As a first-generation American college student, there were a lot of things that I didn’t know going into my freshman year at Texas A&M University. I found myself Pinterest-ing, Google-ing, and reading a ton of articles just trying to figure out how I would fit in on a campus of 66,000+ students. I was clinging to any advice that I could get my hands on. Once I made it to college and got into the swing of things, however, I realized that like anything else, learning how to navigate away from your parents and discovering your independence takes time but isn’t as hard as you think. Here are some lessons that I learned during my Freshman year of college:
1. You don't need that much...
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This goes for just about everything. School supplies, your meal plan, clothes, etc. The only thing that you’ll need more than you already have is money. Most of your homework is online and so are a lot of your assignments. This means that you don’t need 14 packets of college ruled paper—it’s just too much. Also, you don’t need the biggest meal plan. You eat a lot but definitely a lot less than you think you do.
2. You CAN be OVER-Involved.
A piece of advice that I heard most frequently regarding college is to get involved in anything that I could in order to meet new people. Along with being expensive, organizations do take up time. After a while, you can find yourself over-extended by trying to be involved in too many things and keep up with school work. Don’t make the mistake of paying a club’s dues only to quit attending before midterms. Instead, pick a solid two or three and if you find you have time for more, then, by all means, get more involved!
3. Sacrificing your sleep is sacrificing your sanity.
That one is pretty self-explanatory. It’s always the ones who say they don’t need “that much” sleep that are sleeping before the professor even starts the lecture or falling asleep on the bus or in the dining hall or on the floor of the library. Jokes on you! You do need that much sleep. Your body will not be nice to you if you aren’t nice to it. Respect yourself if you’re tired and get some rest.
4. Testing out your shiny new independence is scary but totally worth it.
It’s a little intimidating living life on your own. But if there’s one thing that’s cool about adult-ing is that when it’s over, you feel like you can conquer the world. A lot of things are really out of your comfort zone at the beginning, but over time you’ll master these things like you’ve done them all your life.
5. Don't be afraid to make new friends.
You aren’t betraying your friends from home by making new ones. You never know what you can learn by meeting new people. This is one of the greatest adventures brought to you by college. No longer are your classmates just from different neighborhoods, but different cities, states, and even countries. Show yourself friendly when you get to your new campus and you’ll attract people like and unlike you and make new friends.
