This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.
Dear Freshman,
Your journey at FSU is just beginning while mine is sadly coming to an end. I have spent these last four years of college struggling to find my way, making mistakes, and enjoying everything that college has to offer. I want your college experience to be your own, but through my experiences I have found there are a few things I wish I would have known as a naive freshman just four short years ago…
- If you have the opportunity to room with someone random, take that chance. It may be a horrible experience, but chances are it might be a life changing experience. You could meet life long friends, or at least learn how to be the kind of roommate YOU would want to live with.
- Don’t bring high school to college. It’s wonderful if you and your best friend from high school are here together, but finding new friends and trying new things is more important than sticking with your high school clique.
- Join an organization. It doesn’t matter which one! Greek life, Student organizations, Homecoming committees, volunteering, SGA, the list goes on. FSU offers so many different clubs, organizations, and volunteer opportunities, that it is almost impossible not to find something that can give you a little bit of happiness during your time here.
- It is easier to bring down your GPA than it is to bring it up. That one D you made your first semester of freshman year WILL come back to haunt you. We all have to take pre-requisite classes that we don’t want to take, and those may be hard, or may seem like a waste of time, but they will either help or hinder your GPA. Killing your GPA from the get-go can be detrimental to your final graduating GPA. The struggle is real when you have been teetering on a 2.9 for so many semesters because you slacked off freshman year. Straight A’s aren’t for everyone, but a good GPA is.
- Participate in something gratifying, like Dance marathon or Relay For Life. Doing something for others will always make you feel better about yourself.
- Don’t spend every weekend going home. You came to college to have new experiences and going home every chance you get can hinder those. Plus it makes those few visits home a lot more special.
- Start learning how to handle your money freshman year. Learn how to budget for food, rent, clothes, and unexpected payments. Learn to cook for yourself so you aren’t eating out every night, because that can quickly eat away your budget and rapidly adds to that “freshman 15”. Once you have to start paying back those hefty student loans, you will want to know the best ways to save.
- Take Ziegler’s speech class before you are a senior. This is one of my biggest regrets. As I sit in his class today I cannot help but feel like I am late to a really great party. Most of you will be required to take the class, and while a speech class seems unnecessary, it really is something you can learn from. Ziegler is one of the best professors I have taken here at FSU and his goal is to make you a better communicator, not just for public speaking, but also in life. He makes you want to get up and go to class, even on Fridays. This is a class that can benefit you in future classes, job interviews, and even leadership roles.
- With freedom comes great responsibility. College is a time to have fun and create lifelong experiences, but remember that it is also supposed to set you up for the rest of your life. Its possible for you to be successful and happy here at FSU, so don’t take one minute of your time in college for granted.
Best wishes,
Senior