As the school year is about to start, I've been reminiscing on my first year as a college student. My freshman year was full of ups and downs. I made friends, and I lost friends. All-in-all, though, I learned a lot. Here are 14 things I learned and that you should expect out of freshman year:
1. Your first-week friends will more than likely not stay your first-year friends or even your first-month friends.
I learned this quickly. As soon as you get to school, you latch on to the first five people you meet, and suddenly you have the “coolest friend group” and you’re just loving life. Well, after the first week, those five people start to find their own five people. All of a sudden, if you’re like me, you will be left wondering where your super awesome friend group went. But it’s OK that these first-week friends aren’t your college friends. They got you through the first week of college, arguably the most awkward week in the history of awkward.
2. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous.
The best memories are made at 1 a.m. or later when the laughing is uncontrollable and the people are real. There’s something about sitting on top of a billboard or on top of a mountain that makes you bare your soul to whoever is sitting next to you. And yes, going to Insomnia Cookies at 2 a.m. is ALWAYS a good idea (unless you have a huge test tomorrow; then, trust me, it’s really not a good idea).
3. You will question your major more than once.
Freshman year, you come in all bright-eyed and hopeful until after you take that first test in biology and the professor slaps a nasty 68 test grade in front of you. Suddenly you doubt every reason you chose to study [insert major here]. The nights when all of your friends are sleeping or out having fun and you have to miss out because you have a test in two weeks and if you don’t study now, you'll fail (which is totally true), you will question your major. Take heart, it just gets harder. But you learn to adapt, and you will learn how to study for it and how to apply it to where it’s not just memory, but knowledge. OR you will change your major, and that’s OK, too, because it's freshman year, and you can do that.
4. It’s OK not to be best friends with your roommate.
You’ve probably heard this, and it is so true. If you and your roommate are best friends, good for you, but if you’re not, it’s OK. I personally think it’s easier not to be best friends. When you get frustrated with your roommate, it does absolutely nothing to your best friendship, and when you need to get away from your roommate and your room, you have a separate best friend to go to. I wasn’t best friends with my freshman roommate, but we were friends and that’s OK.
5. The struggle for money is very real. #brokelife
You’ve saved up all summer for college, and you think you’re good to go for the whole year. You think you’ll be able to manage on some sort of budget. LIES. It can be done, but the doing is so much harder than the saying. In college, specifically freshman year, you will want to experience everything. When your friend says, “Hey, let's go to this concert,” you’ll want to go because why not? Well, you’ll end up broke. That’s why not. Be adventurous and be spontaneous, but make it cheap. You’ll be grateful in the long run.
6. You have to learn to love eating pizza. For every meal.
Samford students, this is specifically for you. The caf is no joke with their very consistent serving of noodles and cornbread. But that pizza is great. It has been the only thing I have eaten both lunch and dinner some days. If they’d serve it for breakfast, I’d eat it then, too. Eventually the caf just seems to get worse as the year goes, but pizza is consistently good. It’s always there for you, so don’t even worry about what you’re going to eat. Just go to the pizza line.
7. There is such a thing as high school drama. Don’t let it follow you to college.
You will get to college and feel like you have “freshman” tattooed across your forehead (probably because you have a lanyard around your neck, an annoyingly eager smile plastered on your face, and you just really care what everyone’s names are). Everyone will know you’re a freshman, and that’s OK because you are one, but don’t let them think you’re mentally still in high school. College is about growing up. Leave the petty high school drama in high school. Don’t bring it to college and try not to surround yourself with people who have forgotten to grow up.
8. You’ll make a ton of friends, but be careful which ones you trust.
Friends are good. They are very good, actually. However, be careful. Know which ones you share your life and your secrets with and which ones are for hanging out with around campus. Not everyone follows the rule of “don’t tell anyone” and not everyone cares that you trusted them with that reputation-ruining secret. Those who do care are the ones you do life with. They’re the ones that you go on long late-night drives with, not saying a word but knowing that they completely understand how you are feeling. It’s important to have both types of friends, but know that the “fun friends” don’t last and the life friends do — so hold on to them.
9. The after-dinner meal isn’t always a good idea.
It's 9 p.m., and you ate a measly meal in the caf about 2 hours before. You’re starving, so naturally, Taco Bell or Sonic is the best decision because you just can’t go to bed hungry. That’s true; you don’t need to. Sometimes the after-dinner meal is a good idea, but not always. Don’t rely on that fourth meal because ya know #brokelife will hit ya when you least expect it. Either eat more in the caf or have snacks in your room (they are a good investment).
10. You’ll probably regret getting the BOGO Krispie Kreme donuts.
Wherever you go to school, I hope you have a Krispy Kreme close by. They’ve always got some kind of deal going on, whether it's "dress up like a pirate, and we’ll give free donuts" or "buy one dozen, get the other free." That sounds like a great idea, but once you get back to campus, you realize you now have 24 donuts and only one of you. Don’t let the regret of buying that or the fear of gaining the freshman 15 set in. Instead, take this as an opportunity to make friends. Everyone loves donuts. Or if you’re really just feeling it, go at it and just be sure to walk a little extra around campus the next day.
11. Heartbreak is a part of life.
This is the hardest part. Heartbreak is something none of us want to experience, but we have to anyway. Whether it’s felt because of a friend or because of that really hot guy/girl you thought would be in your life forever. News flash: It is very unlikely that the guy/girl you’re mad crushing on freshman year will be your soulmate (not saying it’s not possible), but you know what? That’s OK. It’s OK to fall for them despite knowing it might not last because heartbreak creates growth. It hurts and sometimes feels too much to bear, but you will get through it and be better in the end. So, don’t let the fear of heartbreak keep you from loving.
12. Independence is addicting.
Freshmen year allows you to feel independence for the first time. It is sweet. In my case, you are four hours away from home and you feel like you could rule the world. It’s addicting. When you come home for breaks, it is so hard to get back in the swing of letting your parents know where you are and what time you’re coming home — that’s normal. Independence makes you grow up, but don’t forget that you’re still your daddy or your momma’s little guy/girl. Let the independence you’ve been given turn into maturity, not disrespect.
13. Freshman year is all about trial and error.
Nobody knows the right way to do freshman year. Everyone is different, every school is different, and every experience is different. That’s the great thing about freshman year: You get to figure it out. You start to really learn who you are and who you are not. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but don’t let them be made in vain. LEARN FROM THEM. Try and fail, but always try again.
14. Freshman year can be the hardest but the best year of your life.
I have had to make some of the hardest decisions, feel some of the deepest emotions, and do some of the most difficult things. But all-in-all, it was the best year to date. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I am proud of how I lived my freshman year, and that’s all I can ask for. So, however you live your freshman year, or any year for that matter, walk away from it proud.
