When I was a freshman in my second semester of college, I began to notice a ton of changes in how I acted and how I viewed college life in general. This seems to be the case with a lot of other freshmen I've befriended, so I decided to compile a list of everything that is drastically different during my second semester than it was in the first one. Some of these were definitely for the better, but some of them weren't so great. Let me know in the comments if you can relate to any of these!
First day of classes:
Fall—ready to start the day and your college education!
Spring—already looking forward to the next break.
Confidence:
Fall—making sure you look nice for classes and trying really hard to look extra great when going out.
Spring—wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt around campus, throwing on whatever the hell you think looks good to go out, and not caring what anyone else thinks in general.
Going to a house party:
Fall—nervously looking around, dancing awkwardly, and trying not to spit out the disgusting beer.
Spring—showing up right on time, heading straight for the beer keg, dancing like no one is watching, and having the time of your life.
Stress level:
Fall—not too stressed, manages time well, and feels good about school and social life.
Spring—stressed out about everything.
Eating:
Fall—going to the dining hall 3 times a day, trying to maintain a semi-healthy diet, and only having healthy snacks in your room.
Spring—only going to the dining hall once or twice a day, giving up on your healthy diet, and hoarding junk food and sodas in your room as snacks.
School Work:
Fall—getting ahead in all your classes, getting assignments done at least a full day before they’re due, and writing all your homework in an agenda.
Spring—writing an entire essay 12 hours before it’s due, missing a few homework assignments, and forgetting to write stuff in your agenda, therefore forgetting that it’s due and not doing it.
Spending Money:
Fall—planning to spend as little money as possible, rarely taking cash out of your account, only spending it when you absolutely have to, and taking advantage of all the free stuff you can find.
Spring—still taking advantage of all the free stuff you can find but also thinking “I spent no money last semester, I can afford to spend some now” and buying everything you come across that’s on sale.
Communicating with Professors:
Fall—sending a very well planned out and articulated email, spell checking, and editing it until it’s perfect.
Spring—sending an email with the assignment attached and nothing else.
Campus Locations:
Fall—calling every building by its full name.
Spring—calling everything by its nickname.
Friends:
Fall—trying desperately to find new friends and people to hang out with.
Spring—being happy with the few friends you do have, getting annoyed at everyone, and longing for alone time in your room.
Going to classes:
Fall—arriving 15 minutes early to each class, staying attentive, taking great notes, and going over them after class.
Spring—gradually beginning to skip every class that doesn't have a strict attendance policy and sometimes accidentally zoning out for an entire hour and 15 minute class.
Living in a dorm:
Fall—loving your new room and the entire building, and overlooking the few problems that it may have.
Spring—looking forward to the day you can choose to live in another building and noticing every single problem that arises such as a creaky door, mold in the showers, a bug problem, a major draft, and gross drinking water.
Social Status:
Fall—constantly remembering that you’re only a freshman and should yield to the upperclassmen.
Spring—acting like you own this school and looking at the constant tours coming through campus thinking, “Aw, look at those little high school babies; those were the days, man.”
General Attitude:
Fall—so excited to start this next chapter of your life!
Spring—when is the last day of classes again?
