Coming to Pitt after a nice, relaxing summer is both exciting and nerve wracking. If you took the summer to relax and travel, coming back to school with the thought of doing work and going to class is not the best feeling. There are so many things to do around Pittsburgh and even in your dorm or apartment that can help with that uneasy feeling and make it a smoother transition.

As a junior, I think I have a routine down that effectively works for me.The first thing I did when I moved back onto campus was make sure my apartment was clean and decorated to how I wanted it. Since I was not on campus all summer, my apartment needed to be vacuumed and dusted as soon as possible, so that was the first thing I took care of. Also, because this is a new school year, I wanted to change things up around my room, so I decided to take my roommate’s help and rearrange my room and put up new decorations around the apartment. I haven’t seen my roommate all summer, so this was a great way to bond again and catch up on our summers. We realized how much of each other’s lives we missed out on and could not wait to make more memories this year.

One thing I really wanted to do before this semester started was find a new study spot. My favorite places are Hillman and Cathy, but I realized I needed a new place. I walked around campus for a bit after we got situated and found good spots in Posvar and Mervis. Both areas had nice desks and were quiet, which is how I am the most productive.

My roommate and I went grocery shopping the day we got back so that we were stocked up on meals and snacks for the next few weeks. We did this right away because we knew that once classes started, we would not have the time to go grocery shopping and properly clean the apartment during the week. Our favorite places to get groceries are Trader Joe’s on Penn Avenue, which is only a short bus ride away, and Whole Foods, also on Penn Avenue.

Another thing I love doing is catching up with friends that I have not seen all summer. I was able to see a few of my friends this past summer since they live close to me, but the majority of them were in Pittsburgh working. Seeing everyone after a long 3 months was exactly what I needed while moving back in because it felt like home again. We all made sure to grab dinner and catch up that day, which was an amazing feeling.

Since this is a new semester and my schedule is very different from last year, I had to establish a new routine for myself. Last semester I would wake up and go straight to the gym to get a workout in. However, this semester I decided to schedule my classes earlier in the day so that my afternoon and evening would be more free for studying and hanging out with friends. I no longer have the time to go to the gym super early in the morning, unless I wake up around 6 a.m., but that would leave me feeling exhausted for the rest of the day. I decided it might be a better idea to start going before dinner time, around 5 p.m. This also worked out for my roommate, and we both now go together around that time. We then come home and make dinner together while watching a show on Netflix. This routine has already helped us both so much in being productive and motivated, as it is only the second week of this semester.

Since I moved back onto campus a few days before classes started, I had a lot of time to get situated in the apartment. I also made sure to mentally prepare myself for classes, and bought the textbooks I needed for them. Once I was comfortable in Oakland again, my roommate and I went to our favorite sunset spot, which is in Schenley Park, and ate dinner there one night. We used to do this during our freshman and sophomore years here, and it brought back so many memories. This helped us de-stress before classes and we felt much more relaxed before classes started.

Overall, transitioning to college after a long summer is sometimes hard and frustrating, but Pittsburgh has so many things you can do that can help with the moving process.

Shriya writes about some things she enjoys doing when moving back to Pittsburgh to make the transition easier. Talk to them at [email protected].