This year I will be a senior. I'm coming to the end of my college career and, though it doesn't give me much authority to tell others what they should do, through my multitude of mistakes I know what incoming freshmen should never do. Here is some of advice from a wizened senior who is just as frightened of the future as many of you are.
1. Just because you woke up at 7 a.m. growing up doesn't mean you should take an 8 a.m. class.
Don't ask me to explain this one. In my book it is one of the unexplainable mysteries of the universe. Maybe it's the independence or the lack of a living alarm clock in the form of a parent who doesn't have a snooze button, but after the first couple of weeks your 8 o'clock classes will feel like a death sentence. Take this from the guy who, first semester, had a two hour Biology lab early in the morning.
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2. You don't have to make friends.
Now, this doesn't mean don't make friends, but many adults and teachers perpetuate the myth that these people will be your friends for the rest of your life, putting a lot of stress on an already stressful situation. So let me be one person telling you it is OK to not make lifelong friends your first year of college. I have very few friends that stuck around from those initial first months and even the ones that weathered the storm had there low points.
3. The drama is OK.
I know you probably won't follow my last tip, and make a ton of "friends" from around the dorm and your classes. This is to be expected. You are all in a very similar place in your life and you will latch on to each other like otters joining arms trying to keep from floating away into the great unknown, but there will be drama. You will think that you left it all behind in High School, but get this much confusion in one place and there will be gossip and fights.
4. Speak your mind.
Do it just because you can. Now, don't be a jerk and don't aim it at anyone in particular, but it's good to have opinions and now is as good a time as any to share them. It may actually help find groups of like-minded people. Be responsible and smart, but in college you can be as loud as you want.
5. Find people who think differently.
As people are sharing their beliefs and opinions, it is nice to have a few that think the same way as you do, but get out there as well. Trying something new is a lot easier when there is someone completely different from you bringing their insight into your life. It expands your thinking and your perceptions of self and what you want in your future.
Freshman year is a time full of confusion, drama, and mistakes, accept it. Don't let a missed class or a subpar grade get you down, just learn from it. That is truly the only important part. Yeah there will be days that you are extremely depressed and feel like dropping out, or that you feel like you are completely failing, but it is all ok, even necessary to become the person that will be successful on the other side of it.
