"We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained." — Marie Curie
In the days leading up to starting my junior year of college, I can honestly say that there are so many things I wish I could go back and tell my freshman self. I've done a lot and changed a lot since my freshman year, and if I had to do it again, I would have come into college with a little bit of a different game plan. Do I regret any of the decisions I've made in college? Honestly, not really. Have I made mistakes? Oh yeah. A ton. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I want you to really understand and embrace that mindset, freshmen. Because you are here and have made it this far for a purpose, and your victories and your failures are what will turn you into the person you are meant to be. Become who you are meant to be at all costs, and let nothing stand in your way. With that being said, here are five things I wish I'd known coming into college.
1. Be Real With Yourself From Day 1
This is the single most important piece of advice I could give to any incoming freshman. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to pick a major, pick a friend group, a club, or do anything else that is only to please someone else. You need to be real about who you are and what you want during this time, and do not waiver from that in order to please people if it isn't what you want or who you are.
2. Your Friends From Welcome Week Might Not Be Your Ride or Dies
If you meet people the first week of school and they become your lifelong pals, more power to you. However, this is not the case for a lot of us. Don't forget that there are tons of people at your new school and you have a lot of things to try and a lot of people to meet before you find your ride or dies. Make as many friends as possible but don't be exclusive. Don't take people at face value because you're scared of being alone (you aren't going to be alone and you will make friends) and give everyone a chance because they just might surprise you. My best friends are all people I never even expected to come into the picture and now I can't imagine life without them.
3. There Is No Shame In Changing Your Major As Many Times As You Need
This one was hard for me to swallow because I always felt like I needed to have everything figured out before I set foot on campus. I promise you that the majority of you will have a totally different major by the time you graduate and you need to know that this is totally normal and totally ok. I have changed my career path twice since coming to college, but that's what college is all about. The point of being here is to find out what your passion is. There is no timeline for when you have to have your future planned out. You're only 18. Breathe and enjoy the journey, and don't stress yourself out or make rash decisions out of fear or uncertainty.
4. Get Involved In Campus Life Quickly
A lot of people will tell you to take freshman year slowly, and that's what I did. Looking back, I would say that's the time to go in with a bang. Classes get harder, you get more of them, and you have less time for fun the older you get. Get involved with things you're passionate about now so you can get acclimated to the rigor of college early, but also so you know what you can and cannot handle early in the game. It's easier to weed out what you can't handle later on than never getting involved because you waited too late and you have less time to do the things you enjoy.
5. Memories Are More Important Than Grades
This was (and is) still super hard for me to tell myself, but it is so true. Don't get me wrong, your grades still need to be a priority, but it is ok and necessary to have some fun. Either way, I promise you that you will remember the nights you stayed up until the wee hours of the morning laughing with your best friends and going to Cookout at 12 a.m. way more than you'll remember any particular test grade 20 years from now. These are the best times of your life- if that's what you make them. So good luck, freshies. Go out there and rock it, and make the most of the greatest time of your life- so far.
