In a few weeks, thousands of incoming freshman will be packing up their parent’s SUVs with everything from their shiny new laptops (graduation gift, obviously) to enough photographs to plaster all four walls of any dorm room in Reid Hall. College is seen as a new beginning for many of these students, but there are few things more intimidating than leaving your hometown and heading for somewhere unfamiliar.
Whether you have bitten off all your nails, stressing out about the approaching move-in day, or already have your bedroom in boxes ready to be transported to your future dorm room, it helps to know what to expect as an incoming freshman at the U of A. Here is a guide for the freshman who are getting ready to head toward the Razorback city.
1. Move-in day will be a whirl-wind. Looking back, it seems as if one moment you are trying as hard as you can to shove the entire contents of your bedroom into the back of your car, and then the next thing you know, you and your roommate are getting ice cream at 12:00 a.m. and getting to know each other better. It is not generally a relaxing day. The real craziness begins when you actually arrive on campus, and see the entire freshman class, trying to move in all at once. Just expect to spend some of your afternoon waiting in lines. Very long lines. Once you are unpacked, saying good-bye to your parents can be harder than initially expected. Just remember that they are just as excited as you are for this opportunity. And of course, you can always Skype them later.
2. All of the craziness of recruitment will be worth it. There’s nothing like diving in head-first. Just as your are recovering from move-in day, so begins the week-long adventure better known as Panhellenic Recruitment. As many already know, Arkansas has an impressive Greek system all around. So good for you for taking the first steps to become a part of it! Even so, there is nothing more intimidating than standing in line outside those gigantic houses, getting ready to enter your first party. Remember to be yourself and relax. They are just as nervous about leaving a good impression as you are. If you stick with the program, and are honest with yourself about where you feel you belong, the process will be painless and you should end up in the best place for you.
3. College homework is different than high school homework. I am sure that many of you were straight A students throughout high school. Even so, coursework at the university level requires a little more effort and will-power than anything the average secondary education threw at us. Not to mention the 500,000+ distractions that we now have to deal with (like freedom, boys, and Netflix). Establishing good study habits early on is vital. Get to know your professors and become involved with organizations that are affiliated with your major. This will keep you passionate about your chosen career path while you trudge through those freshman gen-ed courses. Also, be careful about where you choose to study. Studying in your dorm can be hard because, well, Netflix. Probably better just to pack it up and head to Mullins for the evening.
4. You may be tempted to head home for the weekend. Those first few weeks can be rough. Your new sorority planned four welcome events over the course of the next week AND your English professor has already assigned a 10-page paper, due next Tuesday. You feel like you can’t get a moment to yourself. It can be tempting to get away from all of it for the weekend and have some time at home with your family (Can you say, PERSONAL BATHROOM). But didn’t you just get here?! Freshman year is the time to establish those friendships and explore the place that you just might call home for many semesters to come. Those Saturday game-days may not seem that important now, I mean, there are SO many of them. But this is the time to make those college memories. It’s kind of hard to do that from your hometown. Stick it out for your first few weeks. When you do go home, it will make your mom’s cooking taste even better.
Once you get to campus, you will hear it recited again and again from just about every upper-classmen that you encounter. “Freshman year is the best year!” And it is arguably true. It is a year to meet new people and really put your independence to the test for the first time. With school starting just around the corner, thousands of nervous and excited freshman are getting ready to start the “best” year of college up on the hill.