School starts soon. For me and the rest of the University of South Florida, it starts August 24th.
Whether you are a freshman or a super senior, you all are going to be doing something new in the next week. You are going to be going into a classroom with a bunch of other people you do not know and hoping and praying the classes you picked out will work for you. You might be looking for something new to do, especially you freshmen who are still getting to know the campus.
I'm a senior now, which I'm still trying to process. It feels like freshman year only started a few months ago, instead of three whole years. So much has happened to me since then and knowing that I only have three semesters left is a little scary to tell you all the truth.
When I came to school all those years ago, I was a scared little freshman just graduated from the only school I'd ever known. I had graduated with a class of 60, over 10 of which I had been together with since pre-K. Yes, I had gone to the same school since pre-K, a "lifer" of 14 years. And even though I can (and will) say I learned a lot from the place I grew up in, I am more indebted to the wonderful people I have met since starting college two years ago.
When people told me that college is where you grow into your own person, where you meet your best friends for life, I didn't really believe them. I mean, I hoped it was true, but I didn't think it was possible. Neither of my parents went to college and my mom had a friend that she had known since childhood. I fully expected to still have close bonds with more than a few of my classmates I grew up with and make a few more by the time I was finished with college.
Two years later, my entire life has changed. I truly believe that I am a better person than I was before I started college. I have met so many people who have made me see life in so many different ways, making me realize how closed off I had been from the world around me. And along the way, these wonderful people have taught me not just about college, but about life.
Be yourself.
Pretty ridiculous, right? It sounds so simple, yet if you think about it, it really isn't. The first things you do when you meet people is to try to find ways that you are similar, whether if it is your mutual obsession with Netflix (a given at college) or your deeply abiding love of puppies/kittens/giraffes (or capybaras - don't even get me started on how awesome these creatures are). Don't be tempted to white lie your way into a relationship with someone. If cats aren't for you, don't say you like them! If you think I'm more than a little crazy when I can talk/sing along with all of "White Christmas" even though I only see it once a year on Christmas Eve, say so (I'll agree with you; I still don't know how I do it). The people that have had the most impact on me are the people who never accepted anything else but my true self.
Stretch Your Boundaries.
Don't just do what you are comfortable with. If I had done that, I would not still be at USF. I would have decided it was not for me and gone on my merry way. Instead, I joined a sorority and took classes that would challenge me, not just the easiest that would fulfill my Gen Ed requirements. I have added two minors because of those choices. And without my sorority, I would not have had the chance to run and receive leadership positions, something that was not possible for me in high school. The people I have met in classes and in the organizations I am a part of have taught me so much about myself that I would have never known if I had just done what was easy.
Try Something New.
This is kind of the same as stretching your boundaries, but I think this is so important that it needs more explanation. Try something new ALL THE TIME. Don't get stuck in your daily habits. Netflix is not everything, people! Saying that you binge-watched all of OITNB in two or three days, while impressive, is also worrisome. So, make a plan. Plan to do something new every week when you first come to college. Once you start to get busy with clubs and work and classes, make it once or twice a month. I eat at a new restaurant at least once a month and am always searching for the cool new coffee place to try with friends. And don't just try new food, try new everything. I went to a huge free concert in St. Pete this summer and stayed even after it poured. It's something I wouldn't have done two years ago, but it turned out to be one of the coolest things I did this summer. Plus, I got close with a friend I don't get to see often enough!
College is HARD.
People on the outside of the college experience never seem to see how much academics shape our daily lives. I have never forgotten that I came to college to learn and that has always been my number one priority. No matter what people say, college is HARD, no matter what your major. If one more person looks at me and assumes that my English major is not draining me much like my friend's Biology major is draining her, I might slap them upside the head with the any of the 6-10 books assigned to me for just one of my classes. I would never think to judge another's work load or stress because of their major or the classes they are taking because I firmly believe that every single person is working hard. So don't judge the girl/boy next to you in line at Starbucks because they are stressing about a final in their Public Speaking class (for example). That might be their hardest class because they are seriously afraid of speaking in front of people and took the class to help with this because they want to be a lawyer.
Take Breaks.
One day you will break down. It's a fact of life. I lost my favorite ring some time in the spring and couldn't go to my next class because of how upset I was. I hadn't given myself any time to calm down and work through all of the stress that had been building up that semester, and losing that ring was the final straw. What I've learned from this is that I need a break every once in a while. No matter what is going on, I need time to sit and figure out what is going on in my life that is stressing me out and figure out a plan. In other words, don't go to bed stressed! Sleep is so much better when you have a plan for the next day/week/month. Also, take a break from the life around you, even if it is only for an hour. Take time to be by yourself or with your close friends, talking about everything and anything. I have a rule with one friend that when we go out to eat, there is no talk of any drama that is going on.
I'm sure there are many other topics that I could go on and on about, but these four subjects are what I see as what everyone should start with. I hope you all have a wonderful first day of school, whenever that happens for you!
