Dear freshmen,
Congratulations, you’ve made it to college. The day you never thought would get here is finally here, and you’re overwhelmed with so many emotions. You feel nervous, anxious, but more than anything you feel excited to start this new chapter of your life. At your graduation ceremony you said goodbye to your friends that you spent 5 days a week with, but what you don’t realize is that you also said goodbye to the person you were throughout high school. Welcome to what will truly be the best years of your life.
I remember moving into my dorm during “Weekend of Welcome.” My mother helped me set up the room where I would spend many nights studying, eating too much junk food and staying up all night laughing with my friends. That weekend was definitely when I realized that going to college was a reality, but what I didn’t realize is how quickly time would go by.
Make sure that what you’re majoring in is what you truly want to do with your life. I’ve seen many of my peers make the mistake of settling with a major just because they will make money or they don’t know what else they would want to do. You can remain undecided for your freshman year and take different classes to see what you truly want to do. It’s hard to know what you want to do with the rest of your life at the young age of 18, so no one will judge you for not being quite sure yet.
College is nothing like high school. No matter what your teachers said to you in high school, they didn’t come close to preparing you for college. No one will remind you to do your homework. It’s very rare that a professor will let you retake a test that you failed. Professors will not be afraid to fail a student that isn’t reaching their full potential. Study hard for your exams and learn to manage your time on your own. Honestly, the biggest difference in college and high school is something that no one warned me of beforehand. You do not have to ask permission to leave to go to the bathroom. Please, save yourself the embarrassment and don’t be that guy/girl.
Make as many friends as you can and don’t worry about them judging you for who you are. In high school there were cliques, but in college no one really has the time or energy to spend judging you. I’ve seen a student walk around campus with a pink unicorn jacket. I’ve seen students walk around with a horse mask and just stare at everyone as they walked by. I’ve seen students dressed in T-Rex costumes just for fun. There are many, many students at SSU that gather in the University Center to play Magic and other games. I’ve seen a student wearing heelys to class and the only thought I had was “that’s a smart guy.” You can be whoever you want to be and everyone will accept you for who you are.
The biggest thing that I can recommend to you is to not miss a single opportunity that comes your way. It’s intimidating, I know, but it’s worth it. Join every club that is offered to you and peaks your interest. You never know what lifelong friends you could make from a sorority or gaming club. When someone asks you to go to Walmart with them in the middle of the night always say yes, that’s how you really get to know the town you are living in. Go to the party that everyone is going to and have the time of your life. We’re in college, where you’re supposed to have fun and learn who you truly are. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with losing a few hours to study for an exam. Memories last a life time and mean much more than your GPA ever will.
They say time flies when you’re having fun and they’re not lying. Your college years will go by faster than you realize and you’ll be a junior in college reminiscing with your friends about how crazy you were your freshman year. You will grow and learn who you are. You will lose friends, gain friends, find the love of your life, travel, and do the best you can to hold tight to the greatest years of your life. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t change a thing, I wish the same to you all of you.
Welcome to college, class of 2020.
