Ah, freshman year. New places, new people, new classes to stress about. Although if you’re anything like me, the classes haven’t been nearly as stressful as the idea of completely starting over. The last time I experienced this much FOMO (fear of missing out) was in eighth grade when all of my friends successfully snuck past security at a Justin Bieber concert. I still remember squinting from the nosebleed seats while they all shoved their way to the front row. From Snapchats to group chats, freshman girls are prone to catching a case of FOMO at anytime and anywhere, so don’t panic when anxiety strikes. We’re all in this together.
1. Game Day FOMO: “I came to Wash U for the Big 10 sports and raging tailgates,” said no one, ever. You knew coming into it that you wouldn’t be getting decked out in red and green and sporting a WUSTL tattoo on your cheek, but you didn’t realize how often you’d be reminded of what you’re missing. Saturdays consist of endless Snapchat My Story updates from your friends at Penn State, Wisco, and Michigan, not to mention Snapchat’s very own “Game Day” live updates (so unnecessary, by the way). It’s rough watching from the sidelines, but try to slap a smile on your face, send a sarcastic “GAME DAYYY” selfie with your complicated-looking homework, and remind yourself that what we may lack in legendary tailgates we make up for in acapella concerts.
2. Group Chat FOMO: So you’ve made a few friends (finally), but you’re not really sure where you stand. You and your five friends have made verbal plans for grabbing dinner and the occasional pregame, but you realize that there’s no official mode of communication between all of you. This is the part where the group chat FOMO comes in. You think you’re part of a pretty consistent crew, but you saw a few of their phones vibrate within 3.5 seconds of each other while yours remained silent, and the first thing that comes to mind is: GROUP CHAT. Suddenly you feel like a psycho girlfriend who keeps track of her boyfriend’s phone activity but you can’t help but think about all the new inside jokes they must have and all the plans you’re gonna have to subtly edge your way into. Try not to stress too much- think about how many group chats you currently have on your phone that you haven’t looked at in three months. Things change! You’ll find your place and you’ll have your own group chat in no time.
3. Dorm Room FOMO: At last, some free time to get comfy on your tempurpedic mattress, eat one of the many snacks you stocked your dorm room with, and watch that episode of The Hills that you’ve been looking forward to all day. For some reason, though, you can’t seem to shake the feeling that sitting in your room alone during the first few weeks of school is not only a sign that you have no one to hang out with, but also that you’re not making the effort to find anyone either. Your mom probably managed to call you in those 30 precious minutes of reality TV drama to ask what you were up to, so naturally you had to lie and say you were just walking out the door on your way to study with some friends. Although it’s totally normal to feel like you should be meeting people every minute of every day, it’s also important to remember that NO ONE enjoys making endless small talk with that girl whose name they can’t remember. So grab that third 100 Calorie Pack and remember that even though you might not be socializing at the moment, at least no one at Wash U hates you as much as everyone hates Spencer Pratt.
4. Social Media FOMO: “Guys I need to look like I’m having fun” – every freshman girl at some point over the last few weeks. According to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, all of your best friends from high school somehow already have a group of friends, a group of guy friends, and awesome parties to attend with said friends. You know your best friend’s Instagram that she made you come up with a punny caption for doesn’t tell the whole story, but you can’t help but envy how much fun she and her seven besties look like they’re having. When social media FOMO strikes, try to remember how many times you’ve maybe accidentally kinda shaken the camera for a blurry “I’m having so much fun I can’t even hold my camera straight for three seconds” look or how often you take pictures with a bunch of people you’re far from best friends with. People are rarely having as great of a time as their cleverly titled Facebook albums would lead you to believe, so stay calm and remember that everyone is going through this awkward transition together.
5. Socal Life FOMO: If you’re a freshman girl with a pulse, you and your roommate probably spent a solid hour debating whether off-campus frats are included in the “no freshmen allowed in frat houses,” after which the two of you, along with your best friend’s camp friend, probably made the trek to the sweaty, overcrowded scene. But now you’re in that awkward stage where you still can’t go to on-campus frat parties, and you’re also not totally sure if you’re welcomed at the off-campus events you keep seeing on Facebook either. Freshmen, meet social life FOMO. You know there are probably going to be some ballsy girls who show up to the bar regardless of whether we’re invited or not, but you’re really not down to awkwardly stand in a corner if it actually is an event for upperclassmen only. So you naturally text your older friend’s sister’s camp friend for advice. She tells you to just go, but your roommate’s cousin’s home friend just told her that it’s probably only going to be older people. Whether you decide on playing it safe or taking a potentially rewarding risk, just remember that you still have four more years ahead of you that I guarantee will be 10 times better and less uncomfortable than your first few nights out as a freshman (but what do I know…I’m just a freshman).