Freshman year is always filled with exciting, new adventures. With newfound freedom and a brand new living environment, starting freshman year can be a whirlwind of excitement. Staying up late every night with your friends, midnight adventures and not having to wake up at 6 a.m. anymore are all glorious. But, as a freshman, you will make mistakes because you are not experienced yet. So here are the top 15 mistakes almost every freshman makes their first year at college:
1. Taking 8 a.m. classes
Unless you wake up naturally around 7 a.m., just do not do this to yourself. It is better to end your day an hour later and get an extra hour of sleep than to cause yourself pain by waking up early for that dreaded 8 a.m. class.
2. Partying every weekend
Do not get me wrong, going out with friends and celebrating the long awaited weekend is always great. But, do not let it control your life. It can ruin some of your friendships or relationships if all you are doing is turning up every weekend at a club or frat party.
3. Skipping class
Sure, it is fine to skip class when you have a major test you have to study for or if you are super sick. But do not get into a habit of skipping class all the time. This will be detrimental to your grade because the professor often goes into deeper detail about the lesson and even gives new information that is not in the textbook.
4. Feeling guilty for missing class
On the flip side, do not feel guilty for skipping class if you have a valid reason. Your professor is not going to hate you for missing class and honestly probably won't remember you missed class.
5. Taking an evening class on Friday
Chances are you will be kicking yourself for doing this. You will probably never go to this class because there is so much to do on a Friday night in college. So do yourself a favor and schedule this class at any other time.
6. Waiting to do laundry
This is a huge mistake. You are officially an adult now; take initiative and do your own laundry. Yes, fighting for laundry machines is terrible, but going home every weekend for your mom to do your laundry is just a terrible idea. Make sure to do your laundry every week or every two weeks. Just make sure you do it before you drown in a pile of dirty clothes.
7. Signing up for every single available activity
I was one of these people; I love being busy and being involved. The problem with signing up for every available activity is that you will wear yourself out. The main reason you are at college is to get an education, so make sure you leave time to get good grades.
8. Dressing up every day for class
Dressing up for class is nice; it normally leaves you feeling good about yourself. But do not feel the need and stress to do this every single day. Do not force yourself to wake up extra early just because you feel like you have to wear makeup and curl your hair for class.
9. Comparing yourself
There are going to be loads of different people at your college now. Some of them will not be as bright, but then others will be as smart or smarter than you. It is OK. Do not compare your worth to these people. If you were not good enough to be here then you would not have been accepted.
10. Getting drunk on a Sunday night
Just do not do this. This is a terrible, terrible decision.
11. Buying all the textbooks before the first week
Wait until your first week of class and ask your professors if the textbooks are necessary. Most of the time, it will be cheaper to rent textbooks. Also, do not buy all of your textbooks at the bookstore. Check out Amazon first to try and find it for cheap.
12. Thinking you and your roommate will never fight
This is a pipe dream. Yes, you and your roommate may never get into a who-can-scream-their-point-the-loudest fight, but you will get annoyed or angry at your roommate. It is inevitable because you are sharing a living space with someone, and some people have never done this before. You both are going through a lot of changes, so disagreement is inevitable.
13. Spending all of your money in the first month
This is a huge mistake! Before you go to college, sit down with your parents and make a budget. This will save your butt later on in the semester when you need money to pay for food while you are up late at night studying.
14. Assuming General Education classes are "easy A's"
Do not take these classes for granted. These classes are not all going to be "easy A's," and going into these classes with that attitude with land you with a lower grade than you wanted.
15. Thinking your high school friends will still be your BFF's
It is time to start a new chapter in your life, but you cannot start your new chapter if you keep obsessing over your friends in high school. Sometimes you have to realize that you were only friends with someone because you saw them five days a week.
There are plenty more mistakes you will make as a freshman, but mistakes are what makes memories. No one ends their freshman year without making one mistake or having an interesting experience. So just cut loose, study hard and have fun. These will be the best four years of your life.
