I cannot believe that it’s November already! I remember when I just moved into Oxy on August 27th, slightly anxious about what was waiting in the future. Up until then, I was busy preparing for the college experience. Now that I’ve finally experienced a couple of months of it, I now find myself swept up in the excitement (seriously!) of choosing my spring schedule in preparation for registration week.
My life is not too chaotic right now, so I have time to reflect upon my time here at Oxy. So now I take a breather to slow down and regurgitate a few accomplishments that I have come to realize I want to attain.
Number 1: Joining at Sorority
First-year ladies are only allowed to rush a sorority in the spring semester. I was slightly bummed when I heard this because I always thought about joining a sorority right away. Regardless of the stereotypes of girls in sororities being fake and overly girly (none of which I believe – it is not good to judge others when you have not even met them!) I was still happy to wait a semester – for adjustment purposes – before I got down to the nitty gritty of the Greek system. I have met a few girls in sororities on campus and they cannot stop talking about how much they love their fellow sisters. Though Greek life at Oxy is not popular, it is still a great way to make friends and connections!
Number 2: Stay Open-Minded
This brings me to another point: stay open-minded. I do not think there is anything worse than to base judgment upon preconceived notions or just by what you see on Facebook. Stalking a profile or hearing gossip from another person is not a strong basis upon which you can start to believe that you know the person at all. In fact, those are just miniscule details to the person that lies within.
I want to go to college in order to broaden my horizons and meet new people. I cannot do that if I am unwilling to take up an opportunity when it presents itself – like taking a chance to check out clubs on campus and/or sororities. So take up the chance to join the student government, the vegan club, or dance production at your school. It would be awesome to look back on what you’ve done and who’ve you met during the process and realize how diverse and interesting your experiences has been.
Number Three: Develop Good Habits
Staying in the library till 1 a.m. is not an ideal situation for me, but it does happen. Knowing that I’ll have to eat in order to stay awake makes me think about the myth of the “Freshmen 15 (or 50, eeeek!). In order for me to have a good first year at college, I cannot forget to stay healthy. Recently, I have been working out with my friends, who are still trying to stay in shape after soccer season. This keeps me on my feet so I do not become lazy. Being lazy not only affects your physical health, but your mental health as well. If I procrastinate and let work pile up, I am not going to be left with free time to go to get involved on campus, sleep, relax, or study. However, I cannot use that free time lying around watching Mad Men (have I mentioned that I’m an absolute fanatic?). Diddy Riese study breaks are tempting…but can be turned into a reward after a fulfilling class or study session.
It is not only important to maintain good health habits, but also good study habits. I considered myself hardworking in high school because I challenged myself with AP and honors classes and graduated in the top 4% of my class. I chuckle when I typed that because my senior year – 2nd semester, oh my goodness – was pretty atrocious. It was a pretty unproductive time in my life. I tried to prepare myself before college because I know that it just will not slide as smoothly. Being honest with what you’re doing wrong and with what works for you will help improve your academic performance.
Image credits: NorthwesternFlipside.com, K12Genie.com