Speaking from a Sophomore’s perspective, Freshman year can be scary. It’s that new beginning all over again. Remember when you started high school and everything seemed so big, you didn’t think you could make it to your next class on time – starting college takes that to a whole new level! I am going to take a trip through my past year (oh God!) and basically be your own personal Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. Yes, that is a poorly photo shopped picture of me as Ned, thanks mom.
My first tip is to get involved. I know, I know this is the most generic tip you’ve heard since heading to college, but I regret not going to more events on campus my freshman year. At Kent State, there are tons of festivals, movies nights, game nights and even karaoke nights. I spent lots of nights and days sitting on my bed binge-watching Netflix when I could have been out meeting new people, learning new things and having a good time. The few events that I participated in brought me closer to my friends and opened up new opportunities for me – and I got some free goodies!
The second tip gears off of the first, if attending events every once in awhile is not your thing join a club! So many people drilled into my brain that becoming a sister at a sorority is the best option when you start at a new college without the advantage of knowing anyone, and if being a part of a sorority is calling your name, all the power to you! I’m here to say that joining a sorority is not the only option. I thought I wanted to be a part of one but eventually decided against it, I wanted to see what my other choices were that were more geared for my major. I found a group called FSO or the Fashion Student Organization. FSO is the biggest fashion club on campus and it really changed my experience with school.
During fall semester I was not involved in anything on campus and attended an event every blue moon. I joined FSO in the spring and instantly felt welcomed. Right away there was multiple opportunities to showcase my talent and who I was. I got to be involved in a thrifted fashion show, I styled a look and also was on the hair and makeup team. I have already been part of one show this year and have two more to look forward too! If fashion is not your major or does not interest you, Kent has around a hundred different specific organizations on campus or you could even create one yourself!
Lastly, If you’re interested in blogging, planning events, social media, public relations, or philanthropy then Her Campus is for you (shameless self plug)! It’s an amazing resume builder and is a smaller organization that will help you build relationships with some strong amazing women!
My last tip is to be yourself and speak up. This goes for when you make friends and in your classes. If you don’t speak up in class you can fall behind – don’t worry about sounding stupid or embarrassing, most likely someone else has the exact same question but is afraid to ask. I am currently in Microeconomics and I’m deathly scared to ask questions in front of a class with 100+ students, but I felt comforted when some students were asking about the same thing I had trouble with. Being 100% yourself can be hard. I can speak on this because in high school I never fully showed who I was. Everyone was so quick to judge if you liked a certain band or show, but when I chose Kent I knew I was going in knowing not a single soul. I admit I was always super shy and I almost did not want to go through with my decision, but I decided I needed to meet new people who appreciated who I was in its entirety. So when I began to meet new people in my classes I did not hold back and I met some of the best people in my life. I currently live with two of my best friends and I don’t need to hide who I am or feel uncomfortable saying or doing certain things.
I hope I could help all my newbies! College is such an exciting journey, and definitely the best four years of your life! You shouldn’t waste them by hiding in your room or hiding yourself. I am becoming the best me I could possibly be and it’s all due to those three things – hopefully they can help you too.