.
