Keep in touch
It doesn't take long after packing up your college dorm for the summer that you'll probably start to miss the place where you've made your home for the past nine months. Aside from keeping in touch with your friends from all over the country while you reconnect with your hometown pals, you might feel a similar void of separation anxiety for your university itself. Enter the Instagram feed of your school. Fortunately, most colleges and universities employ social media teams that run various accounts so you can find just what you need. Try your school's official account for scenic campus shots as well as announcements and event reminders. Accounts for sports teams will keep you up to date on the latest games and scores-- and they might even announce deals on tickets or perks for fans. During the school year, follow your school newspaper online. Facebook and Twitter are increasingly popular sources for global news, although these platforms are also informative on a hyper-local level, in this case, campus news.
Get free stuff
I quickly realized during my freshman year of college that despite the trend of skyrocketing tuition, colleges still attempt to entrance students with "free" university apparel, food, tickets, etc... Now as I am approaching my junior year, my growing collection of free college t-shirts from events and raffles serves as a reminder of how much I love my school and all of the interesting experiences I've had. Your school's Facebook page probably posts links to surveys that are easy enough to just scroll past. However, an incentive of a free t-shirt or gift-card to the university bookstore is worth the attention. Plus, chances are these surveys are intended to gauge student opinion to ultimately improve student life. What's that called again? Oh yeah, a win-win. Similarly, social media platforms also announce events in real time, so if the student government is giving out free cupcakes outside the library, you can be the first to know.
Never suffer from FOMO again
College social life is known to be complicated. On any campus, there will be a number of events occurring every day, often at the same time. It's an unfortunate fact that it just isn't possible to attend every party, every concert, and every game. That being said, keeping up with your school's social media accounts will help you take advantage of as much as possible. Student government and student activities committee accounts will often post what is happening right now. If a club is sponsoring a speaker in the performing arts center, they'll let you know the details so you can join in as quickly as possible. If it's a beautiful day and the quad is packed with students, you can bet the social media team is instagramming a photo to lure you outside. No matter the occasion, your university's social media presence will inform you of the latest campus news, events and fun school spirit extras. Helpful updates and extra doses of school pride are reasons worthy of throwing your school a follow on whatever platforms you frequent.