Starting college is both an exciting and frightening time for everyone. You’re finally on your own and don’t have to ask permission to stay out late with friends, but also don’t have your mom to call for a ride to the gym. As a UW-Madison student entering my final semester of undergrad, here are the ten things I wish I knew as a freshman.
- The syllabus isn’t gospel
As much as it may seem like the syllabus is etched in stone, it’s more flexible than most professors will lead on. Syllabi are established by professors in line with the mandates of their departments, and thus professors often include things (including strict language) that they don’t follow to the letter.
- You’re actually going to have to walk up Bascom (a lot)
While most of us walk up Bascom at least once before starting school at UW-Madison, whether it be on a formal tour or while exploring campus, it can feel like a pretty backdrop that you won’t actually use. Although there are ways to avoid walking about Bascom daily, if you’re an L&S student, you’ll likely be walking up Bascom several times a week, if not every day. You might start off walking down University and up Charter, but you’ll quickly realize that this adds quite a bit of time on your morning haul. Unless you want to walk into your 9:30 on the fourth floor of Van Hise flustered and with your Starbucks half-spilled, save yourself the extra 10 minutes and work your quads by walking up Bascom.
- Professors care about you
Although you may feel like “student 154” to the professor of your 300-person lecture, your professor genuinely cares about you and wants to get to know you. If you’re struggling in a class, go to office hours and you’ll be surprised by how much you get out of a simple conversation. It’s important to start forming relationships with your professors, as they’ll be important resources in the future to go to for advice about jobs or letters of rec for grad school.
- Don’t miss out on easy participation points
If participation is calculated as part of your grade, go to class and participate. As enticing as it is to sleep through an early lecture, you’ll kick yourself later in the semester if you’re grade is lower simply because you skipped class.
- Don’t schedule class before 9:30 AM
Even though an 8:50 might not sound very early when you enroll in classes, especially if you’re used to those crack of dawn wakeup times in high school, it will start to feel like those early high school starts. Spare yourself the extra shot of espresso and get an extra hour of sleep by avoiding early morning classes.
- Getting involved is necessary
Although joining clubs in college may be the last thing you want to do if you spread yourself thin in high school, it’s necessary to get involved in organizations on campus. It’s not just important to build your resume, but also to form friendships with people outside of your dorm, work, and classes. Friends you make through student orgs will likely become some of your closest friends in college, and this is often because of the mutual interest you share (your org).
- You can’t eat pizza and ice cream every night
As tempting as it is to gorge on the seemingly abundant goodies available on campus and in the restaurants on State Street, you’ll soon realize that your body isn’t fulfilled and the only thing you crave is vegetables. If you find yourself feeling sluggish, it’s most likely not that extra Starbucks you need, but to start eating healthier.
- Sleep is your best friend
Sleep is probably the biggest thing we deprive ourselves of in college, and one of the most necessary. Clocking in those Z’s is hard to do sometimes, as staying out late with friends usually sounds more enticing, but take the time to sleep 7-9 hours a night on average and your body (and grades) will thank you.
- Your friends will become your family
When you’re homesick after entering college, it may feel like nothing will fill the void of missing your family. However, as cliché as it may sound, your friends will make you feel whole again and will become your second family.
- Slow down and enjoy
It’s human nature to think about the future, but don’t be so forward focused that you fail to enjoy the present. Stop living for the day when you’re 21, when you graduate, or when you find love. Enjoy your college experience, and be okay with being on your own. Learning who you are and to love yourself is the biggest thing you’ll take away from your college experience.
If I was talking to freshman me today, these are the ten things I would say.