To All of the Freshmen Souls,

If you are a human being, specifically around the late ages of teenage life, you are probably beginning to prepare for the next step in your life journey in college. To all of you, I wish you the best of everything but luck. That’s right, you heard myself correctly: Screw Luck. Freshmen year is going to be a breath of fresh air to the entire bunch of you. The experiences given to you are going to make the handful in high school pale in comparison with what is to come. Friends will be made, days and long nights will be shared and even the the most uptight and stubborn will let loose a little bit in the least. Your first step for college is over and truthfully, that entire process is the hardest part. Whether or not you have been to the orientation at your school yet or not, you are already thirsting for what is to come; even if you are deathly afraid of what that is. From this article you should feel a guarantee of the positivity your college experience is going to give off. However, if you really need some tips and tricks to get by, this is the place to find just a few of those questions that maybe you didn’t get the right answers to on your tours and orientation.

Firstly, college life is going to seem subtler and secure as time goes on. Yes, your school’s undergraduate count may be anywhere from the few thousand to a bolstering 50,000 students but the places, trails and gathering points will clear their way into your brain in just a few days. Secondly, do not spend time in your dorms; ESPECIALLY for the first week. With activities involving the intended introduction between Freshmen to celebrations of Back-to-School such as SUNY Potsdam’s First Saturday in which the entire town becomes a carnival. Next, be sure to maintain that curiosity you had for high school way back when you walked inside those doors as your first round as a Freshman. No matter where you are, there are going to be hundreds of different opportunities, clubs, groups and activities to explore, enjoy and join. Things happen very fast in college, and as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t look around once in a while, you could miss it.” It is up to you to join the sports team of your dreams, the drama club of your choice, or that very unique club that only first came into possibility on your college campus. Finally, cut your parents some slack. Not only have they cradled you for almost two decades, but now they are paying to give you away, and they are paying A LOT. Nothing will be harder for them than seeing you grow up before your eyes. They do not own your dorm room, owe you any cooked meals, or any more rides to your school games, shows and/or friends houses. They are going to cry and if they don’t then I am simply just sorry for you. Show them the love and thanks that they truly deserve and don’t forget to call once in a while; especially more than once simply to procrastinate over finals (THAT IS BEYOND RUDE.)

So that’s the baseline of it. To sum it all up, there is nothing anyone can tell you that will prepare you for your individual college experiences that are just around the corner. In the end, it will be up to you to make your mark on your campus. I have no doubt that whatever experience awaits you, it will be one to love and learn from in many more ways than one. So prepare with whatever and whom ever you need to accompany you and dig in to the sights, smells and fast times ahead at the college life ahead of you!