Looking back on my first year if college, I realize how fast it really went. I also keep remembering things I wish I would have known if I were a freshman because your first year is full of complicated situations that you now have to deal with on your own for once. It's easy to idealize your freshman year and think of it as an easy-going or even a scary year, but there are so many more aspects to it than it seems! Here's a list of things I wish I had known my first year of college.
1. Communicate With The People You Live With
I'm an only child so I never had any experience living with people until college. There were probably numerous times where I should have communicated something to my roommates before the situation got worse but I didn't. Communication is key when it comes to living with other people especially since we are all different and have different habits. It's easy to let things slide at first bit just remember that if it bothers you now, it will still bother you later.
2. Join Every Club Possible
If you have the absolute slightest inclination that you might like to sign up for that club, join that organization, or rush, do it. You can always drop out if you don’t like it later on! Trying new clubs and activities is what’s going to make your college experience the most memorable so try everything if you can!
3. Don't Fall For The First Boy That Likes You
There will be those thirsty boys who will try to talk to you right out off the bat, don’t fall for them. You haven’t even met most of the campus yet, let alone you haven’t even met yourself yet. You need to figure out what your life is like on campus by yourself, first, before ever starting something with someone else. Your own identity must come first before you create an identity with someone else.
4. Go Out From Time To Time
One of my biggest regrets when it comes to my first year in college is that I rarely ever went out with friends or tried to go out and meet new people and that really destroyed my social life when I came into my sophomore year. If you have the opportunity to go out and make new friends, do it. You’ll never know unless you try!
5. Don’t Live In The Past, Live For The Future
I think it’s easy to come into your first year of college and try your hardest to keep up the relationships you had with people back home, but the reality of the situation is that if you stay too much in the past, you’ll miss out on what college has to offer you for your future. You’ll meet some of your lifelong friends in college, and, unfortunately, most of the friends you had in grade school might not actually be in you’re wedding one day like you had imagined. Don’t stress about trying to keep people in your life who aren’t meant to be there, rather make room for the people who are.
