Dear Freshman,

Congratulations on graduating high school, and welcome to college! I hope you’ll find that you like it here as much as I do.

First of all; if it is at all possible, quit your job,or at least cut your hours. Unless you have bills to pay or some other extenuating circumstance that makes it unfavorable for you to be unemployed, don’t do it. I have bills to pay, so being unemployed was absolutely not an option for me. I have missed out on so many cool and fun things happening on campus because I have to bounce back and forth from work to school almost every day. It has also made it slightly more challenging to keep up on my school work, which brings me to my next topic…

Use a planner. Whether it’s one you received at orientation or one you bought at Walmart, buy one and use it religiously. Make it an extension of yourself. Treat it like a baby that you habitually carry in your backpack. Write down everything you do for every class, even if all you did was listen to a lecture and take notes. I’ve also found that it helps me if I highlight all the assignments I have to do and make a little mark next to the assignments I’ve completed.

Even if you don’t think it’s something you would be interested in, look into joining a fraternity or sorority. I didn’t think I could balance working full-time, schooling full-time, along with being in a sorority, and it turns out I was right. But I wish I would’ve given myself the chance. Every day I see how much fun the sorority girls are having at college and how close they are. Every day I regret not joining. Most of my friends from high school went off to other colleges so I barely know anybody here. Do you know how difficult it is to make genuine friends when you’re only on campus for classes, especially when you’re pretty shy by nature? Very.

Despite whether you think you can afford it or not, I suggest considering campus housing. I live about 20 minutes from campus and 2 minutes from my work, so my situation isn’t undesirable. But several times I’ve found that I have left something at home (textbook, binder, headphones, etc.) and thought to myself, “man I wish I lived on campus.” It’s also a great way to make friends. Some of my deterrents included the fear of having to deal with someone I hated for an entire semester and hearing people stomp around above me, but looking back, those could’ve been avoided.

Don’t be afraid to let loose. Nobody is going to judge you, especially not as harshly as you are judging yourself. If you live your whole life in fear of what others think of you, you will not live. Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. Put your nose to the grindstone and excel in your classes. Work hard, but party just as hard (if not harder). If you know you’re not a morning person, don’t sign up for any classes earlier than 10 am; you will not go. Do not be afraid to use the counseling center; they are here and want to help you.

Sit at the front of every class. Handwrite your notes rather than type them; studies have shown you are more likely to remember what you write versus what you type. Set goals and smash the hell out of them. It’s okay to be an undecided major; some people don’t know what they want to be and that is more than fine. Pay attention to what classes you look forward to; it can help steer you in the right direction as to what you want to major in. Most importantly, the college experience is what you make of it.

Sincerely,

Someone who wishes they were told these things.