It's that time of year again when college campuses across the country are flooded with excited, confident, terrified, homesick, and confused first-year students trying to make their way in their new environment. They spend days in seminars for the daunting and seemingly unending process of orientation. They are told about emergency services at the college, taught that underage drinking will almost always lead to disaster, and that everyone at the school is your family and will become your best friends.
However, this leaves out a lot of information. They surely do not mention that you will look like a fool if you grab a tray at the café or that you need to install special software to use the schools printers. Despite the busy schedule, first-years are left with a lot more questions than answers. I gathered up a number of things I wish I had known after orientation.
1. Crazy parties are real, underage drinking does happen, and people likely use illicit drugs.
Look, I know, I know, there were likely multiple workshops with your college's public safety office or local law enforcement in which the presence of all these aspects of college life was reduced down to a myth or that these workshops have you scared you will be immediately kicked out of school if you look at a keg too long. Being scared of going out is not going to help reduce the risks of something going wrong. A lot of people will choose to go to a party at some point in their college career, and when they do, it is more important to be proactive than reactive. Be sure that if you do decide to go out, you take friends with you and set some safety rules for your group, such as checking in with one and another every so often, not drinking after leaving a cup unattended, and not accepting food or drink you did not see prepared. Be sure that you know what is going into your body and the possible effects before making any decisions.
It is possible that you will choose not to party; this is a completely valid choice! Colleges offer a lot more than just that type of social seen. However, you will probably end up involved in a situation involving drugs or alcohol even if you abstain; you might run into that blonde girl from English throwing up in the hall and not know what to do. It is important to learn the signs of alcohol poisoning and drug overdose. Learning those signs could help save a life! Remember: it is more important to call for help to save someone than to not call for fear of getting in trouble. In fact, a lot of schools have a Good Samaritan Policy protecting you from receiving disciplinary action if you call for help!
2. Upperclassmen are your most useful resource.
We've been around the block (or blocks if you're not at a tiny liberal arts college like myself) more than once. We know the ends and outs of college life. Maybe you picked up that your lanyard marks you as noob (if not, I hate to inform you that this convenient choice for carrying your keys and ID is like wearing crocs: you just shouldn't), but each campus has little social cues that most first-years won't no. At my school, no one uses a tray in the café. It's simply not done. Watch the upperclassmen to see what's the norm both in and out of the classroom.
We are also happy to answer your questions. We all remember staring at the printer for a paper it was never going to print before someone gave us a heads up on how to use our printer points correctly, and we have no problem stopping to save you from those few embarrassing moments of confusion. We know professors to recommend, where to get cheaper text books, and if the meatloaf listed as "chef's special" is really edible or not. Just ask!
3. You might experience a culture shock.
Even at a school close to my hometown, I experienced a bit of a culture shock. It was strange to be around so many individuals to bounce ideas of off as opposed to spending time debating and justifying thought processes. I had never been in a community that required me to be actively tolerant of different people from different backgrounds. You might not realize that having a group of people all roughly your age comes with a responsible to be respectful of those life histories. You may have tossed around the phrase, "That's gay," with your high school friends all the time without second though and come to find out that it deeply offends your roommate. You may have been raised in a very politically active family and find that your liberal viewpoints are difficult to voice at your campus cafeteria and best saved for your polisci courses or debate club. You might not understand the expectations of your college's community right away or why those expectations are in place. It takes an adjustment. College is a new environment that comes with its own set of rules and expectations. It's important to recognize that your norms at home are not necessarily wrong, but you will grow from learning the new ones set forth on your campus.
4. College is what you want it to be.
While mimicking upperclassmen and listening to them is helpful in addition to learning the culture of your new environment, college is what you want it to be. If you want to party, you can do that. If you want to join Greek life, you can do that. If you are introverted and want to spend time alone and decide to join extracurriculars, that's cool too. First-years are constantly asking questions on anonymous forums like Reddit or YikYak asking if they should rush a sorority or break up with their high school sweetheart, but there is no clear answer that leads to the Ideal College Experience™. While orientation seminars tend to coddle you and make you feel like you are still in high school, you're not. College is your first chance to find out who you choose to be rather than just who you want to be. You will have a lot of choices to make throughout college that will affect your experience. There are resources such as the counseling center or career planning to help you with tough choices about the future, but the most important thing to remember is that now is to decide what is right for you. It's easy to get overwhelmed once you know it's on you to decide what is best for you, but relax. Take it one decision at a time, and you will learn to love your college experience.
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