Freshman year really shapes you as a person. I made some of the best memories of my life and some of the best friends. But as a sophomore, I have already veered so much further from my freshman self. I figured out life lessons that little freshman me didn’t quite pick up on. Here are five things I discovered after my freshman year of college.
1. Mental health trumps everything else
No matter what it may be, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, whatever is causing it is not worth messing up your health. Stress eats away at college students constantly, but just remember, it's not worth making yourself go crazy (and I literally mean crazy). So surround yourself with positivity and don't be afraid to treat yourself after studying for hours on end.
2. When it’s worth pulling an all-nighter
Pulling an all-nighter the night before a test is a BAD IDEA. I repeat, a BAD IDEA. It’ll only take one D+ to show you that you cannot perform well on zero sleep, despite that triple shot iced coffee you chugged. Pulling an all-nighter is totally chill if you need to finish an assignment or paper. As long as you don’t have to present or take a test the next day, dozing off in class is worth it if you turned that paper in on time.
3. It's okay to skip a night of going out
As an invincible little freshman, you think you can do it all. Go out until 3 am, wake up at 10, get some brunch, and be good to go. That doesn’t last forever. Something happens during the summer between your freshman and sophomore year that makes you realize it isn’t worth feeling like crap on Saturday, especially if you have to work or study.
4. How to be more realistic with my schedule
We all say “Oh, it’ll only take 30 minutes” when in reality, the project will take a couple hours. You can do this for a little while before it catches up to you. But after a year of doing that, you learn to set aside more than enough time before class to stop at Starbucks, because let’s be honest, you are not the same person without your coffee. Same goes for scheduling classes, during freshman year you probably snagged an 8 or 9 am…and hated yourself two weeks in. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t schedule class until at least 10 am…maybe even 11.
5. Finally, memories are so much better if you can remember them
Going all out and not being able to remember the night before, every single weekend, is a TFM (total freshman move). I have nothing against having a good time, but if you want these memories to last, pace yourself.
All of these things are vital lessons every college kid needs to know. It only took me a year to realize them, but hey, better late than never right?
