These are some observations I’ve made on typical freshmen behavior that needs to stop, that your RAs and OLs won’t tell you. I know I have been guilty of some of these mistakes too, but maybe with these guidelines you can avoid making the same mistakes!
1. Talking about what score you got on your AP tests or IB tests. No one cares! You already got in, so stop subtly bragging about getting a 5 on your AP Spanish test. Leave your high school glory days of AP and honors classes behind you.
2. Taking the elevator to floors 2 or 3 of any building. Also if someone presses 14, don’t press 13, just take a flight of stairs down. Don’t be afraid to use the stairs, it will help keep the freshman 15 off too!
3. Most importantly, stop wearing your lanyard with your ID and keys around your neck! When living on an urban campus like Emerson, walking around Boston with an ID around your neck can look downright bizarre. You are a student and should be proud of that, but you don’t want people thinking you are a lost puppy.
4. Being afraid to eat in the dining hall alone. I promise no one will think you are friendless or a loner for eating by yourself. Especially when it comes to eating breakfast alone, honestly everyone is too tired to even notice.
5. Stop leading introductions with “I’m (insert name here) and I’m a freshman”. Last year I would default to saying my name and immediately after state I was a freshman. While being a freshman is nothing to be embarrassed about. You also shouldn’t let your year be the first thing people think of when they hear your name. This is particularly important when interviewing for orgs; let your personality and qualifications be what they remember. Don’t let anyone write you off as just another freshman!
Remember to try to avoid these rookie mistakes, but if you mess-up and accidently wear your lanyard to a party, or have a breakdown because you’re eating in the dining hall alone, don’t fret! Everyone has been there before and understands that awkward freshmen life. Just don’t be surprised or offended if they say “what a freshman move”.