When I began my journey through higher education, there were many misconceptions I had about it. If I had known these 11 things, I believe my freshman year would’ve looked a lot different!
1. It's perfectly alright to be "undecided."
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to know what you want to be when you grow up. You've been told for Lord knows how many years of your life that you need to figure out what you want to do before you enter college or you're wasting your time. This just simply isn't true! Even those peers who claim to know EXACTLY what they want to do (like me) will usually leave college with a completely new sense of direction for their lives. Certainly, it's good to know what you're good at and what you enjoy, but you don't need to have every little detail mapped out in front of you. RELAX!
2. "C's get degrees."
I was practically a straight-A student all throughout high school, but college, for me, was a very a rude awakening. Sure, some classes (like most of the GenEd ones) are so easy you'll wonder why you're even required to take them, but others (like those that are major-specific) are no walk in the park. I remember receiving a lovely score of 54 on the first test I ever took in college. I learned very quickly that it was more important to understand what I was taught rather than get caught up trying to receive a perfect score on everything. College isn't supposed to be easy, or everyone would have a college degree! Think about it...
3. Freshman year isn’t necessarily a fresh start.
When I began college, I was enamored by the idea of freshman year being a fresh start on life for me. I could be whoever I wanted to be, and no one had any pre-conceived ideas of who I was. For the first few months or so, this was the case for me, and I felt liberated! However, I soon came to realize that who I was, was who I was, and sure enough, who I really was would come rolling out of the closet eventually. I was a fun, goofy person all through high school, and after the newness of college wore off, I was a fun, goofy person all through college. Of course, everyone will mature and change quite a bit during their college career, but the core of who you are will not change. Instead, college helps you learn to embrace who you already are.
4. The college experience is what you make it.
During my freshman year, I had all these different and exciting ideas of what college had ahead for me, but it wasn’t until the end of my of that year that I realized I was the only one who actually controlled what my college experience looked like. It’s not going to be your school’s fault if you are uninvolved or if you have no friends. It will be YOUR fault. College is, like most things in life, is what you make it. You cannot sit around and wait for exciting things to happen, you actually have to go out and find them! It takes some effort on your part, but if that’s what you want out of college, you can get it!
5. Connections, Connections, Connections!
If you aren’t making connections with people, you are doing college all wrong! One of the greatest byproducts of higher education is the ability to make connections with both students and professors alike. You want to form meaningful relationships with as many people as possible because somewhere along the way, you will need the help of someone you know. When you have a lot of connections, enlisting help becomes ten times easier! The bottom line is that each and every one of us has something to offer. Whether your connections offer simple friendships or professional recommendations, it’s important that you are actively seeking those out.
6. READ THE SYLLABUS.
I cannot tell you how many times I decided reading the syllabus wasn’t necessary, and I also cannot tell you how many times not reading the syllabus came back to bite me in the behind. When they tell you to read the syllabus, just read the syllabus. Each professor does things a bit differently and it’ll be your responsibility to know all the information that’s in it. The syllabus is essentially the professors contract with you. If you know what’s in there, you can hold them to it. Likewise, they will hold you to what’s in it as well. Don’t get yourself caught in a bad situation simply because you didn’t read the syllabus. Seriously, just read it.
7. Procrastinating in college has greater consequenc
es.
I considered myself a “professional procrastinator” in high school. I could put things off until the very last minute and still pull everything off right on time to swing that beautiful ‘A.’ Then I entered college. My days of being a master at procrastination were over. I didn’t learn until the last semester of my junior year how to effectively map out assignments and get them done before I got stressed out. I went through my entire college career, up until that point, going from one pressing assignment to the next, living in a pit of eternal stress. DON’T DO THAT. Please, for the love of all things holy, don’t do what I did! Take procrastination and make it a thing of the past. There really isn’t a place for it in college.
8. Take internship opportunities, and shadow those in your field.
While you’re in school, take advantage of the position you are in. This is a great time in your life to take those opportunities and apply for those internships you always dreamed of or, perhaps, those that simply presented themselves to you at the right times. Get involved in your area of interest! This will help you tremendously in the future when you are applying for jobs. A degree alone is not all it takes to get a great job after graduation. You need experience as well! If you don’t have the time for internships, at least do yourself the favor and take a day to shadow someone in your field. The sooner you shadow, the better. You don’t want to waste your time studying something you can’t see yourself doing, am I right?
9. Eat, Sleep, Breathe.
It’s easy when we begin college to let some of our best habits go. We get so caught up in the work and in the play that we forget to take care of ourselves. When I began my freshman year, I was at my healthiest weight. I was eating right, exercising often, and really taking care of myself how I should. After a few months, however, those good habits wore off. I was staying up until 3am watching Netflix and eating out for almost every meal. Local fast food joints knew what to make me as soon as I walked in. The bottom line is that the “freshman fifteen” is a real thing, folks. Whether is the poor quality of food you eat, the lack of sleep you get, or the amount of stress you carry, the potential for unhealthy weight gain is real. Eat often (the good stuff), sleep well (at least 7 hours), and remember to breathe. Stress is SO unhealthy for us. Find what helps you unwind and relax and make it a part of your daily routine. Trust me.
10. You don’t need to have a boyfriend/girlfriend.
I was single for the first time in a long time when I started my freshman year, and looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was a bit scary to be single again, I’ll admit. At first, I longed for companionship, and I felt like if I couldn’t find anyone in college, my fate as an old maid would be sealed. However, being single for my first year of college enabled me to make uninfluenced decisions about my life—who I wanted to be, where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do—that truly made a world of difference for me. Your focus in college should be on finding who YOU are first, well before you learn who your significant other is.
11. You don’t have to be just ONE thing.
Growing up, we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” as if we can only pick one thing. The good news is that you don’t have to pick just one thing. You can get a degree in one thing, and still do other things. You can be a doctor and a stay-at-home mother and a writer and a professor! You may be multiple things at once or wear multiple hats throughout the course of your lifetime. The point is that you don’t have to put yourself in a box. You may have a degree in one thing, but you aren’t stuck to just that. You can do anything and everything you wish to do!
I hope these things I shared may help you or someone you know have a bit more informed freshman year of college. Wherever the experience takes you, remember to have fun and make the most of it!
