As I have seen freshman join the cross-country team and a few people close to me from home enter the freshman year of college I have been forced to remember the dreaded start of my freshman year and how completely terrified I was. Looking back on it I cannot believe how scared I was. Some of these fears were warranted, but most of them were a waste of my time and energy and if I can offer any advice to freshman entering college this year or in the future here it goes!
To begin, you are definitely not the only one that is scared because they are convinced they will never make any new friends. The main criterion for deciding where I was going to college was that no one from my high school could be going there, and when I walked onto a campus over 400 miles away from home where I knew absolutely no one, I immediately regretted that decision. Three years later, however, I can honestly say that was one of the best decisions I ever made. This forced me out of my comfort zone and ensured that I met many new people, and I promise many of these people I met feared they would not make any friends either. Even if you are attending college 10 miles from your high school you are probably terrified that you may not be able to make any new friends. I promise you 99% of the freshmen you come into contact with feel the same way! You will make friends. You will make amazing friends! You will even make better friends than those you had in high school! These will be the friends that talk you off of a cliff when you find out you have three finals on the same day. Who do not judge you when you cry after not doing as well as you wanted to on a test or paper. To be honest your friends at college will see you at your absolute worst and will love you just the same!
Also, the classes are not that different from those you took in high school. You will be fine. You may be convinced, like I was, that you are going to fail every class and never be able to get a job one day. But you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that most of your classes are not that different from high school. One main difference, however, is how closely your professors will stick to their syllabus. In high school, they were often handed out, but teachers seemed to never stick to them. But in college, those syllabi are your lifeline. There will be assignments due on there that you did not discuss in class, and you do not want to be one of the students that has no clue what is going on when everyone else is handing in assignments. Stick to the syllabus and avoid procrastination and you will be fine! In addition to classes make sure to fit in some time to work out and exercise. Trust me. You will feel so much better! Whether you regularly work out or not starting an exercise plan including lifting, running, spinning, or swimming are great ways to spend your extra time. It is a great way to decompress and calm down and it will benefit you in the long run as well!
All in all, college is a definite change from high school. You are on your own to make some very important decisions and that can be a little frightening. But as your college career continues you will become more accustomed to the your college and how to succeed there. Freshman year will probably be the most difficult year you face, as you attempt to find friends, figure out what you want to study, and figure out a schedule that allows you to fit everything in! But do not worry, you will figure it out and before you know it you will never want to leave!
