Two years ago, I was an incoming freshman in college. I have so much to learn, but I also learned a few things during that year.
- Your roommate will not always be your best friend.
Yeah, you should try to get along with your roommate, but that person isn’t always going to be your best friend and do everything together. Not everyone can be Marshall and Ted.
2. You are going to change.
Whether this is changing is the sense of who you are, or what you believe, or your major, you are going to change within your first year of college, and throughout the four years. Your friend group will alter, and the people you want to be around may change too. You should explore new interests and become familiar with yourself.
3. Your high school friends will not stay the same.
This could be extremely sad to some people, but the group you know in high school, will eventually alter to have new friends. Not to say that you will all drift apart and never talk again, but it won’t be the way it was in high school. And this isn’t a bad thing.
4. "I Don’t Know," is a valid answer.
When someone asks you life questions: What is your major? What do you want to do with your life? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? When do you want to get married? Do you want kids? “I don’t know,” is so incredibly okay to answer any of these questions. You are just a freshman. Somehow the world has this idea that 18 year olds have to know everything and have it all together, when in reality, you don’t. This is okay not to know.
5. Freshman 15 is as real as you want it to be.
Gaining weight as a freshman is incredibly real. However, it’s all up to you. With buffet-style food options available, and no mother to tell you to eat vegetables, it’s a danger time for young adults to lose themselves a little bit. Most campuses have a gym available for students, take advantage of that. It’s a great time to learn the balance of eating right and exercising right.
6. Talk to your parents back home.
They are sacrificing a lot for you to have the experience. You have time to call them at night to let them know how you are doing. They can also give great advice!
7. Break-ups suck.
But they are not the end of the world. Dry your eyes, and go to class. Everything will be okay, I promise.
8. Do not put effort into someone who won’t put effort into you.
This is pretty standards for people in general, but you are going to meet so many new people and become friends with a lot of people that it’s not worth getting upset over people who don’t seem that interested.
9. GO TO THE DOCTOR WHEN YOU FEEL SICK.
Do NOT put this off. If I learned anything from my freshmen year, it’s this.
10. Find something that makes you happy, and do it.
I have a book that I didn’t fully enjoy reading, so I ended up painting various pages in it. It’s a nice art book and helps me relax and relief stress.
