Like most other freshmen, when I came to college, I was as clueless as can be. Throughout the year, I started to figure out a thing or two. Now as I am in the home stretch toward summer, I am starting to think I am getting the hang of this whole college thing. Throughout the last two semesters I have learned a lot both in and out of the classroom.
1. Get involved
Everyone always told me before college to get involved in as many organizations and clubs as I could. I have never been much of a club person. I’m more of a sit in my room and binge watch Netflix kind of gal, so I did not think that clubs and organizations would be of any interest to me. However, when an opportunity came knocking, I took the chance. My organization of choice was a sorority. A couple months into the first semester, a girl from my English class introduced me to one of her friends that she thought I would get along with. We got along great. This friend turned out to be in a sorority and she introduced me to it. Having heard negative stereotypes about Greek life, I wasn’t so sure at first. After actually taking time to find out about it, I learned that the sorority was nothing like the stereotypes. I joined this spring and could not be any happier with my decision.
2. You have to balance your social life, homework and work
This is the biggest thing I was told and I totally blew it off. I have always been “responsible” so I figured I had it in the bag. A month or two in and I realized this was not the case. I was spending all my time hanging out with friends, watching Netflix and working. So my grades weren’t looking so hot. Once I realized that, I whipped myself into gear and got my crap together. I quit one of my two jobs, stopped watching so much Netflix and started doing my homework when I got back from classes.
3. You will meet some of your best friends
For me, home is only about an hour away from campus. My friends from high school are still there. However, as more time passes the less we have in common and the more our friendship is based on memories. Most of this is due to the fact that we used to see each other every day and since August I have seen them approximately once every three months. This does not mean I don’t have friends, just that I made new ones. I have become really good friends with my suite mate, whom I have had an expanding friendship with since the day I met her. The sorority friend I mentioned earlier is one of my best friends and we have tons in common. This sounds super cheesy, but the best friend I have made here is my boyfriend. This poor unfortunate soul hears all my problems and all the things I get excited about. Through him, I met other people that I think are amazing. I find that every week my friend group is growing and that is something I never expected to happen in college. You would be surprised by how many mutual friends you can have with other people.
4. Roommates are tricky
The last time I had a roommate, I was like six. It was my little brother and I did not care what he thought of me. So, coming into college I did not really know what to expect. I chatted via Facebook Messenger with my roommate in the months leading up to college. I thought surely we would get along because we had online. We met when we moved in and for the first couple of weeks, things went really good. Then she made new friends, and I made new friends. We realized that while we like each other as people, we were not the best of roommates. Long story short, she decided to move and one of my suite mates became my new roomie. My new roommate has worked out much better. Our personalities click better and we share similar opinions on room-related things. Often you hear of roommate horror stories, but they actually do not occur as often as good roommate stories. I have a lot of friends who are still good friends with their freshman roommate even after many years have passed.
5. It is OK to fail a class
My first semester I dove headfirst into a heavy class load. I was a first semester freshman taking 18 credits. Boy, did I regret it. I totally failed a class -- sorry mom! I did not do any research on my professors ahead of time. Which I know now is something that really needs to be done. I walked in thinking I would do OK. After the first test I figured, “better luck next time!” After the second, I realized I needed to drop the class. Unfortunately, it was too late. I had to take an F, there was no way I could pass the class. I set up an appointment with my advisor who assured me I would be alright if I retook the class with a different professor. I took it again this semester with a different professor and I am looking at getting a decent grade. Phew!
6. I really like hockey
In high school, I was a football cheerleader and my older brother played. I knew I liked football, but I never really cared to watch any other sports. When I came to college, I went to football, volleyball and hockey games. Hockey has easily become my favorite sport to watch. Not to mention that most UND students love hockey for one reason or another. I loved watching the game, seeing the social atmosphere it created and the joy and celebration around campus after a win. If I could not go to a game, I found some way to watch it. I learned that hockey in North Dakota is something almost everyone gets excited about, myself included.
7. Some assignments are awful, but you can only procrastinate for so long
I took English 130, a composition class, last semester. Being it was a composition class, I had to write papers, like an eight page paper. My English teacher (bless her heart) was super relaxed about late assignments. I had turned in a rough draft for said eight page paper on time. I did not want to do that paper, so I put it off as much as possible, until I forgot about it completely. A month after the paper’s due date my instructor kindly asked me to turn it in during the next class. I went to my room, finished it, printed it out and turned it in. Even though I turned it in a month late, I still got a B. This was mostly because I did not take time to spell check it or edit it before handing it in.
