Summer’s wrapping up and I suddenly find myself entering senior year. I’ve already had a couple of moments where I freeze and try to process how I’ll be done with college come December.
Freshman year seems like yesterday and a hundred years ago, all at the same time. I can still clearly remember not sleeping the night before Move-In Day, probably going 85 miles per hour to get there.
It’s an exciting time, and now that I’m entering my last semester, I can look back on all the cliché things said about college and tell you most of them are true.
So freshman here’s some advice heading into August:
The ads lied. You really can’t fit all that into your dorm room.
While dorms can become quite homey with a little care and love, don’t over cram it. It’ll make it seem 100 times smaller. And most likely, you won’t spend a lot of time in your dorm with classes, social events and any clubs and organizations you join.
Speaking of clubs, join a few, but not too many.
There have been plenty of times where my plate is fuller than Thanksgiving and it affects every aspect of my life. It’s easy to get overly excited and want to join five organizations or clubs, but it’s critical to know when enough is enough. I understand wanting to do everything, but I think you’ll find yourself burning out quickly. Take it from someone who knows!
Sleep is your best friend.
Remember in kindergarten when you rebelled against nap time. In college, you’ll master the art of napping. It should really be a course for credit. Ask any college student; you learn to sleep when you can. I’m not much of a night owl or morning bird. I’m a 62-year-old at heart and like getting to bed by 10:30 or 11 pm. I also recognized I am far from the majority of college students.
It’ll be tempting to stay out till 3 am and sleep through your 8 am but I promise you, it’s not worth it. Freshman year was a nightmare because I tried running on too little sleep and it showed in my grades. So take naps and try to get a reasonable amount of sleep per day.
You will get sick of cafeteria food…quickly.
I was excited that I had a meal plan going into freshman year because it was so convenient. But you’ll find out quickly how boring it can get. That’s where your creativity comes in. Try to mix stuff up in the café, especially if it’s the same thing every day. You’ll be tempted to eat out every day, once the café food becomes seemingly intolerable but your wallet will feel that quickly. You’re paying for the café meals so do your best to make the best out of it! Pinterest will give you plenty of inspiration.
If you can, get a job.
I know some people with certain majors that don’t allow time for a job. But for a lot of students, on-campus jobs become a lifesaver. It saves you gas from driving off campus, usually has reasonable hours, and is often at or above minimum wage. Find an area of campus you love and work there! It’ll help you learn time-management better and will give you a glimpse into what life will be like when you graduate.
Try to remember, every once in a while, to appreciate your classes.
This one is probably the most important. There are over 50 million kids in the world who are unable to go to school. They could only dream of graduating high school and going to college. It’s easy in our society to take college for granted because it feels like almost everyone goes. But there are so many kids who can’t.
That’s why I try to step back, especially in the midst of complaining about school, and remind myself that millions of them would give anything to trade places or be in my shoes.
Education is such a powerful tool and you now have four years to focus on a specific area that you want to use it. Yes, there will be plenty of days where you could skip class and not care a bit. It’s easier said than done, but being a senior, I wish I could go back and do some years over, taking the time to really appreciate it.
It’ll be over before you know it.
