First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! You may not feel like you did something significant, but you did! You graduated high school, you moved away from home, and you are furthering your education. You are a rockstar, and I am SO proud of you. At this point, you've been at school for what, a smidgen under two weeks? You may still be adjusting to your roommate(s), and you're probably in denial over all the homework assigned in the first week. Yeah, professors love to handout lots of homework, but don't worry, it'll get easier. As you may have discovered or may still be discovering, moving away from home can be very hard and confusing. I mean, at first it's not, right? By graduation you were practically dying to get away from home and be independent, so the idea of living at school, making your own decisions and choosing when you come back home for the night is amazing! However, I can tell you that while you're still honeymooning over your new independence, the difficult times will hit, and they will hit hard. But that's why I'm here. I want to help you adjust to this new, amazing and sometimes scary adventure called college with some reminders. So, here we go:
1. Find Your Squad.
Find a group of people you feel safe and comfortable with. Sure, classes are important, but friends? They are who you will remember and take with you after graduation. Your roommate can turn from the rando you were placed with on day one, to the only person you would want to stand next to on your wedding day. Take the time to invest in your friends and their lives. What if you and your roommate just don't click? You are cordial with each other, but what if they aren't who you would choose to spend your time with? Well, that's where your squad comes in. You share a room with your roommate but you truly LIVE with your squad. Together, you can do homework until 4am, cry over your breakup, binge watch TV shows, eat your body weight in doughnuts and successfully graduate college.
2. Be Kind.
You may be wondering what this has to do with being a freshman at university, but there are many ways you can choose to not be kind. One thing would be with the caf food. Yes, I know that it isn't always the most glamorous and sometimes it's cold, but it's food! Not only can you have unlimited quantities once you've scanned in, but you also don't have to spend time cooking it or cleaning up after it. That is a major blessing! Yes, the lines can be long, but instead of spending that time complaining about the wait or the quality of the food, use it to meet someone new and be intentional. Who knows, you could be standing next to your new best friend! Another time you could potentially forgo kindness is with sectionals. Your RA has spent time and money to make this hour the best it can be for you. RAs are students too. They have social lives, homework, and TV shows to keep up with just like you do. They want to go to bed early for their 8am too, but sectionals are something they must do. Instead of being unkind and complaining about something you must do, cut your RA some slack and be kind. Encourage them, affirm their dedication to your hall, and love on them because they have chosen to make themselves available to you. It can be hard to be kind sometimes, I completely understand, but we already talked about how you are a rockstar, so I know you can do it!
3. Your Professors are Human too.
I know that sometimes our professors seem like Gandalf does in this picture, but that's not the case. Trust me, our professors did not invest as much time and money in school as they did with the intentions to flunk every student to ever walk into their class. Teachers teach because they love it, and they care about their students; it's not to make your life miserable and it's definitely not for the money. I know it's tempting to resent them when the homework load gets heavy and their deadlines remain firm, but don't. It's not their fault you procrastinated that ten page paper to watch "Grey's Anatomy." You may not have figured this out yet, but your professors actually really care about you, especially at such a small school like Corban. During finals week, Professor Jones hosted his classes for an all-you-can-eat pancake dinner, how awesome is that?! Oh, and Professor Hills? Ya, he really cares about you and would love to sit down and chat about life with you. Build those relationships with them! Try hard in their class, ask questions, do the reading, and stop texting in class. Seriously, stop texting in class; it's rude. The homework is probably stressful now, but midway through the semester your initial shock will be over, and I'm sure you'll start to see what I learned to see in our professors: they love you and want to see you succeed.
4. Get out of Your Comfort Zone and get Involved.
Don't be this little boy. Get involved on campus and at campus wide events. I totally understand needing time alone to recharge, and I too get social anxiety, but some of my favorite memories (and t-shirts) are from Corban events like the Beach Party, which is September 10th by the way! You never know who you could meet, and it's an easy way to get to know your fellow classmates. Also, your voice matters on your campus, whether it's at Corban or not. You matter! Get involved, make yourself known! Apply for student leadership, write for the paper, join a club! It doesn't matter what you do because I know that you will rock wherever you choose to invest yourself in.
And lastly,
5. Don't Lose Sight of Who You Are.
Oh man, if you are anything like me then you are probably struggling with the question, "Who am I?" That's normal! You just graduated high school and are in a completely new environment; it's healthy to question your identity, both who you are, and who you want to become. But, I will say this: don't use your freshman year of college as an opportunity to completely reinvent yourself. You are an amazing human being who brings so much life, joy, and excitement to not only this campus, but to the world as a whole. You have been intentionally designed and perfected by a God who loves you more than you will ever know. You are an amazing human and a fantastic addition to our campus, don't ever lose sight of that. All the quirks and goofy things you do play a role into your uniqueness. Instead of using freshman year as a way to change and reinvent yourself, use it as a way to embrace yourself. This year, I challenge you to remember that you are a total and complete rockstar whom God cherishes.
Welcome to the best four years of your life. I am so looking forward to sharing a campus with you.
