Welcome back! It’s the start of a new school year which means lots of excitement, activity and all that comes with beginning a new academic year (we’re still trying to recover from moving in and the first week of class, too).
With that being said, it’s time to welcome the freshmen class and begin to prepare our good-byes to the senior class. Sophomores and juniors, we haven’t forgotten about you – You are in the midst of experiencing the best years of your college career.
Her Campus Bryant would like to extend a few words of advice to each class to help you kick off your year, whichever class you may be a part of. We are just as excited as you to be back on the campus we love the most!
First up is… (you guessed it) Freshmen:
Ah, freshmen.
Everything is so new, fresh, unknown, exciting. It may seem like senior year and graduation are so far in the future that by the time it comes around you will be an established adult ready to move on from college. You think you’ll have your dream job and have your life together. This is our piece of advice to you: you most likely won’t feel these things.
This is OK!
Through your time in college, you will learn more than just what major you want to declare or what career path you think is right for you. Aside from academics, you’re going to learn things about yourself you didn’t even think you needed to learn.
Trust us, we know this sounds cliché. We wish we could say it a million times and scream it from the rooftops, but it is okay to not know what you want to do, who you are or what you’re doing. It’s all part of the process. Everyone goes through it and at completely different paces. We’re sure your parents, aunts, uncles, and those distant family friends you call your aunts and uncles have said this so many times, but it’s true: The best years of your life are happening right now.
Enjoy every experience. Live your best life responsibly in the dorms and at the townhouses. Embrace all that comes with being a freshman. Learn all you can from your classes, professors, group project members and friends. Take the good with the bad. It flies by like you couldn’t believe.
Sophomores:
You survived freshmen year – congratulations! It wasn’t so bad, was it?
One year down, three to go. It sounds like a lot still, right? You may or may not have most of your general requirement classes out of the way. Perhaps you have declared your major or are still looking. Your classes are starting to become more specific and a little more difficult. Maybe you have found your core group of friends (we told you that you would!) These are all good things. But they all will still most likely change.
The most important piece of advice we can give to you sophomores is: Although it may seem like you have gotten things under control and have a sense of what is going on, there is likely a chance that you still don’t.
This is what college does, but therefore we learn so much during our time here. We aren’t saying that your friend group will collapse or you chose the wrong major, we’re saying to be open to change whenever it may present itself. Change is good, even though it is our human nature is despise the whole idea of ‘change’. Did you get involved freshmen year? Good. Find those involvements and groups that help you embrace your passions. Believe it or not, you may be talking about these at your future internship or full-time job interviews.
You have three more years here. Ever heard of the Sophomore Slump? You have the power to overcome it, avoid it and make sophomore year one of the most meaningful and productive in your entire college career. Go out and do it.
Juniors:
Almost there!
Things are getting serious now. Internships and applications on the brain? Yeah, it might feel pretty consuming right now. Regardless if you’re the last friend in your group to land an internship or if you plan on continuing your summer job at home, whichever your situation, it’s okay. Junior year, we must say, is the most stressful (probably – we’re still feeling out senior year.)
All of your classes are major. Did you pick the right concentration? Is this really what you want to do?
Our advice for juniors is that it is now time to get your head in the game. *Cues Troy Bolton*
But really: Our philosophy is working your hardest junior year, so you relieve some of that pressure for senior year.
Get involved if you aren’t already. Apply. Apply. Apply. Talk with your professors – they have more connections than you could ever imagine.
Trust us, it is worth it to put in the work now.
Last, but definitely not least: SENIORS!
Oh boy. This is it. Real life is nearly here. It’s knocking – and some of you don’t want to let it in.
The unfortunate reality is that we have to.
But why should this be the unfortunate reality? It’s really just reality. You are the one who has the choice: do you want to make it the ending of something great, or the start of something even better?
School is all you have ever known. Maybe if you’re going to grad school you might have a few more years to go, but this is the end of school as you know it.
You’ll be leaving the campus you’ve lived on for four years. Your friends. Your favorite professors and all of the other resources available to you. That’s why it’s so important to take advantage of these while you’re still here. This will set you up for success as you prepare to begin what we have all been training for our whole lives: reality.
Our advice for seniors is: Be patient. Be grateful. Be ready.
Be patient. No one wants to be unemployed post-grad. Sometimes it happens. You must wait for the opportunity that feels right and is right for you. Even if this means you have to move back home for some time – you have to do what is best, and what will lead you to the best opportunities. It will take time for this, so the key is to be patient.
Be grateful. Yes, college is ending. Your life isn’t. It’s going to be sad, we cannot deny that. It’s going to be really sad. You are allowed to take the time to be sad. This may be one of the biggest changes you will experience in our lifetimes. You can choose to fear this fact or appreciate it and use it to your advantage. There’s more out there, we just haven’t had the chance to go explore it yet. Come graduation, we will have that chance.
Be ready. Emotionally, physically, mentally. Be ready. You have to be. Whether it’s starting new jobs, moving back home, starting a life somewhere unknown, you have to be ready for whatever is to come your way. We’ve been training for this ‘new life’ since the beginning. It’s finally your time to shine. You have to go after it. After all, it’s your only choice – embrace it and take it by storm.
We hope this (mostly) cheesy advice served its purpose. We want every class to experience a fulfilling and rewarding college career. With each passing year, we are faced with new challenges, responsibilities and changes. It’s all part of the process.
Her Campus Bryant wants to welcome everyone back to school and we hope everyone has had a wonderful first week!
Go Books! Go Bulldogs!
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