1. Trying new things means meeting more people.
I was so involved in high school from marching band, to class officer positions, to dance classes; the list goes on and on. In college, the opportunities didn’t come to me as easily as they did in high school, and I found myself latching onto my roommate and hall mates every time we left the dorm. I guess I expected I would find friends in my classes just like high school, but that’s not always the case when the majority of classes are lectures filled with three hundred students. You have to look to find people similar to you, and the easiest way to do that is by trying things that you’ve never tried before and sticking with the things you love to do already. I eventually worked up the courage to go to a Collegiate Times meeting, and my very first article I have ever written was published on the front page of the campus newspaper. Talk about a confidence boost. One time my hall mate and I were at a soccer game, when we spontaneously decided we were going to email the coach. He called us in for an interview, and we became videographers for the Virginia Tech Men’s Soccer team my very first semester of college, and that’s not something everyone gets to do. Both of these extracurricular activities just happened to be related to my major and were therefore that much more leverage on my resume in comparison to my peers. On top of that, I enjoyed interviewing people or videotaping soccer games. I became close friends with the cadet I interviewed for my newspaper article, and the soccer boys were always a fun time. In all honesty, I can’t count the amount of people I met solely from the newspaper and working for the soccer team, and that’s not including Greek Life or all of the other things I got involved in this year! So put yourself out there, you might surprise yourself.
2. Get a job.
I know it’s not the first thing you think of when you think college, but you’re going to need more money than you realize, and it’s best to find one at the beginning of the semester before they all get taken. I got paid nnie dollars an hour! It wasn't something I necessarily looked forward to everyday, but I made friends, I made money, and it looks kind of impressive on a resume.
4. Listen to your mom and dad.
As thrilling as it is to be on your own for the first time, it’s so incredibly easy to make a mistake that could ruin the rest of your college experience, and your parents have been there. As hard as it is to believe that they were in your shoes at one point, they were, and they tend to have lots of good advice. When they ask you about your grades, tell the truth and use that to motivate you to keep your grades up, because they can fall so fast if you don’t keep up on them. Second semester that realization slammed me in the chest, because I was on the verge of failing a class for the first time in my life. At the end of the semester, we were given a five percentage point extra credit essay, and the six page article we were supposed to write about was practically written in a different language. I did NOT want to do it. I felt that I wouldn’t get the extra credit points on it because I didn’t know what I was doing. All I had to do was ask my mom for help, and she pushed me to not give up even though I tried to every other day. I ended up getting 4.5 of the 5 possible extra credit points, and I passed the class! So listen to your parents. Call them once a week without getting annoyed, and don’t be afraid to ask them for help whenever you might need it.
5. Don't push God out of your life.
Once you move away, you won’t have your church, and all the familiar faces to turn to on Sunday. It’s easy to feel discouraged to find a new church or some kind of religious campus organization. I made the mistake of bumping God from the top of my list my first semester. I came home from school for winter break and made a decision that my mother didn’t really love, but now every time I look down at my feet, I’m reminded that God is with me, and He has a plan for me and my life. (It's a tattoo... don't do that kids) That break, my mom and I decided that we were going to go to Nicaragua on a mission trip for the third time. Rivas kind of re-fueled the fire in both of us to live with God. Second semester I really started looking for my outlet to God on campus, and I realized that there were a lot more opportunities than I had ever noticed. There was even a bible study in my dorm! Finding friends that have the same beliefs as you is a powerful thing, and you should take advantage of the opportunity as quickly as you can.
