There has been a lot of talk about graduation recently and it has me looking back at my time as a freshman. I had a really hard time adjusting to college life. I missed home, I missed my own space, I was overwhelmed by the amount of work and I felt a little bit lonely on top of all that. There is definitely a learning curve to college. It doesn’t always happen quickly but when it does happen, when you finally find your place, trust me when I say you will love it. So here is my advice to all those soon-to-be freshmen who have no idea what to expect:
1. Get out of your comfort zone.
You’ve probably heard this one before and you’re probably rolling your eyes as you read this… but this is something I wish I had done more. Your RA is probably going to organize events for your floor and you should go. You’ll probably hear about different clubs and organizations that sound interesting to you and you should go. You’ll probably meet someone in a class that seems pretty cool and maybe they’ll invite you to hang out and you should go. Get my point here? Just do these things, make new friends, experience new things! And if you hate it, you can always stop going. That’s the beauty of it.
2. Keep in mind that the people you meet freshman year might just be your friends for life.
One of my favorite humans is someone I met my freshman year. Now we live together in an apartment and are already making plans to travel over the summer. Other people I have met freshman year have also continued to be my closest friends in college, and I can’t imagine that my college experiences would have been the same without them. These people understand you, they get what you’re going through. Make those connections and I promise you won’t regret it.
3. You will change and grow more than you realize – just let it happen.
Looking back, I realize that I have changed so much since my freshman year. I never thought I could change so much in four years, but I have. I feel like I’ve grown into a whole new person during my time in college. I have more confidence in myself, I appreciate the little things more and my priorities have shifted immensely. I think college is the time where you figure out who you really are. I say embrace that time, make your mistakes, learn from them, grow, and better yourself. Now is the time to do it.
4. Don’t regret anything.
It’s easy to look back and regret the things you’ve done. But it’s also easy to look back and regret the things you didn’t do. I would say I am most guilty of this. There are definitely things I wish I had done more of in college. Honestly, I wish I had had more fun at times. I think I put too much pressure on myself to get good grades and study hard (which is important, don’t get me wrong,) but I wish I had found a better balance so that I could’ve gotten all there is to get out of college. There are so many wonderful memories to be had. Trust me, you won’t look back on your time and think, “Man, I wish I had studied more.” So, work hard and go to class, but also find things that excite you and fill your Instagram with memories.
There is so much more I could say but, to end, I would just like to remind any and all incoming freshman to enjoy their time as much as possible. Though it sounds cliche, time really does fly by and before you know it, you’ll be graduating.
So soak in every experience, meet as many people as possible, and make those memories that will last you a lifetime.