I remember it clearly. The sun was brutal. There were people left and right asking me, “Can I help you? What room number?” I was turning bright red from the heat and climbing up to the fourth floor. But still, I couldn’t have been more excited.

Let me start off by saying: freshmen, we current students do not hate you. We envy you. As I look back and see I have two years behind me and one year ahead, I long for the days when I could sit in my dorm room and be perfectly content with the fact that I didn’t have a plan for when I graduated college or that I didn’t know what I wanted to major in at the time. Now, as a junior, the reality of being set loose into the real world is just beyond my line of vision, but I know it’s coming soon.

So here’s a little bit of advice from an upperclassman:

1. Don't worry about making sure you get in the classes you needfor the major you think you might want to declare. Instead, try out new classes and expand your horizons. Who knows? You may fall in love with a class you never considered taking because you didn’t need it for pre-med or political science. And that one new view on a class can send your whole world spinning, so do it early.

2. Leave your door open! Everyone is shy and nervous and unsure of themselves in your dorm. So don’t lock yourself behind a stiff, sturdy (not sound proof — don’t make that mistake) door. You have a much better chance of meeting some of your best friends if you just take a chance and say hi to someone as they pass your room on their way back from the bathroom, heading back to their big, sturdy closed door.

3. If you need help, whether it be in a class or just with life, make use of the resources given to you. You’re not paying all that tuition to be miserable, although you might think you are at that moment. The school wants you to be successful, not to drown in your own tears.

4. Lastly, do not fear the upperclassmen. We are a lot different than your upperclassmen in high school. Quite honestly, we’re all too worried about what lies ahead for us to be concerned with if you’re going down the stairs the wrong way or you crashed a party. Yes, you may get a “Wrong side, freshman” or “Do you even know who’s house this is?” but we will not even remember who you are.

In short, make the most of your freshman year. I didn’t, and I’m regretting it. This is the last chance you have at a truly clean slate, so be the person you want to be. Take risks, don't be afraid to find yourself, and you will be rewarded.

Love,
An Upperclassman