Any expectations you may have about what college might be like? Drop them. No matter how many college visits you’ve been on, or what your older friends and siblings may have told you, everyone’s college experience is different. You’ll meet different people, live in different places, attend different parties and take different classes. Your college experience is specific to you and only you. Having preconceived expectations prior to your freshman year only creates the possibility of your time in college being completely different from what your imagination thought it would be. If you go into your first year with an open mind and easygoing attitude, you have the opportunity to make the best of each experience you meet, rather than trying to meet the standards you unknowingly set for yourself while thinking about what college is “supposed” to be like.
Branch out and meet people. Whether you’ll be attending a big university or small private school, meet as many new people as you can. Leaving your hometown friends to live in a new place with complete strangers can be difficult at first, but it can also be fun and exciting. Your best friend could be right down the hall, across the classroom or even someone you meet in one of the clubs you decide to join. The important thing to remember is that everyone is in the same boat as you are, and that every friendship once started with two strangers.
This one is especially for the girls…whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to others. I know how easy it is to get dressed up and go out with your friends only to end up wanting to crawl back into your sweatpants and binge watch Grey’s Anatomy for the rest of the night because you suddenly don’t feel pretty enough. Perfect looking girls appear to be everywhere. They’re at the parties you go to, they’re in your classes, and they’re even walking around campus with their makeup and hair done during finals weeks while you’re in sweats and a T-shirt. And when you go to the gym, they still look just as perfect. It almost seems as if you can’t escape them. Two words, ladies: who cares? When you’re 35 and living the life you worked hard for, that girl who woke up earlier than you to curl her hair for an 8 a.m. class won’t matter. What will matter though, is the fact that you’re able to look back and remember feeling comfortable in your own skin while you made the best of your crazy college years, instead of spending that precious time comparing yourself to the girl who put on bronzer to go to the gym (it’s dripping onto your shirt, btw).
Don't try to people please. You’re going to meet a lot of people in college. Some will turn into good friends, some will turn into best friends, and some, will turn into not so good of friends…It’s inevitable that you’re going to meet people you don’t agree with and/or don’t get along with. But you know what? That’s okay. No matter how nice you are or how hard you try to get along with them, some people will always have a bone to pick with you. The important thing is that you don’t focus on this too much. Don’t waste time trying to please the people who can never be pleased, they’re nothing to lose sleep over. The only person you should be pleasing during this new and confusing time in your life, is you. Surround yourself with the ones who cheer you on and let go of the ones who drag you down.Get involved!!! This is one of the most important, if not the most important piece of advice I can give you. You can join clubs, teams, greek life, study groups, intramurals, etc…the list goes on and on. Joining activities around campus is a way to meet people who are interested in the same things you are, and when you’re away from home and in a new atmosphere, this will make a huge difference in the best way possible. I know that being a freshman can be stressful enough between school and getting acquainted with campus, and that sometimes it can be difficult to add things to your schedule, but it’s very important to try and join at least one thing you think you might enjoy. You won’t regret it!
Go to class…I’m not your mom. I’m not your teacher. And I’m not even someone who can tell you that they followed this very important piece of advice…which is exactly why you should listen to me. It all starts when you accidentally sleep through an 8 a.m., or take a nap during your afternoon class, and suddenly you’ve missed four in a row and can’t exactly say that they were all accidents. Skipping class is too easy, and there’s nothing worse than cramming for a test the night before, wishing you had gone to class and taken notes. Trust me.
Be a little selfish. Not mean, not self absorbed, but a little selfish. This is a time to discover who you are. You’ll be able to find out what you’re interested in, what you’re passionate about and what makes you curious. You’ll find out who your real friends are and who aren’t, even if it takes you a while to figure it out. Every decision you make should be made with your happiness in mind, don’t sacrifice what you want for people who want to see you fail.
Have fun. There are going moments where you feel completely overwhelmed, submerged in mountains of homework, tests and projects. There will be tests you’ll study days for only to get a lower than satisfying grade, there will be group projects you’ll be the only one working on, and there will be papers that you’ll spend all night writing. But when you’re amidst all of that stress, don’t forget to have fun once in a while. The next four years of your life are the only years where partying on a week night or waking up at the crack of dawn to tailgate are acceptable, so take advantage!! Have fun with your friends, stay out too late and party a little more than you should. “You can retake a class, but you can’t retake a party.” –My philosophy professor.
