For a lot of us, freshman year was at least two or three years ago and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with graduation finally in sight. However, we are also learning that junior and senior year consists of endless exams, homework, and classes that actually require good attendance. So, for some of us, it can be hard to take pity on some freshmen when they complain about how hard their first or second semester has been and how much work their classes have been so far.
But something to keep in mind is that we have all been there, so instead of telling these people that freshman year isn't actually that hard, we need to lift them up. Everyone's first semester at college can be difficult, especially since there is some accumulation involved with students that have moved away from home or are dealing with bad roommates or struggling with being an undecided major and not being able to figure out what they want to do in life.
By the time people have reached their junior and senior year, they have been living away from home for a while now, so it isn't even something that you think about anymore, and instead, you are focusing on your rigid syllabuses and long-answer exams.
Another thing that upperclassmen need to consider is the fact that even though you can use the excuse that freshmen are just taking their general education classes, that is not true for all freshman. More and more freshman are coming into their first years with high amounts of college credit from high school, and some even have their first two years completed when they start at UCF. That means that many freshmen are already deeply involved with the classes for their major and may already be doing the same thing that other students are doing when they are juniors and seniors.
The main message of this is that we need to be supporting our freshmen instead of trying to tear into their confidence, especially if they are one of the ones that are already in the classes that they need for their major or are the ones that are taking upwards of 15 credit hours or more.
By telling freshman that their lives aren't that hard yet is just going to make them less likely to reach out to people if they need help or are struggling, and it isn't really your place to say whether or not their lives are actually that hard. Everyone has their weeks when they have an exam due every day and a 10-page paper at the end of the week. At least try to hold a little bit of sympathy for other people, especially if they feel comfortable enough to open up and talk to you about how their classes are going at that moment in time.
