Congrats to all of you who have been accepted into GMU! It is the end of my Freshman year and I have had a lot of ups and downs, teaching me a lot. Based off of my experience, here is some advice for the class of 2020…
1. Communication is everything. You’re going to want to talk to your professors to build relationships for the future. If you ever plan on studying abroad or getting jobs or internships you will need letters of recommendation – better start getting to know your professors. If you have a roommate(s) I promise you your life will be much easier if you talk to them. Unless you’re a sparkly vampire with mind-reading capabilities, you won’t know their thoughts and they sure as heck won’t know yours.
2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It can be really tempting to dive straight into school and take as many classes as you can, and join multiple clubs and organizations and get a job and, and, and… pace yourself. Take your time. Just stop and take a deep breath. You have four years and I encourage you to push yourself and get involved… just don’t get overwhelmed. Maybe wait to get that job in the spring semester, join one club/organization to start with and build up from there.
3. Take advantage of the programs and resources your tuition covers. I don’t think people realize how many programs and resources there are to help them. GMU has a lot of offices that were created to help people, and few people take advantage of them. Most of these programs are covered by your tuition so take advantage of them. Specifically the ones I think are the most helpful are CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services), ODIME (Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education), SHS (Student Health Services), WAVES (Wellness, Alcohol, and Violence Education Services), Student Involvement and LGBTQ Resources (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning Resources). I’ve gone to many of these offices and they’ve helped me a great deal. There’s an office for almost everything. There are also three gyms and two pools (+ a sauna and hot tub!) that you can take advantage of. And at the gyms they offer a variety of free classes (my favorites are Boot Camp, Zumba, and Indoor Cycling/Spin).
4. Schedule your days out. You don’t need to be crazy about this but set goals for every day and now what you need to get done and what you want to get done. I’d say don’t procrastinate but you’re going to do it anyways (I’m procrastinating on writing two papers right now by writing this). By setting goals for yourself and helping to plan your days out you are less likely to burn out. In the beginning of the fall semester they’ll be giving out free planners (if you don’t find the people handing them out head over to the Hub where the office of Student Involvement is located, they’ll hook you up).
5. If you do decide to party, know your limits. A lot of the hype surrounding coming to college is the party scene. GMU isn’t a big party school but there’s always going to be someone hosting a party somewhere. Safety should always be your priority when going out, especially if there’s alcohol involved. Know your limits and know when to say when. I know people who have blacked out and have had to be carried back to their rooms with no recollection of what happened. Know when to say no. You should also know that you don’t have to drink to have fun and there are actually a lot of alcohol-free activities that are fun. You can go clubbing in DC (Ultrbar is a popular club for under 21s), you can go to a party in the JC (several clubs and organizations host alcohol-free parties in the ballroom on the ground floor of the JC [Johnson Center]), movie night with your friends… the possibilities are endless.
6. Get involved. I said before not to get overwhelmed but don’t be a hermit. You’ll be in a new environment with new people, and if you’re a person who deals with anxiety (like me) this can be nerve wracking. Be courageous and get out of your comfort zone. Join clubs and organizations and meet new people. You don’t have to commit to anything, just go to interest meeting and find out what you want to do and who you want to hang out with. You can have multiple groups of friends that belong to different organizations. If you’re living on campus don’t be afraid to hang out in your common room and be friends with your floor mates. My best friends are my floor mates, but I also have friends outside of the floor that fit my other interests. You need to branch out and get involved, otherwise it’ll be hard to really enjoy yourself.
7. If you need help, ask. In high school teachers gave the impression that college professors don’t care. That’s not true, they do care, but they are not your parents. They won’t baby you about every assignment you get. If you need help you’ll have to go to them, and they will do their best to help you. That goes for other things too; you can ask your RA (resident adviser) or RD (resident director) if you live on campus for help. You’ll have an academic adviser who can help you make the best decisions for you academically. They also have counselors at CAPS that can help you if you’re struggling. All you have to do is ask. And I know, as someone who deals with a lot of anxiety, that asking is sometimes the hardest part. You don’t want to ask for help, but if you do it can really help. So be brave and ask for help when you need it.
Hopefully this proved to be somewhat helpful to all of you incoming freshmen, whether you decide to come to GMU or go somewhere else. This has been a wonderful year for me and I am excited for summer. I’ll see you all in the fall, have a fabulous summer!
Picture credits:
http://www.phantompilots.com/attachments/stop-hammer-time-o-gif.45839/
http://45.media.tumblr.com/48679d04ad7dab6953e867353a7f7f94/tumblr_n3p2l…