To most, freshman year is about experiencing new things and learning to grow as an individual. Throughout freshman year there will be experiences that one may find thrilling, and there will be experiences that one might not be as proud of.
Starting college can be overwhelming and extremely nerve wracking. With that being said, all incoming freshmen (male or female) deserve the opportunity to be given some insight on the things they should do and should not do during their freshman year from someone who wishes they had been warned.
What you should do:
1. Go to class everyday.
Living on your own for the first time is a huge transition. Not having a parent there to make sure you are up every morning and going to class makes it slightly more difficult to get up on time. This also means that no one will be there to give you a time to be home or to complain when you are out drinking all night. Learning how to balance social and academic life as a freshman is exactly what your entire freshman year will consist of. The sooner you figure out a happy medium of the two the better. Going to class in college is not an option - it’s a necessity.
2. Go Greek – Get involved.
Getting involved on campus and inside the community can be one of the most rewarding decisions you make. Not to be biased, but I believe that going Greek is the best way to get involved on campus. When you join Greek life you make a life-long commitment. During the rush process you will make new friends that are likely to not join the same chapter as you and if they do congratulations! You are now brothers or sisters forever. Some say, "you're paying for friends", but this isn't true. You're paying for the activities and functions you attend with all of your 60+ brothers or sisters.
3. Go out every chance you get.
No, I do not mean go out every single night. Yes, I do mean go out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Going out is the best way to meet new people. Do you honestly think that girl or boy next to you in your 8:00 AM College Algebra class really wants to get to know you? No one in college wants to talk at 8:00 AM. Now that I've recommended that you go out as often as you can, do not forget the importance of balancing your academics and social life. It sneaks up on you quicker then you realize.
What you shouldn't do:
1. Come to college in a (unhealthy) high school relationship.
No one wants to admit that they are in an unhealthy relationship. I get it. But, if you're dating your high school sweetheart (that lives hours away from you) it probably isn't going to last. Freshman year is the year that you fully experience the "Hook-Up Culture" and it can be mind blowing. For some, their relationships will last the whole year, but for the majority of all other freshman theirs will not make it past the first semester. It is best to end that chapter of your life before you start the best chapter of your life.
2. Get alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol is a hell of a drug and getting alcohol poisoning can happen in the blink of an eye. One minute you'll be downing a fifth of Southern Comfort at a party to a crowd of people chanting you on. Twenty minutes later you'll be face first on the ground, completely unconscious. In your drunken state you might find it funny, but to everyone around you it isn't funny. People die from alcohol poisoning. Don't forget that. It can and will happen to you, unless you handle your alcohol responsibly. It happened to me.
3. Don't forget your dreams.
Chances are the reason you are in college is because you have a dream for yourself. We all have dreams that we hope to someday accomplish. The experiences (both good and bad) that you deal with in college are what make us who we are. Losing focus of your dreams in college is easy to do especially if you are hanging out with the wrong people. College is the place where you either make it or break it. It would be disappointing to lose focus of your dream after taking out all of those student loans and putting yourself in debt. Apply yourself and you’ll excel far.
