1. Weight Gain
You have obviously heard about the freshman 15, and I am here to tell you that it is real – very real. For me, it was more like the freshman 10. Between the cafeteria with an endless supply of french fries and ice cream to the late night Domino’s pizza orders, you begin to stack on the pounds. All that beer you shot gunned last weekend is definitely not going to go unnoticed.
My advice is packing bigger size clothing – just kidding! Going the gym two or three times a week with friends is not only fun, but it helps to minimize the weight gain.
The late-night snacking was my biggest downfall. Think twice, before you devour that Easy-Mac or Ramen Noodles at 3 a.m. I know that after studying long hours in the night, you can start to build up an appetite. I can’t think of one time I came home from the bar, and I wasn’t hungry.
Rather than ordering Domino’s, try a healthier alternative. Stock up your dorm refrigerator with apples and peanut butter; instead of a jumbo bag of nacho cheese Doritos.
2. Make a friend; Lose a friend
You’re walking into your first college class ever. The butterflies are fluttering in your stomach, while questions are racing through your head. Remember everyone is feeling the same way as you.
Everyone wants to be liked and can’t wait to make a lot of cool friends. During the first couple months, you are going to feel as though you finally have met your best friends, soul mates and your forever friends. But that feeling of forever-ness is definitely going to fade.
You are going to bond with all these new people because you are all going through the same experience. At first, you may feel as though you will be friends until you are old and gray, but life happens. Competition, jealousy or just a difference in personalities might occur. Not every person you met during orientation is going to be your BFF. This happens to the best of us, and it’s OK.
The group of friends you make freshman year doesn’t define you; some will be weeded out. Don’t get me wrong, I have made some great friends during my freshman year. However, there were a few people in the beginning of the semester that I thought were my true friends that are now just a friendly wave when passing by.
My advice is to take your time, and pace yourself. Be aware of red flags, and surround yourself with the people who support you, encourage you and always have your back.
3. College is nothing like high school
I thought high school was the best four years of my life, but then I came to college! High school was great, but college is a new experience filled with freedom and independence. Suddenly you are faced with choices and decisions you never had before, and the consequences only fall on one person: you.
When you didn't go to class in high school you got detention. In college, when you don’t go to class, no one cares! Except maybe your mom, and that’s if you tell her!
You are going to make mistakes and poor decisions. Learn from them and your own experiences as you go. There are going to be times when you are faced with choices, and you are going to be responsible for the outcome.
For example, it’s Cinco de Mayo and all your friends are going out, but you have a calculus test tomorrow – what do you do? Whatever you decide, you will have to live with that decision. Let's just say I didn’t do so well on that calculus test.
4. Spend Money
I can’t even begin to explain where all my money went, but what I can say is that it is all gone! I suspect it was from all those times I ordered a burrito bowl at Chipotle with guacamole (yes, I know it costs extra) to escape the weekly mundane food that awaits me in the cafeteria.
Or perhaps those late night Dunkin Donuts runs, when ordering a large was the only way I was going to make it to class in the morning. I imagine it was finally finding the perfect outfit at the mall for that mixer on Friday. I had to splurge. I mean, I just couldn’t leave it in the store. All I know is this: money goes fast; so fast I hardly know where it went.
My advice is get a job on campus. Not only is working on campus convenient, especially if you dorm, but it is also a great way to make some extra cash. There are so many jobs on campus that most people don’t know about. Now that you have some money, budget and plan the way you are going to spend it.
My suggestion is to designated one night a week to go out and eat, rather than eating out multiple unplanned times. This eliminates the over spending on food. It may require you to decline several invites, but it is your budget! Furthermore, rather than going out to the mall to buy a new outfit for an event, ask your roommates or your floor mates to borrow something of theirs. It may be borrowed, but it is a new outfit for you!
5. Struggle with Time Management
Time management is probably one of the most difficult things about college life. Your mom is not around to nag and remind you to do that five-page paper due tomorrow or study for that huge test on Monday. There's no way to equally balance a social life and academics because more time needs to be dedicated to studying.
I don’t know about you, but my parents aren’t paying for me to get an A+ in socializing. Not only do you need to manage the time you spend for school and fun, but you are going to have to manage the time you spend on each class.
Each class is going to require a certain amount of time, some more than others, and putting in that time and effort is going to get you that 4.0 you promised mom and dad. A well-balanced scholastic schedule reduces stress – the stress that causes over-eating and acne!
My advice is don’t listen to your friends when they say, “You aren’t going to remember the nights you spent studying but the nights that you were out having fun with your friends!” You know what I say to that? “You may not remember the nights you spent studying, but you will remember your grades, especially the C you got when you didn’t study.” Sure, your friends may get pissed when you turn them down, but are they really your friends if they do?
My mom always tells me that maturity is the ability to give up small-term gratification for long-term gratification. Sure a night of partying is great, but it is over in the morning.
A night of studying will pay off for years to come from keeping your scholarship, to possible internships and eventually to a good paying job! Remember, its work then play. The harder you work, the harder you get to play later!
6. Organization is key
You were up late last night again, studying (did I say studying? I meant cramming) for an exam. The sound of your alarm pierces your ears, and it's time to wake up already. So you hit the snooze button once, twice... The next thing you know you are rushing to get ready so you aren’t late to that test you were studying all night for.
Searching for something to wear and shoveling your books into your bag, you run out the door, apologizing to your roommate who has to deal with the mess until you get out of class (or until the end of the semester).
My advice is not only having a specific spot for everything, but once you are done with it put it back in that spot. Organization is the key component to a less hectic life. Prepare your books the night before, especially if you have a dreaded 8:30 a.m. class the next morning.
In high school, my mom always told me to pick out my outfit for school the night before. As a naïve high school student, I didn’t. Now, I’m advising that you listen to my mom, not like I ever did! Investing in a planner or a calendar is the best way to be the most organized.
This will eliminate forgetting homework assignments or having to do the assignment as you walk to class. Been there, done that. Plan an extra 10 or 15 minutes to tidy up your room. It will pay off big time, and you will not feel so stressed!
Your freshman year is a new and exciting time for adventure and discovery. Not only are you going to find out a lot about yourself, but about the diversity and cultures of other people. Remember, this is your journey.
A journey when you are going to be faced with different struggles than ever before. Rely on others who have been though similar experiences. You are going to make your own mistakes, accept them and learn from them.
Yes, you will make mistakes, but you will also make major accomplishments. That’s what’s freshman year is all about.
