People say that college is the best four years of your life. Well, that's debatable. Now that I am a senior, I think about my time in college and all the lessons I've learned, people I've met, and things that I have experienced and sometimes wonder how I've made it this far (shout-out to Jesus.) If I were to give some advice to incoming freshmen who are excited to start their college journey, I would give them these pieces of advice.
1. Your easiest semester is your first semester and your most dangerous semester.
When you get to college, it's easy to be overwhelmed by all that it has to offer. You meet different people, join different clubs or social groups, and you start to dig into the college experience. I mean, it's college. You're on your own more than likely and it's mind-blowing how different being in college is from being in high school. That's when things become dangerous. The different opportunities that are presented to you can take you away from what you came to college for. They're so many stories about students who partied hard and got their scholarships taken away or got kicked out of school. The crazy thing is that it's so easy to fall into that trap. Look at it this way, freshman year is like a glass of sweet wine. While it tastes good, you can only drink it in doses or it could be hazardous to your health.
2. Office hours are your friend.
Your professors are more likely and will go out of their way to help you if they see you putting in the effort. Even the meanest professors I've had seemed to go out of their way to help me when I went to office hours. Also, don't wait to go to office hours when the sky is falling and the class gets hard. Go the first day that the professor has them available. Introduce yourself and let them know who you are. Ask questions and show that you've put in the work to try to understand the material. It will go a long way when it comes to helping you in that specific class.
3. Get ready to pull an all-nighter, or a few.
I am of the belief that every college student will experience this at least once. Sometimes the workload gets so heavy that it's the only option. I remember during my sophomore year, I stayed up all night writing a 10-page paper. I didn't realize what time it was until I looked up at the television and saw the morning news on. I was shook. And on top of that, it's hard to regain your proper sleeping pattern after that. But I got an A on the paper, so it was worth it.
Lastly, don't compromise for anyone - just be yourself. I don't think this is said enough to students going into college, and for that reason, students hang with people they shouldn't and get into situations in which they shouldn't get into. The cool thing about college, if you stay true to yourself, is that over time, you'll meet the people who you're meant to meet. Don't worry about fitting in, just be who you are, and be who you were created to be.
