School is quickly approaching. Which means there are lots of new freshman on campus. When I was a freshman I was constantly told by my older sister to avoid certain actions so I wouldn't become known as "That Freshman." So, without further ado, here is some advice I have accumulated over the years to avoid being "That Freshman."
1. If you're lost, ask someone for help.
I cannot tell you how many times I have asked a freshman (who was obviously lost) if they needed help finding something and was told, "No I'm OK." It won't make you look stupid to ask where something is. You're a freshman, you're not expected to know where everything is by the first day of class. So if you are lost, just ask for help. I guarantee no one will judge you for it.
2. Let go of high school.
You're in college now. It's great to reminisce or tell a funny story about when you were in high school, but don't dwell on it. Don't act like who you were in high school should drive how people treat you. No one cares that you were the star football player or the prom queen. This is college. You're in the big leagues now. So let go of high school and grow into the person you want to be for the rest of your life.3. Lend a helping hand.
If you see someone who needs assistance, help them out! Being kind to people goes a long way, especially in college. That doesn't mean that you should neglect a responsibility or be late to class because someone asked if you had time to help them move in or something. But just little things like holding the door open or asking if someone needs help carrying something can go a long way.4. Don't complain about everything.
College is hard and can be stressful. It's not wrong to vent about something every now and then, but don't complain about every hard assignment you get. Especially as a freshman when you're complaining to upperclassmen. Everyone is stressed and everyone is busy. The sad truth is that college only gets harder the higher up you get in your major. So don't sweat the little things and try to be more positive than negative.
5. Don't use stress or a busy schedule to get out of work.
Especially when it comes to group projects. If you have a job to do, do it. Don't say you're just too busy or to stressed to do your half of the research for the group project. I guarantee you that every college student is busy and stressed. 6. Be open to making new friends.
I guarantee that the friends you make the first two weeks of school won't still be your friends by the time you're graduating. It's fine if you want to stay friends with them for your entire life, many people do that. But don't become so exclusive about your friend group that you neglect new opportunities to meet people. Making friends is one of the better things about college, so don't waste the years only facilitating relationships with the same three people.7. Don't be afraid to have fun or show interest.
This is a big one. In high school a lot of people think that showing disinterest in everything makes you cool. In college, it's completely different. If you wanna scream your lungs out at the basketball game or go to the homecoming dance, do it! Don't be that freshman that slams everything and constantly talks about how lame their school is. People at your school are there for a reason. So show interest in things and try new clubs out. It's not bad to be excited or passionate.8. Don't be a know it all.
Now I'm not saying that you should ever pretend like you don't know the answer when you do. If you know the answer, speak up. All I'm saying is that for some things, be humble. Listen to other people's viewpoints and opinions and have an intelligent discussion without putting down their perspective. We can all learn from each other, so try to look at things differently and don't act like everyone who doesn't agree with you is ignorant.
9. Don't sit in your room and wait to be invited before you do things.
I'm not saying that you should crash a party you weren't invited to. I'm saying that if you wanna hang out in the student center or go to a dance, don't wait for someone to invite you before you go. Just go, even if you will be going alone. I guarantee you can always find someone to talk to or hang out with, even if they're upperclassmen. Be independent and go to the things you want to go to. You'll meet more people and have a lot more fun.
