The time is almost here. You are gonna be a freshmen! Oh what a wonderful year of your young life. You will walk on campus looking for your mommy or daddy to hold your hand walking through the hallway, but they won't show up. You need to learn how to adapt to the new college atmosphere and it will take time, but it will come naturally. But, as a college sophomore that just went through that horrifying experience, I can give you some valuable advice that I wish someone would have told me a year ago. Be ready and take some notes.
You will spend a lot of money the next four years. Food, tuition, housing, etc., but one of the most expensive things you will buy are textbooks. Do yourself a favor and rent your books. I repeat, rent your books. Many college kids come into that first day of class with that brand new $300 textbook and soon find out within two weeks that it will never be used… Don't be one of those people. There are many websites out there (I use Chegg; they do a great job and give me great prices) that can help you out. Also, do not rent textbooks until after your first week. Some professors will put the textbook on their syllabus but sometimes not require it, so make sure you wait until you buy the book.
I was told by a wise man to not take 8 a.m. classes. He was definitely right. Do not do this to yourself. Many of you freshmen will think that taking these early classes will "free up the rest of my day." It will, but you will be half dead walking to class and more than likely hit the snooze button when that alarm comes on that morning. This is crucial that you don't take 8 a.m.'s unless you have to. It will single-handedly ruin your semester. Every night, you will dread having to wake up early to go to a 1.5 hour class that will send you to sleep. You will thank me later.
Now, with all the negative things that I've said out of the way, let me lighten this letter a little bit. Make sure you enjoy this first year. It is stressful at times and also a little nerve-racking in the beginning, but it's great to experience all the great things college hands to you. Meet new people, join clubs, try living on campus and fully embrace the college experience. These four years go by very fast and before you know it, you'll be off to the real world with a real big boy job and you will miss the college days. Do yourself a favor and have a little bit of fun.
It's coming soon. The big scary college world is coming at you in full steam. You are gonna be nervous going to that first class when you walk into a classroom with a bunch of random faces, but love it and embrace it. Time goes by so fast and I still can't believe my first year is over. I hope you take my advice to heart and understand how much it will affect your first year. If you listen to what I tell you, that freshmen year will be a breeze. Trust me.
