When I came to campus my freshman year, my goal was to not stand out as a freshman as much as I could. I just wanted to blend in, and I didn't want to stand out if I could avoid it. Colleges do a lot in order to make sure that their freshman have help adjusting to college, and it's so important to take advantage of these situations.
1. Get involved
The first thing that all freshman should do and probably everyone has told them: Get Involved. One of the biggest parts of adjusting to college is making new friends. Colleges have so many more opportunities to be involved with people of similar interests, so much more than high school. Getting involved in more than just classes is important not only to meet new people but also to make a college campus feel better.
2. Go to class and participate if that's a part of your grade
The stereotype of college is that you can skip classes whenever you want, but it's super important to go to class in order to learn the material. If you've paid thousands of dollars for college, why wouldn't you go to class? Participation is so important, and many freshmen don't think that they really need to do so in order to do well in the class. With language classes, in particular, it's hard to do well in the class and improve your knowledge if you refuse to participate.
3. Experience the change
One of the biggest parts of freshman year is getting to experience everything for the first time. Every year after this one, you're going to know what's going on. Even though it can be annoying to feel like you don't know what's going on when everyone else does, it's also exciting. Don't skip out on events because they're "for freshmen." All of the other freshmen are going to attend these events and next year you'll wish you'd done them.
4. Break out of your comfort zone
A lot of college is trying new things, and some of those things should help you break out of your comfort zone. Trying new things, learning about other ways of life, and meeting new people can all make you a better person. Doing things that make you uncomfortable make a lot of new things comfortable. Stepping out of my comfort zone helped me meet people and make friends during my freshman year.
5. Take care of yourself
Don't forget about yourself and your needs. Freshman year is a very busy time, and it only gets busier. It's important to make sure that you're making yourself happy at college. It's okay to say no to doing things if it's for your own good. If you start taking care of yourself freshman year, then by senior year you'll be able to take care of yourself better.
6. Experience things for yourself
Take advice but don't feel like you can't figure things out for yourself. Everyone has advice for freshmen, but there are some things that are better to be experienced on your own. There is some advice that is important, but letting everyone else decide how their freshman year goes shouldn't be the way that you let things happen. Trust in other people, but also do what makes you happy. Just because some doesn't enjoy it doesn't mean that it isn't for you.
Be a freshman. You only get to experience these things for the first time once.
