During my first year at Oregon State University, I experienced a lot of ups and downs, trials and errors, and good times and bad times. Through these experiences, I found a few things to be true about the first year of college. In nine months, I learned quite a bit. Here are nine things to know about the first year of college:
1. It's OK to feel homesick.
I promise you there will be things from home that you miss. From your parents, your friends, home cooking, or even you dog, there will be something that makes your heart long to go back to where you grew up. Know that where you come from will always be waiting for you to come back. Your home will always be your home.
2. The friends you meet as a freshman are your friends forever.
You are going to meet people who impact you like no one you have ever met, and they are going to be the ones that stick. Eventually you will exchange numbers and Snapchats, and you will find that the people you just met are the same people you talk to almost every day when you aren’t with them. Your college friends will see you at your very best, and they will see you at rock bottom. No matter how many times you hit rock bottom, they will love you. And (oh man!) their names and faces will forever be sketched in your mind and heart because even if you don’t want to love them, you will. In the end, you will not be able to picture your life without them.
3. College is hard.
You might stay up all night studying for a test that you thought you were going to ace. When you get your score back, you didn’t do as well as you thought. It’s OK to fail. Please know that even if you fail, you can redeem yourself. One bad grade will not determine your entire future. College is all about adaptation and changing the way you do things until you find a way that works for you. Never give up; you will survive.
4. Dining hall food is pretty awful.
But, you are going to find yourself missing it when move out of the dorms after freshman year. Sure, most of the food is overpriced, greasy, and the same things get pretty boring after a while. But, you’re going to miss sitting down in a booth with your friends to eat breakfast after a long night, or grabbing dinner in the middle of study session. The dining hall can be a time for some pretty amazing conversations.
5. Take pictures.
We take pictures of the things we are afraid of losing. At the end of the year, you are going to find the most random, unplanned, candid pictures and videos of your friends. Looking back on them will make your heart flutter the same way it did the first morning you woke up in your dorm room. Even if someone whines about you taking a picture (or multiple pictures), they are going to want you to send it to them later that day.
6. Going on night adventures with your friends is never a bad idea.
I am lucky enough to go to a school that is only an hour away from the ocean. When college feels like too much and or you begin to doubt yourself, gather up a few of your closest friends, some snacks, and a few blankets to go on an adventure. Late night trips are the perfect time to make lifetime bonds, listen to good music, and do some soul searching.
7. But, don't forget to take some time for yourself.
If you are ever feeling too overwhelmed, stressed, or completely burnt out, take some time for yourself. Nothing productive is going to come out of a burnt out college student. When you start feeling that way, take a nap, watch a movie, go on a run, or drink some coffee. There’s almost nothing a little coffee can’t fix!
8. You are going to make mistakes.
You going to make mistakes, and that is perfectly OK. I was lucky enough to have people who would always be there to pick me up (sometimes literally) when I needed help. Mistakes are one of the best things about being a freshman because everyone expects you to make mistakes. You are going to learn and grow from your mistakes, I promise. You might make the same mistake twice, or maybe even three times, but don’t beat yourself up about it. You will learn with time.
9. It's completely normal to be crazy nervous.
Do not let your nerves get the better of you. The nerves you feel the day you start classes and the week before college are completely normal, and you should use those nerves as motivation. Everyone who has ever been a freshman has been in your place; no one is going to make you feel bad for it. Chances are that everyone else feels the same way you do.
10. Explore your college town.
Living in Corvallis, it doesn't seem like there is a lot to do which is true about a lot of other college towns in the United States. I thought that there was nothing for me to do in my free time, but I found that there was actually more to do than I thought, and all it took to find that out was a little bit of exploration. When you have the time, go out and explore the town you are surrounded by. You might even find some hidden treasures nearby.
11. When all is said and done, you're going to miss it.
There are going to be nights where you and your dorm friends are sitting in the dorm lounge watching Disney movies to relax from the pressure of midterms and finals. There are also going to be nights when you are getting ready to get out of your tiny dorm room with your three best friends. There will be late mornings and early mornings, nights that never end and nights that end too early, and good times and bad times. Every moment you have will give you a rush and a feeling of something new. I have a philosophy that whenever it feels like life is going wrong, I remind myself that the bad times are bad, but the good times are so, so good. You’re going to miss the feelings of the good times you experienced as a freshman because there is truly nothing else like it.
The first year of college is what you make it. In nine months, you can either be bored out of your mind, or be having the time of your life. If you want to make the most out of your first year, take these tips and keep them in the back of your mind. They really can make for a stellar year.
