I’m a fairly social person, both back home, and in the few months that I’ve already spent on campus. Coming from a small town I was well aware that the shift from 79 graduating seniors to 6500 incoming freshman would be a bit of a shock. That’s one of the reason I decided to join the Freshman Edge program at UC Berkeley, which is a program that allows rising freshman to come to campus early and begin their studies in the summer before their freshman year. But still, Golden Bear Orientation has left me planted in a sea of incoming freshman who are probably all feeling just as lost as I am.
Being surrounded by so many new people is both exhilarating and exhausting, and while most other freshman are rushing to make friends as quickly as possible I’ve sat back and decided to take my time in selecting who I want to spend the most time with once fall semester really begins. I’m sure this method would cause a lot of stress for some others, but I’m here to explain why I think this will be beneficial for my success in the long run.
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You’ll be your best self when you are centered.
If you really want to form strong bonds and meet potentially life-long friends during orientation week, then you’ll want to put your best, most authentic foot forward. If you are better rested, and relaxed, and you have taken the time to reflect on the kind of person you want to be, then you are bound to make better connections with the hundreds of new people that you will be meeting.
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You Give Yourself A Chance to Be Open.
If you’re constantly exhausted, you’re less likely to be chatty and less likely to have a conversation that could foster a friendship. I don’t know about you, but when I am tired I don’t exactly feel like telling a bunch of brand new people my entire life story. It’s okay to not discuss yourself continuously for eight days, or however long your orientation is, because you’ll get sick of it.
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You’ll Probably Feel A Lot Better, Which Will Help you Retain what you are Learning.
I don’t know about you, but the concept of being around the same people, and constantly interacting from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. everyday for eight days just seems extremely exhausting. The actual action of not being alone for over a week is a bit much. You need time to recoup, and feel up to another event without being completely exhausted. The information that we are being fed during orientation is dense, and it comes at you quickly. You want to be able to use this information, as those whose footsteps we are falling in have found it important.
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You Can Take a Nap.
After you have taken a nap, you’ll feel more energetic, and the events may actually be more fun than they would have been if you had just gone all day without letting your batteries recharge. And with all of the commotion of GBO, you’re likely not getting enough sleep at night. It’s okay to skip a few events in order to prioritize the ones that you believe will be more fun for you.
I know that starting school is scary, and part of that fear is whether or not you’ll feel lonely. It’s important to take care of yourself, and focus on your mental healthy in order to be sure that you’ll be successful. Just remember that taking the time to yourself may actually benefit you, it’s very easy to get burned out, it’s a lot better to not start that burn-out before these classes even start. Good luck, stay safe, and remember that it’s okay to focus on you too. These next four years are about structuring who you will be, use them wisely.