Your summer job days are winding down, along with your beach days, and you’re anxiously waiting for move-in day. I get it; we all know the feeling, whether you are going to be a freshman or a senior, like myself. But as a freshman, you are the lucky one — you get to experience this all for the first time! Going into college, whether you are going to be a commuter or living on campus, can be very overwhelming, yet very fun as well. Here’s a little advice on how to survive your first semester:

1. Make friends:

Whether it is your roommate, your suitemate, someone down the hall, the person sitting next to you in one of your classes, say hi! There’s a 99.9 percent chance that person is just as nervous as you are and it never hurts to have a friend along on the journey with you. You don’t necessarily need to become best friends with this person, but you never know when you’ll see them around campus, have them in another class with you, etc.

2. Get involved:

You are going to receive this piece of advice from everyone in your life, but I cannot stress it enough -- get involved. Monmouth has so much to offer; you just need to take advantage of it. Whether it is a club in your major/minor, a club that interests you, intramural sports, Greek life, student government, student activities board, etc. The Involvement Fair is within the first few weeks so why not stop by, see what interests you, and go for it. Go to events as well. So many organizations hold free events (where there is free food, sometimes free T-shirts, and you can win prizes), so why not go and check it out? Along with the shows and movies that Monmouth offers to it’s students -- go to them if you feel bored and have “nothing to do,” because I assure you, you will find something to do. As a PLA, I am definitely going to be helping my students get involved because it’s one of the greatest things you can do for yourself, and there are endless opportunities that can come of it.

3. Go to class and do your work:

You are at Monmouth to learn something and get a degree, so do it. Actually attend your classes daily and do your work. You can learn at least one thing in every class you take, and take away so much more than the actual content. You may not like the class or the professor, but a majority of your classes are for your major and you will need to know the information some day, so attend, listen, do your work, and if you’re having a hard time — ask for help! Whether it’s a tutor, a fellow classmate, a professor, do it because it will be so beneficial. If you ever need a place to do your work, go to the library. Monmouth’s library is beautiful and has so many resources for you to use. I am there at least five days a week, so take advantage of it.

4. Take advantage of what is available to you:

Monmouth offers so many resources, so use them! There’s a free gym in the MAC and the Hawk's Den gym attached to Oakwood Hall that you can get into with your student ID. There are so many things that you can get into on campus for free with your student ID, such as sporting events. Go and check out some of Monmouth’s awesome sports teams. Take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and go watch a game of soccer, football, field hockey, etc. and support your fellow Hawks! On the academic side of resources, your professors hold weekly office hours to answer questions about class. Go to them if you have questions - utilize the fact that they have at least an hour blocked off per week and go. Monmouth also offers free writing and tutoring services; you just need to sign up online for them. You’re going to school to earn a degree and learn something so you might as well push to do your best and reach out to any help that you need to do so.

5. Be yourself and have fun!

Each one of you is a beautiful and amazing person with so much to offer, so prove it. Make friends, have fun, get involved. This is the start of a great four years of your life, so make the best of them. You’re not going to remember the nights that you stayed in and watched Netflix or played video games by yourself, or the times that you woke up the first time your alarm went off and had enough time to eat and look presentable for your class. You’re going to remember the times that you had rolled out of bed after snoozing your alarm five times and quickly threw on whatever was clean to speed walk to class because you were having fun, laughing and smiling, making questionable choices, and taking advantage of the opportunities handed to you alongside the great friends you’ve made (…or you were up doing homework in the library til close with your friends, but still - you do not understand the greatness of the good ol’ Guggenheim until you have been there an excessive amount of times till close... and then you hop over to the 24-hour lab (take advantage of both of those!) with that being said -- you can still have an amazing time in the library with your friends doing work, being that feeling of accomplishment when you finish an assignment is like no other).

So with all this being said, Class of 2019, I welcome you to Monmouth University, and offer you the opportunity to take advantage of what is handed to you, run with it, and make the best of your college years!