As you prepare to enter your freshman year of college there are tons of things running through your head, did you pack everything you'll need? What if your dogs forget who you are? What are your parents going to do with your old room? Most importantly, how easy will it be to make new friends. As a a former awkward freshman, and current awkward sophomore I can promise you one thing and one thing only, you're over thinking it.
I remember the week before I moved in I was online stalking all the members of my university's freshman GroupMe. I laid awake at night making sure I had bought everything I needed. I read countless freshman advice articles and post, much like the one you're reading now, in hopes that my nerves would settle and I could walk in calm, cool and collected. I was none of those things when it came time to move in. My parents did the usual parental duties, helping me lug my totes of clothes and shoes (most of which went untouched the entire 9 months may I add), helping
me check in and set up my tv and gaming system (for Netflix, sorry boys I'm not a gamer), and most importantly reminding me that I was entering a new chapter of my life and that it was finally time for me to grow up. My dad also followed by telling me that if I did any damage to my dorm room he refused to pay for it, always keeping it real and killing the moment.
The next biggest event beside the initial move in is welcome weekend. If you only take away one piece of advice from this article, GO TO EVERY WELCOME WEEKEND EVENT! Not only is there free food (something you will soon find out is the defining factor of whether or not you attend a school sponsored event) but it's time set aside for all of the awkward freshman to wobble around and make friends. You don't necessarily have to wobble, but you will have to strike a conversation with others.
It's important to remember that the people you meet in the first few days are not necessarily the people who you will stay friends with all year long. Don't try to change yourself to make friends, don't pretend to be someone you're not and please, do yourself a favor and don't expect everyone to like you. When nervous and scared freshman are put together, the first instinct for some is to find common ground. This could mean anything from finding a group of girls that are all wearing the same shoes and sticking to them or meeting guys who love the Cubs and making them your new bros. It's important to remember that you don't have to limit yourself to a select group of people. Personally, going to a small university it was easy to get to know people with all kinds of interests and all types of views and opinions. Which brings me to my next topic, be open minded.
You will meet people of many different backgrounds so do yourself a favor and get rid of the mentality that you've grown to love that your way is the right way. Trust me when I say there will be people much smarter than you who will crush everything you thought you knew about the world, these same people are the ones who will teach you how to appreciate diversity if you let them.
Lastly, keep in touch. Call your mom, text your grandma, FaceTime your puppy, and don't forget about your friends back home. Although this is a busy and exciting time in your life, you should never forget about all the people who helped you get to where you are today. Good luck freshman, may the odds be ever in your favor.
