The transition from high school to college is not always easy, and, as it turns out, not everything you learn during that first year is taught in the classroom. These lessons have never showed up on one of my midterms or quizzes, but I’ll carry them with me for life.
1. You aren’t going to find your best friends right away—and that’s not a bad thing.
Think about how long it took you to become friends with the people back home. Valuable friendships take time, so don’t rush it. I didn’t feel completely comfortable at UW, let alone close to the friends I have now until the end of winter quarter and most of spring quarter. I’m still working on making those friendships stronger and I now realize it’s not something I can force but slowly nurture as time goes on.
2. It’s okay to be alone sometimes.
I used to be so scared about walking to class alone or sitting in the dining hall alone. But just because you aren’t constantly surrounded by people doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong or don’t have any friends. The point of college is learning to be independent which entails learning to do things on your own. I’m still working on this but I definitely started to become more comfortable with sitting and eating dinner by myself.
3. Stay in touch with friends from home.
It is super easy to get caught up with the college experience but don’t forget about the people who helped you get to where you are now. There were many times when my friends from home helped me through some of the hardest times of freshman year.
4. Join as many clubs and extracurriculars you can handle with your current course load.
It was the perfect vehicle for to make new friends with similar interests as me and it’s always something to look forward to during a long week of studying and midterms. I was able to join a business fraternity on campus a few weeks into fall quarter and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I have made thus far. I instantly felt more connected to the campus and ended up finding so many close friends through it as the year went on.
5. It’s okay to admit that you’re struggling.
The first few months of freshman year were hell; I missed home and felt like I had no one or nowhere to turn. It took a lot of bravery to admit to myself that I was unhappy here. Thankfully I took things into my own hands and started seeing a counselor on campus. Things didn’t magically get better right away but it did mean that I wanted to be happier here and I was making more of an effort to get there.
6. Ratemyprofessor.com will most definitely become your best friend.
I’m pretty sure I spent more time on this website than on canvas, my.uw, and Instagram combined. And that’s saying a lot for me.
7. Dress appropriately for the weather.
For some reason, on a really rainy day in Seattle (which is…every day), I thought it was a good idea to wear my Sperry’s. I thought, ‘well they’re leather and they’re supposed to be “boat shoes” so they probably work well in the rain.’ I was very mistaken. After about .5 seconds of walking to class, my socks were completely soaked. With no time to run back to my room to change, I had to miserably sit in my classes for 2 hours while my toes slowly froze into icicles.
8. The freshman 15 is a real thing.
Make sure you don’t OD on Pagliacci’s greasy cheese pizza. You might think it’s a good idea in the moment (especially after a long night on Greek Row) but your body won’t forgive you. Also, I can’t stress this enough but take advantage of the IMA. It is worth the trek down!!!
9. Take advantage of events happening on campus.
Let’s be real: they will probably have free food, and what more could you ask for? I remember during Dawg Daze, at the Odegaard dance party, I left with over 10 bags of chips overflowing out of my hands and pockets and a big ol’ smile on my face.
10. Don’t compare your friendships to other friendships.
Unfortunately, I got into this bad habit of feeling super jealous if I saw groups of friends always hanging out because I didn’t feel like I was close to anyone at UW. I would think something was wrong with me because I didn’t have half as many friends as other people. It took some time but after realizing that this jealousy was getting me nowhere, I tried to have a more positive outlook and back to #1, friendships really do take time. I definitely realized that as the year went by.
11. Don’t ever miss Taco Tuesday in the 8.
It’s probably the only thing that North Campus has then West Campus. This knockoff Chipotle is basically what got me through the the week and is what I looked forward to after suffering through every grueling Econ 200 lecture.
12. Choose a study spot that’s best for you.
While it might seem attractive to go study somewhere with a big group of friends, make sure you find the right place and the right people to study with. This took me a while because it was easy for me to just sit with my friends in the library and talk about things not school related. Before I knew it, I would be in the library for over 3 hours and have completed nothing, other than a full season of Friends. I definitely learned the hard way that Odegaard is NOT the move if you are trying to study for an important test.
13. Have fun.
Don’t forget that you only live once, so give yourself room to let loose and go out with friends or make a quick run to molly moons with your roommates right before that big midterm. It’s easy to get caught up in grades but you also want to look back and know that you had fun also.
*drops mic*