This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USC chapter.
Freshman year of college is an exciting time. With such a huge transition, it is pretty easy to lose yourself in the rush of new things. Personally, I spent most of the semester making questionable decisions and pulling “total freshman moves.” I made classic mistakes about boys, booze, and my body. Although these mistakes resulted in some pretty sucky consequences, the process of trial and error gave me some wisdom that I entered my second semester of college with.
1) Just Because A Boy is Nice…Doesn’t Mean He Likes You
This specific issue plagued me for an entire semester. I learned the hard way that even if a guy is super nice to you after hooking up, chances are he is just a nice guy. Of course occasionally a guy will pursue things further than a hook up, but more often than not, the most that will come out of the situation is a short-lived fling and possibly a broken heart. Which leads me to my next point…
2) Some Guys SUCK
Along with the nice guys in college, there are guys who are just THE WORST! After initialy meeting, some guys will just blow you off, and then there are also guys who ghost after hooking up. These guys are the ones that will see you at a party who will give you the awkward chin up and cup raise before turning the opposite direction briskly. The topic of partying brings me to my next point…
3) It Is Ok (And Possible) To Go Out Every Night For A Week
This week is usually called syllabus week, or in any USC case- a standard week. But in all honesty, if you are doing well in school and getting work done, then it is completely ok to go out multiple nights in the row. That being said…
4) You Do Not Need To Drink To Go Out
Sometimes your liver needs a break, and that is ok. No one is going to shove alcohol down your throat or shame you for not drinking. When surrounded by good music and company, the need to drink really does diminish. Not drinking also means fewer calories…which brings me to the topic of weight gain.
5) Freshman 15 Is So Real
If you get a couple months into school and feel like your clothes are snug, it is because they probably are. People joke about the “Freshman 15,” but I can confidently say that it happens to the best of us. With unlimited amounts of high calorie food in the dining halls, a lack of motivation to work out because of Netflix binges, and the extra calories of alcohol, weight gain is too real.
With all things said and done, I would not change my first semester of college for anything. I learned a lot about my values, and myself and although I am still rediscovering the person I wish to be, I am doing so with all the knowledge gained from my mistakes. Discovering one’s self through trial and error is the greatest gift, so thank you college for making it so easy to mess up.