Two more exams separate me from the end of my freshman year. This is an insane fact to me, as I feel like I was walking into orientation yesterday. My first year has been absolutely incredible and I am so happy that I am at Fairfield. I learned a few things throughout these first nine months and figured that it would be best to share that knowledge.
1. Make sure you have shoes that are comfortable to walk/sprint in.
My first semester I had a class that ended at 9:15 a.m., with another class beginning at 9:30 a.m. on the opposite side of campus. My first day of college my class let out a little after 9:20 a.m., meaning I had less than ten minutes to get to the other end of campus. I'm glad I wore sneakers that day because I ended up sprinting to get to my class on time. Classes with 10-15 minute intervals in between are totally fine and sometimes are even within very close distances to each other, but just know sometimes you might need to run. College, in general, is also a lot of walking, so comfortable (but cute!) shoes are always a good idea.
2. Know that it is OK if you don't make a bunch of friends right away.
This is something that I definitely needed to hear this year when I began. When you begin college, you may know some people from your high school, you may not, but this is an incredible new opportunity with new faces and new people you have never seen before. It is OK if you do not have a new best friend by the end of the first week. It is OK if a month has passed by and you have yet to get to know people outside of the classroom. You may look around and see that everyone has this incredible group of people within an instant and if you don't that is OK. The right time will come and you will find the best people for you.
3. Join lots of clubs/organizations.
Every school has an activities fair in the first couple of weeks to show off all the clubs and organizations that the school has to offer. Go to that fair! Walk by the hundreds of tables displaying their specific activity. There are plenty of options - from choir to debate to school newspapers - the options are endless; you will definitely find one (or more) that are of interest to you. When you find the ones that interest you, sign up for a lot of them. You are completely binding to them when doing this, so it's the perfect opportunity to take a look, go to an info meeting and if you end up loving it, join officially. Plus you're bound to meet tons of new people.
4. Go to professor's office hours.
When you go to your classes, one thing the professors emphasize is to go to their office hours, whether it be for extra help or to just pop in and say hello. Office hours are important not only if you need help with the material but also to strengthen your relationship with the professor. They are there to help and to be a mentor to you as part of their job and going to their office hours is very much beneficial.
5. Don't skip class
I never skipped a single class and do not intend on doing so ever, but I know people that have constantly skipped and it is not worth it. Most professors have a three or four absent policy, where you're able to miss up to three or four classes and after that your grade may decrease. Obviously, if you're sick or a family emergency occurs, that is a different story, but please please do not skip class just for the heck of it.
6. On the first day of your classes, get at least two other students phone numbers.
I actually learned this piece of advice from one of my professors. They said that when you get to class on the first day, exchange contact information with at least two people in the class. That way, if you have to miss a day (not skip) or want to study together, you have that other person to contact. I had never thought about that before but it definitely does make sense and will help you throughout the course of your four years.
7. Know that there are resources on campus to help if needed.
Adjusting to college isn't always the easiest, and that is ok, it is a big transition. If you are having some trouble getting adjusted, know that there are always people on campus who are willing to talk to you and help you work through it (i.e health services/counselors, RA's)
8. Go to on-campus events/weekend activities.
Your school more than likely will offer multiple events on campus during the week and on the weekend. These once again another chance to meet people and are really, really fun, so go check them out!
9. Enjoy every second!
College so far has been absolutely incredible, I love it so much and cannot wait to come back in September for my sophomore year. It is already flying by, so soak in every minute and enjoy it all!
