Dear Future Freshmen,
Right now, you’re at the peak of your senior year in high school. You just took your AP exams, so the bulk of your course work is done. You either just had or are about to have prom, and “Senior Day” is in the near future.
You finished your college applications months ago, your acceptance letters are in and most of you are already committed to your schools now. The pressure is off, and you get to enjoy the rest of the school year while making final memories with your friends before everything changes.
A lot of you are probably already obsessed with the idea of college. You’re picking out items for your dorm rooms, figuring out your roommate situations and trying to figure out if there are any more scholarships you can apply for. A part of you wishes that you could start college tomorrow while another part wants to enjoy the time you have left in your hometown.
There’s a lot going on for you, and everything that you worked for all these years is finally becoming a reality. So here’s what I’m going to say: congratulations and take a breather. Now, here’s a little advice from me to you.
First off, your school gave you a list of items that they recommend you purchase. You’re going to have the urge to buy everything on that list plus a bunch of other organizational items. The truth is, you’re probably not going to need a large portion of the stuff on that list and will end up over packing. Try to consolidate. Worst case, you order items online after you move to school.
Next, utilize the perks that come with having a college email address. When you commit to a school, they give you an email that ends with “.edu,” which can get you a ton of discounts. For instance, you can get a free six-month Amazon Prime membership if you sign up with this email address. Additionally, you can sign up to receive coupons from places like Best Buy and clothing stores.
Furthermore, make sure you look for the best deals at stores. Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Back to School sales will be the perfect time to buy items like laptops, mini fridges, microwaves, printers, etc. Also, don’t be afraid to price match items. When I was shopping at Best Buy, I looked up the same items on Amazon, saw that they were cheaper, showed it to the employees, and I ended up saving over $100 on my purchase.
However, there’s more to college than the material items. Some of you are worried about things like not making friends, not liking your roommates, not having fun and other issues that seem small but are important to you. If you’re worried, it’s natural, but try not to freak out too much.
As far as making friends is concerned, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. During New Student Orientation, you’ll have plenty of time to meet new people and to make friends. Also, a good way to make new friends is by hanging out in your floor’s common room or working on homework with people in your classes.
When it comes to your roommates, try to be open-minded. I loved my roommates, but that’s because they’re awesome people. If you aren’t as fortunate with your roommate pairing, then try to communicate any issues you have with them. If that still doesn’t work, don’t fret. Your school will let you switch rooms if you gave your roommates a legitimate chance and it still didn’t work out.
If you’re concerned about having fun at college, there are so many options. You can join clubs, sports teams, Greek life, etc. The best piece of advice that I got going into college was that it doesn’t really matter what college you choose as long as you take advantage of the opportunities that it offers. If you do that, then you’ll end up loving it and meeting a ton of great people in the process.
Personally, I loved my freshman year of college, and I miss college already even though I’m only a week into my summer vacation. Try not to stress out about preparing or leaving for college because everything will end up working out. And remember that if you ever need someone to talk to while at school, your Resident Advisors and school’s counselors are great resources!
Sincerely,
An Outgoing Freshman
