With school starting or have already started, we are either anxious, excited or just wanting it to be over already or any other emotions we may feel. However, many Freshman don't know what their doing, most of the upperclassman not helping. But, out of the spirit of school starting and having once been their, I am out of kindness giving you some good tips for anyone who may need it.
1. It’s OK To Change Your Major
After spending my whole freshman year in a major I hated, I regretted not switching way before in my first semester or at least the spring semester of it instead of my sophomore year. I wish I had the courage to be able to say hey, I don’t like this major, I should switch into what I really want. I wanted to please my family, I didn’t want to disappoint by switching but luckily they we’re fine with it. After switching I become so much more happy and I actually loved college and loving going to classes as they we’re now interesting to me and I felt I had a purpose to go. So please never feel like you can’t, it is also stupid not to switch if you want to considering you or your parent/guardian is paying and it senseless to pay for something that won’t pertain to you.
2. It’s OK To Not Know What You Want
As Americans, we have this misconception that when we go into college we need to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives. With that great pressure on us, we can often times pick a major we think we want but end up hating. We have a stigma that comes with switching majors, like we’re stupid and couldn’t do our previous major or even that we we’re kicked out of the program. While, ya sure, that happens of course, but for people who truly just don’t know what they want to do, it is difficult to want to change for fear of ridicule. But fear not, for those not knowing, it’s ok, I assure you, you can actually go into college undecided despite what people tell you.
3. Attend Class
I know, I know I sound like your mother nagging you, but trust me from a fellow student you truly want to go to class. Not only does it show the teacher that you’re serious about the class and your major, but it shows you’re a student who cares for your education and is responsible. Plus, if you attend every class or at least most, half of the time at the end of the semester the teacher might give extra points on your grade, which could boast your grade one letter grade. It not only boasts your grade, you are being rewarded for what you have done, which is great. Also too, if it ups your grade one or more letter grades, it makes up for any bad grades you had during the semester for whatever reason.
4. Do Your Homework
Again, I’m sorry I sound like your mother, I try not to nag, but if you want to do well in college and graduate on time do your work. Don’t slack off, even if it is a easy class, trust me you won’t regret it. You will only get what you want out of it by putting what you want into it.
5. Get Involved
While, I am just now getting involved as a junior, I regret taking so long to do so, I wish I had started as a freshman. It is important to get involved somehow, weather through sports, clubs or volunteering, I think it’s great not only socially but just in every way possible. In studies, it has been shown we are social creatures in nature, so we need the interaction, but not only it is a great way to help our mental illnesses. While a lot of them make us withdrawn, tired, ill or anything else, it is often we stop doing the things we want to do. While we may want to do something, we often don’t as we hold ourselves back by saying we can’t because of our illnesses. But to combat that, we should just go out and do it, it has shown in studies by doing something we want or love, it can help us feel wanted and in turn can make us more happy.
6. Make Connections
This, this is the most important thing out of anything you do other than attending class and doing your work. But it is important to talk to as many people in your major and make friends with them, as well as being friendly with a lot of the teachers in your major. This will help you later in life when trying to get a job, the more connections you get, the more it will help you in the job industry.
7. Have Fun...Not Too Much Though
As much work that goes into college, you should also put into having fun and taking breaks. Doing all work without any breaks or having any fun isn’t a good way to spend your college years. While having friends it’s important to talk to them and go out every once in a while. But also it’s important to be smart about it, even though we’ve all heard the spiel about it, it’s like ugh another person talking about it, it’s important.
