Dear Freshman (or new four-year college student),
You made it! You graduated high school and got into college! Maybe this college wasn’t your first choice or maybe it was, either way you’re continuing your education at a great place. College is pretty different than high school but it’s amazing and probably will be the four best years of your life.
Now you are away from home, likely for the first time, and have to be super responsible. There are a lot of things you’ll need to remember. Most importantly: do your homework and assignments (on time!), feed yourself and do your laundry. If you can remember those three things, you should be ok. Also remember your student ID card and your room key. It’s kind of important that you don’t lock yourself out of your home… Make sure you remember to feed yourself. Don’t get so caught up in doing schoolwork or extracurriculars that you forget or don’t bother to eat. It’s a terrible habit to form. You need food to give you energy and can really hurt yourself if you don’t eat. Now that doesn’t mean eat your campus’ pizza every day or hit the vending machine every night. Eat real food. Buy some fruit or veggies to have as snacks or back-up food if you miss dining hours. Also remember to do your laundry before you desperately need underwear or socks. If it helps, set some kind of an alarm or reminder at the same time every week so that you get in the habit of doing your laundry and not letting it pile up. Please also know how to do your laundry before you start your first load so you don’t ruin your favorite shirt!
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework you may have. Or you may think that because it’s due at the end of the semester or completely voluntary that you don’t really need to do it. As someone who is a professional procrastinator (especially on my least favorite subjects) DO NOT wait!! Seriously, get it done as it’s assigned so you don’t hate yourself the night before it’s due. I promise it will be worth it. Break larger assignment, like papers or group projects, into smaller bits so that it’s easier to handle and keep progress on. If you are in a group project, do your part! Nobody likes the slacker. If you have a problem with a group member talk to your professor early on about it. Your professor will likely be more reasonable about helping or finding a solution if you alert them early, rather than you waiting until the day the project is due, or even after the due date.
Professors are some of the most amazing people you’re going to meet on campus. Sure, you won’t like every single one you have, but you’ll definitely find some you love. They can teach you things you never were taught in high school (did you know that John Wilkes Booth possibly had a secret wife?) They can connect you to people in your field and help you find internships. If you get to know them well enough, they can write you letters of recommendation for job and internship applications. Remember that they probably don’t want to hand out Ds and Fs so if you’re struggling, let them know. Email them or go to their office hours. Don’t be afraid; they have a ton of experience in helping their students. Or you can even go to another professor if yours doesn’t teach in a way that you learn well. Making sure the professor knows who you are, especially in large classes, can be really helpful. When it comes time for final grades, they may be willing to bump your grade a little if they know that you tried. If you sat in the back of class and never participated, you’ll be just another name in their gradebook with no credentials for getting a grade-bump.
Choose your seat wisely. If you get distracted easily, don’t sit by the door that people walk by all class period. If you can’t see well, don’t sit in the back of class. An unspoken rule of seats in college classes: don’t switch seats. The seat you choose the first day is your seat for the rest of the semester. College kids are weirdly protective of their chosen seats. (I am admittedly one of them. I have sat in the same seat in one classroom for two whole years and refuse to move regardless of what class I am being taught that semester.) People get very upset so just pick a good seat on your first day and stay there. When in class, be smart about what you’re doing. Don’t be that kid sitting in the front row, watching the weekend’s football highlights during lecture. It’s so distracting and it’s rude to the professor. Honestly, if you’re not going to pay attention, don’t bother going to class. Don’t be on your phone either’ professors can catch you more easily than you think and might call you out on it. If it’s too tempting to use your laptop or phone, take notes in a notebook and keep your phone in your backpack where you can’t easily see it. Don’t be the kid that calls out answers or has a smartass answer to things that professor says. It may be funny to you, but it’s super annoying to everyone else. Make sure you get someone’s phone number or email so that if you miss class or don’t understand something, you can just message them and figure it out. You don’t have to be best friends or even talk outside of class but it could be a life-saver t have their contact information.
Speaking of friends, join clubs! That’s my biggest piece of advice for freshmen; join clubs. You will meet new people who like the same things as you (aka an easy gateway to making friends) and get to do things you love or learn new things! I am so thankful that I joined clubs because it led me to some of my best friends today. I’ve gone to really cool places and learned how to do new things because I got myself involved on campus. You don’t have to join everything but try to find one or two clubs or organizations to look into. Most will have an interest meeting at the beginning of the semester to explain who they are and what they do to new students. Even if you aren’t 100% sure about joining, it doesn’t hurt to go to the first meeting (or two) to make up your mind.
Be a good roommate. Pick up after yourself, take out the trash, don’t leave food or trash sitting around for days on end (seriously, people will smell your room before they get to it and that is disgusting). Don’t take super long showers, ask your roommate about their day, don’t blast your music/laptop/TV. If you have a problem with something your roommate does, address it; being passive-aggressive will only worsen the situation. If necessary, get your Resident Assistant involved as a middle-man who can hear both sides of the problem. They’re trained to do that so don’t feel like you’re bothering them with your problem. Your RA is a great resource. They should know a lot about campus and its resources, like counseling or how to open your mailbox. If you end up in an alcohol-related emergency, alert your RA as soon as possible so they can help you. Do not worry about getting yourself or others in trouble, especially if it’s a life or death sort of situation, like alcohol poisoning.
Whether you drink underage or not, be aware of signs of alcohol poisoning or date rape drugs. Be aware of your surroundings outside in the dark or at parties. You can never be too careful. NEVER walk home alone from a party, especially if you have been drinking; it’s not worth the risk of someone hurting you or you hurting yourself. Try to make friends with someone with a car who could come get you. A lot of campus police forces will often give you a lift home without consequences if you call them. Some schools even have groups designated to pick up college students from parties and get them home safely. Be aware of what you’re drinking. Don’t let people get it for you; you need to be sure no one has slipped anything in your drink. Never drink a beverage you put down or left alone for any period of time; it takes half a second to slip something in someone’s drink. Better to be paranoid or overly cautious than fall victim to another person. Go slow when drinking; you may not be aware of how quickly alcohol will hit you and impair you. Better to go slow and be conscious of how you feel than to suddenly lose control. Make sure to drink lots of water and don’t drink on an empty stomach (dehydration and an empty stomach makes alcohol affect you faster). Lastly, drink with people you trust and don’t let anyone force you to drink. People likely will only ask once, just to be polite. Your parents will gladly take the blame if you don’t want to drink and someone is trying to pressure you (“I can’t drink; my parents will stop paying for school if they find out I drank underage”, etc.). please make good decisions and understand the possible consequences.
Get to know the area you’re going to college in. Find a cute little café or shop with unique items. Find a coffee shop to write your papers in or a sports bar to watch your favorite team. Know where the grocery store is. Go out with friends to lunch on the weekend to a local place and not McDonalds for the millionth time in your life. Whether you go to school in the city or the middle of nowhere, explore it; you’ll likely be there for four years and won’t want to spend every second on campus.
Most of all, enjoy college. You only have a few years before you are done so cherish every moment. Create as many (good) memories as possible. These are the days you’ll look back on and remember forever so make friends, do well in school, and have lots of adventures. Make smart choices and surround yourself with good people. Dear freshman, get ready for the time of your life!
Love,
A Senior who wishes she was back where you are
PS Don't forget to call your family! They want to hear from you!
