Nothing. That’s right, nothing at all. I by no means had a perfect freshman year; I was terrible at time management, my grades were probably lower than they should have been, and I struggled to find myself. But I would not change a thing and here’s why.
Through my many all-nighters and long talks with my parents about getting my life together, I learned more in a single year about myself than I had in my previous 18 years.
The first thing I learned was that I struggled with time management. Up until college, I had always had a very strict, pre-set schedule. All throughout high school I would wake up, go to class, go to practice, then go home and do a little homework before bed. Thinking about it now I was pretty naïve to think I would be able to run on a completely different schedule with perfect ease. I honestly shocked myself with how terrible I actually was with time management.
My first two semesters became a brutal fight with procrastination. I became the queen of all-nighters, at one point pulling multiple a week. I’m not even going to lie it was stupid, and quite unhealthy. My once golden immune system began to weaken as I would it seems like always be sick.
This made me realize that I should probably get my priorities in check, like realizing that maybe it’s okay to skip a workout to sleep or finish that paper I had been putting off. Or even staying in on a Saturday night (gasp!) to catch up on work and sleep. Should I regret multiple nights of procrastination and what should be illegal amounts of caffeine, probably. However, do I? Absolutely not. If I hadn’t spent two semesters struggling, I wouldn’t have realized how truly important it is to have your priorities in check.
Another thing I learned during my first year was how truly important family is. Being an independent child and going to school a short 20 minutes away from home, I figured I would need my family barely at all (sorry Mom and Dad). My first semester I would barely contact my parents, making a phone call or shooting a quick text maybe once every two or so weeks. However, I never realized how much I actually needed my family and how important they are to me. Now I make it a top priority to contact my parents a few times a week, whether that be asking my dad to help me fill out a tax form or just filling them in on my week.
I would by no means say I had a perfect freshman year, but I would not have changed anything about it. I learned through my mistakes and used them to better all aspects of my life. It actually makes me laugh when people say they “regret the entirety of freshman year” as there is absolutely nothing I would change.
