Dear First Year,
Welcome to Amherst. You’re going to love it here. Whether you already fell head over heels with the Freshman Quad or still need a bit more time to hear wedding bells, you will soon find Amherst to be your second home. As a older (but not necessarily wiser) Amherst student, I want to help ensure your transition to Amherst life is swift and painless. Here are my tips for having a good first year.
1) Talk to your roommate. You don’t have to be best friends, but at least have a mutual understanding. If you didn’t take your roommate contract seriously, you need to set ground rules while you still have the chance. From everything like knocking before entering the room to inviting someone to spend the night, you and your roommate need to agree on what’s best for you. Having a good relationship with your roommate is crucial to your school life when you live on-campus. If you come home to chaos, you have nowhere to recharge after a stressful day.
2) Compliment someone. Think about the last time someone told you that he or she adored your outfit or appreciated your contribution in class. Did it make you smile? What about if someone you didn’t know that well made that same compliment? Did it make you smile wider? A few days ago, I had a conversation with some of my good friends on campus and they told me about how these little compliments brightened their entire week. It’s a wonderful way to introduce yourself to others. They are flattered by your kindness and would love to learn more about you, as you would them. Even better, if you compliment something related to a mutual interest, like a band t-shirt, you can start an even deeper conversation.
3) Join a club. On the topic of meeting people with your similar interests, a club is made for doing just that! It’s a great place to meet upperclassmen who enjoy the same things you do. You may find people to advise you about your major, what classes to take and connect you to others who can help you achieve your goals. Then there is the obvious fact that you get to do things you love. Affinity groups, whether you identify with them or not, are the best! They are always looking for new members and usually have great food. You get to learn about a new culture or immerse yourself in your own. Of course, you can always join Her Campus, we are always looking for new writers and photographers!
4) Use office hours. When you walked into your intro class and noticed that there were over sixty people in the room, you may have wondered how the professor will remember all of you. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there’s a chance that the professor won’t. Office hours evens out the score. It allows for the professor to learn about you, your goals and give tailored advice for you to succeed in the class. You may even meet your future advisor from getting to know the professor on a personal level.
5) Don’t hate on Val…yet. It’s easy to complain about Val, especially with upperclassmen doing it all the time. However, you still have four years of eating Val’s cuisine. If you don’t give Val a chance, then you never will find the joy in their meals. They work hard to ensure that everyone in our school gets something to eat. If you don’t like a dish or favored another, you should tell them! Remember, tip #2? Compliment someone! I’ve actually watched the faces of the chefs light up upon getting a compliment. Val has a little comment box as well as an email where they respond promptly. Also, talk to the staff there. They are students and Amherst residents who work hard and would like to see a friendly,smiling face instead of our grumpy hungered expressions.
6) Find support on campus. Whether you feel best talking to your roommate, your RC, a club member or want help from the Counseling Center, make sure you have someone to talk to about your problems. There’s nothing worse than feeling alone on a small campus. While your family and friends back home can be great to talk to about these things, they can’t help you as well as someone here at Amherst can. We know what you’re going through and want to help you overcome your problems. You just have to tell us you have the problem in the first place.
7) Go to a party. I don’t care if you’re not a party animal, you don’t have to be to enjoy a party here at Amherst. While many clubs throw awesome dance parties like BSU and La Causa, The Amherst Party (TAP) does their best to appeal to those who don’t want to show their moves. They will have catering, games and activities for everyone to enjoy. They are usually centrally located so you and your friends can get their easily. But since freshman are on the freshman quad, location is never an issue for you guys.
8) Enjoy Yourself. As cliche as it sounds, your freshman year is not only when you learn about Amherst but when you learn about yourself. You will find out what you look for in a friend, in a significant other, in a major, in a career and so much more. Take this opportunity when you don’t have to commit to anything and Amherst still wants to impress you. ;) Most importantly, you can’t destroy your freshman year if you think with a leveled head and of course, follow these eight steps to success.
HCxo,
Her Campus Amherst