As Aladdin would say, college is a “whole new world” compared to high school. Entering college means meeting new people and living in a completely new place, which can be pretty overwhelming. As I’m entering into my fifth year of college, I’d like to offer my best advice and provide you with the 10 tips that I think are essential to remember as a freshman.
1. Keep in mind that everyone is homesick.
Whether you’re homesick for your family, your high school friends, your significant other, home-cooked meals, or the familiarity of your hometown, you’re not alone. Everyone is anxious about starting this new chapter of their life. At some point, you’ll be back home and you’ll start to feel homesick for the university that will serve as your second home for the next four years.
2. Call your parents as often as possible.
Even if it’s a five-minute conversation, it means more to them than you can imagine. They worry about you and they’ll be thankful that you took time out of your day to think about them. Realize that as you’re growing up, they’re growing older. This is a new and exciting experience for you, but to them it’s the first scary step of letting you go.
3. Keep your door open.
One of the best ways to meet people is to keep your dorm door open. It shows that you’re friendly and ready to meet new people. Some of your best friendships could come from saying hello to someone as they walk down the hall!
4. Time management is key!
In college, you have way more freedom and you have the responsibility of making (and following) your own schedule. There’s no bell telling you when to go to your classes and there’s no one forcing you to do your homework. Doing well at school is all about balancing and dividing your time evenly. This means juggling your studying, your social life, your sleep schedule, your job and anything else that’s important to factor in. Time-management is one of the greatest skills that you can learn while you’re away at college, and it’s one that you’ll be using for the rest of your life.
5. Sleep is overrated (sometimes).
Go to the diner at 2 a.m. with the people on your hall and take a road trip to the beach instead of napping like you were planning. Some of the best memories can come from the sleep-deprived shenanigans that you and your roommate get into at 3 a.m., even though you have an early class that day. Give up some of your beauty rest and trade it for spontaneous adventures that you’ll never forget.
6. Get involved!
Campus can feel overwhelming at times and the best way to make it feel smaller is to join a club, organization, or sport on campus. No matter if it’s Greek life, dodgeball club, an a capella group, or anything else, make sure to branch out and spend time with people who share the same interests as you. Four years will fly by pretty quickly and you don’t want to graduate with regrets of not meeting as many as people as possible.
7. Don’t take your education for granted.
You’re lucky enough to be attending a university and you have the privilege of taking a variety of classes taught by phenomenal professors. Don't take this for granted. Take a class you never thought you’d take. Talk to your professors and get to know them on a personal level. Recognize how wonderful the resources you have at your fingertips are and keep in mind that the reason you’re attending school is to get your degree.
8. You get out what you put in.
This applies to anything and everything. If you write a paper in a rushed 20 minutes just to get it over with, you’re probably not going to get the grade that you’re hoping for. If you spend every night watching Netflix instead of trying to meet new people, you’re not going to make the lasting friendships that you want. If you want your GPA to increase but don’t think about talking to your professors, getting a tutor, or forming a study group, then it’s a guarantee your GPA isn’t going to magically rise. Put the effort into getting exactly what you want and don’t settle for less.
9. Take the bad days with the good.
Some days are going to be wonderfully full of fun, laughter, adventures, freedom and just generally loving your life. On the other hand, you’re inevitably going to have bad days. You’re going to fight with your roommate, your professor is going to assign a 10-page paper a week before finals, you’re going to sleep through a class after studying all night at the library, you’re going to grow apart from some of your friends, etc. Not every day is going to be the best day at college ever, but you’re going to get through it. Be thankful for the amazing days you have but also realize the bad days make the good days that much sweeter.
10. Enjoy it!
Enjoy every last minute because before you know it, you’ll be taking your last finals and walking across the stage to collect your degree. You’re going to actually be jealous of those lost freshmen wandering around campus that have four crazy, stressful, and incredible years ahead of them. So get lost while exploring your new city, have dinner with someone you just met in line, watch the sunset at the beach, room with your best friends, fall in love, take a countless amount of photos and never wish away any of this time. In a blink of an eye these next four years will turn into memories.
