When I started Emory my freshman year, unlike a lot of people, I felt really ready to take on college. I had lived away from home before and knew how to take care of myself, so how different could college actually be? As a sophomore reflecting on my time spent here thus far and wrapped up in my crazy busy life, I think that my freshman year could have been much better had I gotten some wise words of wisdom towards the beginning and really lived by them. Without further ado, here are a few pieces of advice from me—some are more serious and some are less but, freshman or not, I guarantee you can apply them to your lives.
1. Separate work from the rest of your life!
I think I have to be reminded of this advice most frequently by my friends. At college, it is so difficult sometimes to not be consumed by your work. Unlike any other point in your life, when you are a college student, you have to live where you work, which unfortunately makes separating work from the rest of your life much more difficult. Always remember that, as important as good grades are, you are here for the full college experience. School work just makes up a piece of the larger picture!
2. Get a gym routine or gym buddy!
I really believe that you can get the most out of your college experience when you feel good about yourself. It’s kind of the same idea as the phrase one of my good friends always says: “dress well, test well.” When you dress well, you feel more confident, and that confidence helps you perform better on tests. Although it’s hard to always find the time to dress well in college, working out routinely will often give you that same satisfaction. I’ve found that the best way to make sure you’re getting that workout satisfaction is by finding a gym buddy or committing to a gym routine. Check out the $25 pass at the WoodPEC and try to commit to one or two classes a week with a friend—they have everything from zumba to spin!
3. Always ask for your Highland Bakery smoothie to be made with almond milk!
I think most of us can agree that Highland Bakery is Emory Dining’s greatest gift to this world and, I don’t know about you, but I am there all the time! Like many other people on campus, I’m a huge fan of the smoothies, but one trick I found recently is to try it with almond milk. Not only does it taste sweeter and richer that way, but it also fills you up more and can serve as a whole meal on the go!
4. You have less time to figure out what you want to study than you think you do—be proactive!
Freshman year, the idea of class registration gave me such anxiety, especially since the classes available were so out of my control, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Everyone always tried to calm me down and said, “you have so much time, don’t worry about it,” or “you’ll eventually figure it out.” Granted, yes, I did eventually figure it out, but I still had to do it the hard way. Freshmen, if I could give you any advice about your further academic career paths, I would encourage you to be as proactive as possible in deciding your majors and minors. Be persistent on OPUS to ensure you get the classes you want. Email professors and department heads and ask them about what they research and what they love about their field. The sooner you figure it out, the more academic and job opportunities will come your way in earlier parts of your college careers. That being said, of course do not stress about it!
5. Form real relationships with your TA’s and graduate students.
TAs and graduate students are some of the most helpful and approachable people on Emory’s campus. They are old enough and smart enough to give you grounded, solid advice, but also usually young enough to relate to you and talk to you more like a peer and less like a superior. When you find good ones, take advantage of all that they can give you. Meet them for coffee, ask them for research and internship opportunities, or literally just ask them about their lives! I promise it’ll make your Emory experience even more meaningful.
6. Get out of the Emory bubble!
One of the best things about Emory is that it has so much to offer and so much to do all the time. I love being on campus, but I often get stir crazy in the Emory bubble and I forget that there’s a whole world outside the couple-mile radius of the campus. I try to get off campus at least once a week, and I highly suggest that, as freshmen, you take the time to get out a bit as well. As obvious as it sounds, it’s pretty important to remind yourselves that there’s a real world outside of Emory fantasy land with nature, real people, real restaurants, etc. Atlanta is a wonderful city—go out and spend time in it!
7. Call mom and dad every once in a while.
Finally, chances are you probably wouldn’t even be here without the love and support of your family. I believe the best way to appreciate your college experience is to tell your parents how grateful you are that they are allowing you to have it. Being at Emory is a privilege. This is the one time in your life that you can focus solely on improving and enriching yourself as a person before you have other more pressing responsibilities like paying rent, doing taxes, and keeping up with your future home and family. Your parents want to know that you’re having the best time here and making the most of everything that Emory has to offer—they know how incredible of an experience we are having, and letting them know that we are not taking it for granted is the best gift that we could ever give to them.
With that, I hope you all have some new ideas and inspiration to make the most of your freshman year and your Emory experiences!