Being a freshman isn’t easy. You have to learn a new environment, figure out new styles of teaching and learning, and make friends on a campus of thousands. Now that I’ve gone through one semester, I have to say, I don’t know if being a second semester freshman is much easier.
I will admit that I personally am very proud of my first semester grades. Many people I have talked to, on the other hand, do not quite feel the same way. One second semester goal is to either maintain high marks, or work especially hard to raise your average. If you fall into the latter category, there is no shame in that. It’s very likely that in high school you didn’t have to write that 10-15 page paper you wrote for your history class, or your grade incorporated more than just three tests. If you’re feeling down on yourself, try to look back on when you first started high school. If you’re anything like me, your 14 year old self probably never thought she would grow accustomed to such a big building, or having multiple tests on one day. But hey, you did a good enough job to get yourself into Binghamton. If your barely pubescent self was able to survive freshman year of high school, you can survive anything.
Another big goal for me is about the friends and relationships I’m building on campus. During first semester, I felt like everyone had a “group.” I had friends, but they all have other friends. Of course, everyone else I talked to also felt like everyone had a group but her. This semester, I’m looking for my group. The people who I could go downtown with, or just sit with in C4 night owl for hours. People who will call me up to get dinner, or just lay low in the dorms. On the other hand, I also want to branch out. Currently, I am pledging APO, the community service frat on campus. One major catalyst in this decision was the wide range of people who are in the fraternity. There are people from all different majors, grades, and ethnicities. They are more than just fellow English majors, more than just the wonderful people with whom I attend Shabbat dinner. They are people with different experiences and ideas than me, and that is also what I’m seeking.
Finally, between trying to keep up my grades while pledging and trying to find my place on this crazy campus of ours, I’m looking to just enjoy myself. Everyone tells me that college flies by. Look, I’m already 1/8th done with it. I want to make every second of the next 7/8th counts, even if that means writing Her Campus articles when I should be doing homework. Even if that means waking up at 7:30 for a mandatory pledge breakfast.
Above all, my second semester goal is to make it a semester to remember. Time starts…NOW.