Dear Freshie,
We haven’t met yet, but I already know so much about you! You just finished your senior year of high school and you’re ready to take on the world! You’re excited about college, but you’re also a little terrified. I mean, after all, there are a lot of people here. You look around and it seems like everyone else knows what they are doing so you just try to go with the flow, pretending like everything is all right, when on the inside you’re in a panic.
Let me tell you a secret. That was me four years ago, too. Freshman year is a whirlwind of changes, growing up, maturing and learning.
I want to give you a few tips for starting this college adventure because I want you to have the best experience and get the most out of your four (or more) years here.
1. Don’t lose your excitement.
People can be cruel. All of us upper classmen (2nd semester freshmen and up) see you “newbies” coming from a mile away. And, sadly, most of us are anything but nice to you. We have pushed and fought our way through college so far and your excitement needs to be smothered with our ho-hums and gloomy-gus attitudes. It’s not right. College is exciting; it’s a whole other world from high school and we have no right to stomp on your enthusiasm. You be excited. You have fun buying those textbooks and registering for classes. Be you. Be happy. Be excited. I promise, it’s OK.
2. Please ask for help.
I promise you, it is 100 percent OK to not know exactly what to do, and you can ask us for help. Yes, you may get the eye-roll, the quiet snickers and maybe even the rude rejection, but there are a few of us around that want to help you. So keep asking around until you find us. We’re the ones that smile at you and look you in the eye. We want you to succeed and become comfortable here, too.
3. Get involved.
There’s so much to do at college! I know that once classes start, things get busy. But, there is a way to manage your time (again, this is where number two comes into play) where you can have (almost) the best of both worlds. School comes first — so do your projects, study and put in the effort. But, once that’s done, go make friends, go scream at sporting events, join a club or two and just have fun! Yes, you are here to learn your field of study, but the best memories you’ll have from college will be the ones made with friends.
4. Lastly, be yourself.
This one’s the hard one. Not everyone will love your personality. That’s just life, but keep in mind there are thousands of different people here, you will find people that love you for you. Don’t let someone dictate your personality. You are the only one capable of being you! The funny part is that in four years, you’ll look back and see that you still changed, but not because someone told you to. You just grew up on your own. And that is the only change that is acceptable.
There is a lot to be learned here, but I’ll not scare you with all that stuff. You’ll get to it eventually, and when you do, well, refer to number two as many times as you need to.
Welcome to college,fFreshie (might as well embrace this nickname now. It’s said with love)! I wish you the best on your college adventure.
Best regards,
A caring senior
