College is the quintessential time for a fresh start. Entering this new realm of freedom entails leaving behind a very different phase of life. As I reflect on my first semester, one of the most relevant notions I’ve encountered is using the freshman status as an excuse to do or not do certain things, despite someone’s values.

I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. If there’s a time to ~experiment~, this is it. The problem is that first impressions exist, and it’s inevitable that judgments are going to be made about people after spending five months around them. It’s easy to deem someone “too wild” or “the worst” based on a few nights, but let’s be realistic: they’re probably not going to keep that behavior up forever.

I’m convinced the way some people act in their first few months of (relative) independence isn’t entirely indicative of who they are as a person.

Lots of freshmen came to college after years of having an exclusive high school relationship, strict parents, etc. These factors understandably result in an inclination to try out new things, even if it’s not them.

Also equally important, the transition can be more difficult for some than others, and in most cases, you know nothing about these peoples' pasts or what they’re going through that could explain their actions. That girl’s parents across the hall could be going through a brutal divorce for all you know.

Despite anyone’s experiences or lack of, there’s common ground in the fact that it’s still the most freedom we’ve ever been granted and that in and of itself induces the urge to try new things; even if they're sometimes slightly questionable. Personally, I know I want certain things out of my first year that I’ll be totally over by Sophomore year. It’s just an aspect of the growth experience.

I’m not saying that the beginning of college is an excuse to do awful things by any means, but I do think we shouldn’t be as hard on the new people we’ve met or ourselves. This is increasingly challenging when this “crazy” behavior hurts you, but it can also be somewhat comforting just to remind yourself that everyone’s a mess right now.

We’re all trying to figure out who we are and what we want in life, which requires trial and error, so it’s important not to judge a person’s character tooseriously based on such a foreign and turbulent time of our lives. Maybe everyone will figure out what’s working and what’s not when we get back from winter break. Maybe.