Are you a smart and savvy pre-collegiette looking for answers to some of your most personal questions about college? You know, the ones about boys, classes, roommates and parties that your school’s guidance office can’t help you with? Jen is here to answer those questions! Whatever your concern, she’ll do her best to help you so you can make sure you don’t just survive college, but rock it!
If you could give the younger you advice for freshman year of college, what would it be? –Alana
Alana,
If I could sum up the thing that I needed to do the most during my freshman year of college in one word, it would be this: relax. I spent so much time worrying about my future during my first year, but everything works out well in the end. You’ll have plenty of time to think about job searching later on in your college career. I wish I had reminded myself of that once I arrived on campus.
Another big one is not to let your major define you; do what you love. I came into college with my major declared and my mind stuck in a rut. I had a gut feeling that my first major (nutrition and dietetics) wasn’t right for me, but I felt pressure to stay in that major for the status and financial security. I also wanted to stay at my school, Messiah College, and if I had chosen a different major or went in undeclared, my mom wouldn’t have let me go. Since Messiah College is an eight-hour drive away from my home in Boston and it’s pretty expensive, she only wanted me to go if I was totally sure about what I wanted to do in the future. I wanted to attend a Christian school, and it was one of the only Christian schools somewhat close to me that had an accredited nutrition program. I was able to stay at Messiah College after changing my major after I proved to her that I would excel in my new field, and I sure have!
When I was a nutrition and dietetics major, I hated the work I was doing and I wasn’t passionate about it at all, so when a hall-mate of mine told me about the journalism major, I knew it was for me. I changed my major soon afterwards, and I haven’t looked back. I love that I’m able to get so much hands-on experience in the field throughout my entire college career. I really enjoy being involved with my community, taking a stand against injustice, learning new things and meeting new people. I’ve practically fallen in love with what I do. Plus, I get to write for Her Campus, the online magazine that I’ve been reading since high school, and that’s pretty awesome. Be courageous and willing to stick up for what you know is right for yourself; it pays off in the long run!
I also would have reminded myself to relax in terms of guys. I was totally boy crazy my first year, and it distracted me from my homework and exams that I really needed to study for. I thought I was going to find my future husband while at college, but now I highly doubt that’s going to happen. Some of the boys I was meeting weren’t interested in long-term relationships, which is what I wanted, or they were too immature for their own good. I could have avoided a lot of sadness if I had just stayed focused on my girlfriends and myself.
To sum it all up, just enjoy your first year for what it is: beautiful, exciting, stressful, crazy and 100 percent unforgettable. I am so thankful for everyone I met my first year and for all of the experiences I had that helped me learn more about myself.