Freshman events are by no means lame! Go to them. Yes, there may be a party going on at an eating club, but head to the freshman function. There is plenty of time to hit the eating clubs. Frosh week is the time of the year that fellow Princetonians will be accessible and open to making friends. Once the work floods in, it’s a whole different story. Make friends early and party later.
You probably won’t be best friends with your roommate. Don’t stress over that. Just be civil. Your roommate is going to be the one to see you when you’re crying in your room, sick in bed, with bed head…. at your worst. Try to establish some level of friendship.
Don’t be the know-it-all. When you act like you know it all…your professor AND classmates are just waiting for you to fail. And when you do and are looking for help…you’re screwed.
Try to stay current with what is going on off of campus. The Orange Bubble is all encompassing and it’s almost “dizzying” to return to the real world to realize that you’ve missed so (politically speaking) much while on campus.
Grade deflation is annoying but don’t sweat it. You aren’t expected to make the straight As you made in high school.
Don’t be afraid of the upperclassmen. We don’t bite.
Don’t rush as a freshman for the sake of a more diverse friend circle.
Don’t feel excluded. The cultural clubs are all extremely welcoming.
Be selective when making friends. Don’t be desperate. You could end up with some crazies.
Remember: you have FOUR years to party and drink. Don’t screw your liver over as a freshman.
Go to office hours, especially when you think you know what you’re doing in class.
Don’t expect to feel at home first semester. Second semester is when you will stop getting lost on campus, finally have a secure friend circle, and have a greater understanding of the Princeton community; that, my dear freshmen, is when you will fall back in love with Princeton.
Choose a major that you love. Not a major that is simply practical.
Don’t stress only about grades. Princeton is the perfect place to network. You don’t only get interviews for your grades. Connections help…a lot.
It’s really easy to lose your happiness in an environment where everyone is striving for perfection (and unable to achieve it). Stay happy. And if nothing good is going on, just remember “I’m a Princeton.”
You’re going to be busy! Make dining hall runs a social event.
Be confident in your decision to attend Princeton! Don’t waste your time wondering “what if I went to Harvard/Duke/Stanford/etc.” You made your decision to come to Princeton for a reason. Find new ones to stay!
Join clubs and get leadership positions from the get go (that will keep you motivated to be an active member).
{Editor’s Note: Speaking of joining clubs, feel free to join Her Campus Princeton!}
I wish I knew that I would get so little sleep during the semester (and over break…and on the weekend). Had I known I would have gotten more sleep the summer prior or I at least would have stuck more tightly to my so called “Planner.” Luckily, this summer, not only has my schedule opened up vastly, but I also made up for lost Zzz’s!
Princeternships and etc are great ways to get the experience needed for summer internships. APPLY! Yes, as freshman you CAN obtain a Princeternship.
Skipping classes at Princeton doesn’t work out…unless you’re a prodigy. If so, sleep your days away. #youguysmakemefeelinadequate Speading of inadequacy, at times you will feel inadequate. Often. Prepare yourself now! It’ll be a lot less of a blow later.
Don’t seek out sympathy on PFML (or on the other PFML). If you have real problems and fake friends, there are plenty of mental health resources on campus.
Just remember that everything will be okay.
Go to the gym. The Freshman 15 is a real (and scary) thing.
Talk to your professors and TAs, you’ll be surprised how interested they are in hearing from you.
Don’t listen to all the noise about the stress or assignments or midterms or whatever else, just do what you want / have to do.
One grade doesn’t matter too much. Calm down.
There’s nothing wrong with not having a boyfriend. In fact, most of us don’t have one.
Don’t rush into anything long-term: major, Greek life, or a relationship.
If you are going to be an engineer, get your stuff together. You have to declare your major as a freshman.
Follow your passion. Follow what you naturally have an inclination to do. If you do this, trust me, it will make your time at Princeton less stressful and more worthwhile :).
Ask upperclassmen for class recommendations, or if you’re feeling shy, read course reviews on SCORE! It’s definitely helpful to hear how others liked a class before taking it. It can help you decide whether or not it would be worth it to take that random class that sounds interesting, or figure out which classes are taught by rock-star professors.
Try and get into the professor’s precept if you can. While some preceptors are awesome, some are most definitely not. However, you can sometimes email the professor to find out which one he or she teaches.
Don’t get sucked into a friend group. It will be tempting to try and create a “family” as soon as you get to college, but freshman year is a time for exploration and for meeting lots and lots of new people.
Try to get some sleep.
My advice is to take full advantage of the resources that the Princeton University campus provides to you. Princeton has a great networking system, including an Alumni Directory link on the Career Services website which can be very helpful when you’re looking for jobs, internships, etc. Also, definitely take a visit to the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. They offer consultations where you can sit down and go over your coursework with a consultant who can help you plan a timetable of how to plan ahead for your assignments. Throughout the school year, the McGraw Center also offers workshops on how to manage stress and also how to prepare for midterms, finals, and your independent work. These are all valuable assets which Princeton offers and ones that can help allow you to meet your academic demands at Princeton in a much more manageable way.
All images were found on Strawberry Posh.