It's August now, and we're all inching closer and closer to the fall semester of college, some of us for the first time, others for the last. I'll be heading into my sophomore year of college and already I feel as if I've gone through several trials that others could learn from.
Throughout high school, I was given a lot of information regarding college life. I wouldn't exactly call said information "misleading," however they weren't all that accurate. I suppose that differs from person to person. Not everyone has the same college experience; it all depends on the decisions you make. As you can expect, there were a lot of decisions I had to make as a college freshman, and some of those decisions truly weren't easy and ended in quite a few tears being shed.
I'm not here to offer a "Stress-free Ride Through College" or a "How To Get Through College With Ease" list, because to be honest, to expect anything less than stress in a new environment is impractical and unreasonable. With college, with school, with learning something new that will eventually pertain to your future career, there will always be stress. It's how you deal with that stress and how you carve out your future that will matter the most.
The best college in the state will not always be the college for you.
Just because one college is more prestigious than the other does not mean that you should go there. Sure, when you ask someone about a college in Texas, the first schools that will likely come to mind are the University of Texas and Texas A&M. Maybe if they think a little more, they'll name off Texas Tech or Baylor. But what about University of Houston, Stephen F. Austin or Sam Houston State? What about University of North Texas, Lamar or Rice? What about my own school, Texas State University?
There are so many colleges in this country, let alone in Texas. Pick a college that suits you best in terms of location, budget and available degrees. Pick a college that after a year, you'll want to come back to. This is not to say that the more prestigious schools are off the list; they could very well be home to others. But you are not just "one of the others," you are an individual, and you deserve to pick a place of education that you will enjoy for however many years you will spend there and think fondly of after you graduate.
Also, if you are picking a community college is the best choice for you, don't let others put you down because of it. They don't know your life, and they don't know your mind, so don't let them control either.
Your roommate(s) will serve as a game-changer for you.
Regardless of whether or not you knew your roommate before moving in or just met them on move-in day, your relationship with them will set the tone for most of the year.
For those of you who will be moving in with your high school best friend, I can give you this piece of advice: you'll either grow to love each other even more than you do now, or by the following summer, you won't be speaking to each other. Why do I say this? Because when you live with someone for a year, you pick up on things that you would not have noticed otherwise had you been living apart. You will see them at their worst and their best, at their kindest and at their meanest. Things you thought you knew about them could either be reinforced or called into for reevaluation. If there's anything that people say that I agree with, it's that "you never know a person until you start living with them".
All of this goes for those of you rooming with someone you've never met before. You could love them, hate them or even be on neutral ground with them. There's a lot of gray area when it comes to your relationship with your roommate, but they will help set the tone for the year. This is not to say that just because you hate your roommate means that you'll hate freshman year. This means that if you don't get along with your roommate, be sure to join study groups, clubs and organizations or just make friends around campus. The more connections you have, the less time you'll have to spend in your room! Ta-da!
Make sure to eat, but don't over-indulge.
Yeah, I know everyone has heard about the infamous freshman 15. But contrary to popular belief, it's quite astounding to realize that people's eating habits can get really out of whack in college due to classes. It's not unusual to hear someone in one of your classes say they haven't eaten at all today so now they're starving because that genuinely happens!
In fact, I believe this is what causes the so-called freshman 15. People get so short for time rushing from class to class or are distracted by so many different things that eating suddenly gets pushed to the back burner. And then when your stomach very angrily reminds you to eat, you head to the nearest dining hall to pig out to your stomach's delight (I say stomach because your heart and your brain probably aren't liking this very much). Prevent this by keeping protein or oatmeal bars in your school bag at all times, anything to keep you awake in the early mornings and to keep your energy up for the rest of the day.
Your professors aren't just your teachers, they're your career builders.
As you know, college is all about learning the things that will eventually benefit you later in life in your chosen career path. I'm sure you've all heard that you should get to know your professors more than once, but there's a reason for that. These professors are guiding hands to your future. They become people who will give you insight into what your career will be like, as well as serve as your most influential references on your resume.
No one will know about your work ethic more than these professors, to make sure to work hard and actually take the time to seek them out, whether it's for questions or simply to say hello!
Be You.
College is not high school. You are surrounded by adults who are (hopefully) after the same thing you are — a degree. At this point, if you want to be the one who's answering questions all the time in lecture, go ahead. Odds are, someone around you will silently thank you because if you hadn't raised your hand, the professor would've called on someone randomly. If you have a passion for something and find out that there's a club on campus for it, sign up and go to a meeting! If you're genuinely curious about college parties, go to one. Whether you like it or not will be all up to you, and if you make mistakes, fine. Learn from them and move on.
College is a place where you will build yourself up academically and socially for your future. Why waste that time hiding who you really are? Be weird, be determined, and just be you
