Starting last week, a lot of new faces have appeared on campus. I see all of their excitement and anticipation for college experiences to begin and it makes me reminisce about my freshman year. Things have changed so much, but there's a few things I would do differently if I had a chance.
1. Live on campus.
When I was a freshman, I lived at home with my parents. I know some love living at home, but for me, I didn't have the opportunity to really experience on-campus life and time on my own. Later on, I really regretted not having the same crazy memories as everyone else or the experience of a crazy dorm roommate.
2. Don't get involved with boys right away.
When I was in high school, my senior year, I didn't take guys seriously. It was pretty much a light switch when I came to college and I automatically looked for a romantic connection within my first week of college. I think it's important to focus on yourself the first semester or year without having to accommodate another person's wants and needs. That first semester of college is about a huge change in your life that shouldn't have another person influencing it. There's plenty of time to date in college, but it's best to adjust before jumping into the dating pool.
3. Pay attention in class.
I know, I know, it's so hard to pay attention. The classes we have our freshman year, though, are the building blocks of the rest of our education. If that foundation isn't sturdy, it's hard to build anything upon it. I've had to go back so many times and relearn things my sophomore and junior year just from a lack of paying attention in class. If we're there, we might as well take that time to do what that time was intended for.
4. Go out instead of sleep.
I was absolutely horrible about this. I'd make plans, drive home, pass out, wake up at 10 PM and see that everyone was hanging out, but I had slept through it! Freshman year is mainly about making memories, and my lack thereof was because I was too busy catching up on sleep. It's important to be social in college and make some friends, because later on, the course load gets a lot more difficult and studying becomes way more important.
5. Be open to more people outside of my major.
We all sort of group up with other people from our high schools or majors, but I think it'd be cool to have more connections with people outside of those areas. It's always nice having another perspective or another way of doing things. The more diverse our friends are, the more diverse our opinions and views will be.
