It is day one, and you’re an incoming freshman at a big university. You’ve been looking forward to this day all of summer (or maybe longer if you’re a die-hard fan of that college). You’ve registered for classes, bought your books, maybe toured the campus, and you’re ready for the next chapter of your life. Here are some tips to consider during your first day, week, month, or even year in college. Since my first day of college was at Texas A&M, I will use it for reference.
1. If you did something in high school that you truly loved, do it in college!
I loved football, but at 5’9”, 240 pounds, I was not gonna make it against guys over 6’ and 280 pounds of solid muscle. However, my alternative was to try out for the campus choir, and sure enough I made it. Five years later, I still consider it to be one of my greatest choices in college because I made new friends, got to travel to Germany and New York City for awesome performances, and even held a leadership position within the organization. Sadly, grad school is a whole new animal academically, and this forced me to leave with one year left, but I had a great time continuing what made high school bearable for me. Choir boy for life!
2. Don’t be afraid to venture off from your Fish Camp or Impact group.
Fish Camp set the tone for my freshman year by giving me some people to hang out with for at least the first month of college, but after that I got involved with choir and spent less time with my Fish Camp family. That’s okay though! Fish Camp does it job really well by offering incoming students a sneak peek at the adventures ahead, but then it is up to you to venture out and find your niche within your college. Yes, you should still hang out with your camps, but don’t feel like you’re hurting someone’s feelings by finding where you belong at your college. That’s how Fish Camp and Impact work, they give you the sneak peek and then you finish the story.
3. If you don’t know what to major in, choose a subject you excel at.
A lot of students I know chose general studies as their major because they didn’t know what they wanted to do for their career. Honestly, if you are unsure about what you should major in, do like my first tip and select a major you excelled at or had a strong passion for. If you like a certain subject, odds are you will enjoy the classes better because you like the subject overall versus choosing a major for the money aspect. Again, you have four years to figure out what you want to do, but it would be smart to choose a major you know you were good at in high school and expound off of it in your collegiate academic career.
4. Do not be afraid to change your mind on a career path.
They give you four years of college for a good reason: you are highly likely to change your mind about what you want to do in the future unless you’ve been passionate about something for many years. As a freshman, you need to use your first year to explore various subjects and fields to find your best fit option. If you start early, you won’t be like the many graduates who have no clue what they plan to do after they graduate. Instead, you will have a clear idea of what you are good at, have a strong passion for, and know about the career options available for people in your field. However, you need to settle on a field no later than the spring of your sophomore year because you will begin your upper level classes your junior year.
5. Learn to manage your time effectively!
This may be tip number five, but it is imperative that you learn to manage your time as quickly as your mind and heart can do so. Time management saves you from spending hours each night studying for a test coming up and from forgetting to take care of business somewhere else. I recommend a paper planner because you will remember something better if you write it down versus typing it in your phone. Then, while you are waiting for class to start, you can look at your planner and figure out what needs to be done next. Definitely schedule some free time to do what you want so you can let your mind take a break from studying (save Saturdays for football and Sundays for church… and a little football, too). Managing your time wisely is a skill that you will have to develop over time, but it can be learned quickly if you put your mind to it early on in your academic career.
There are many more tips out there, but these are the ones that helped make my college career fun and manageable. You’re here to learn, but you are also here to have fun. You can do both and you apply yourself right. Good luck to all new college students this coming week! I hope your first day (assuming you didn’t start earlier) goes extremely well! Thanks and Gig’ Em!
