Coming into any college environment can be intimidating—whether you’re in or out of state, coming in as a freshman or a junior year transfer or more! While different college environments are going to give you varying experiences and we all want different things, here’s some universal advice and a walkthrough for how you can go about your college experience (anywhere).
Best of both worlds
Look, you do not have to come to college and choose strictly between partying and school. Those decisions are not black and white; choose a gray area! You can go out hard one week and stay in the library all the next. Find a balance but make sure to find it slowly. Don’t get so caught up in partying your freshman year that you start your second semester of college with a GPA in the garbage.
first year: treat it like one
I’ve talked about this in some previous articles, but don’t be afraid to not know what you’re doing when you first enter college. It feels like all these doctors, nurses and engineers come out of the woodworks once you get into any university, so the pressure to pick the grandest, biggest major you can think of comes onto you. But you don’t want to start in a major that’s:
- Really hard AND
- That you don’t even like
Unless you are dead set on a major that you have to begin your freshman year (typically doctors, nurses and engineers), don’t break your back your first year taking a level 4000 math class that will tank your GPA and won’t be necessary once you change your major to what you really want. It’s not about being smart; it’s about understanding that college is an adjustment. There are so many aspects that will affect you in ways you may never foresee!
If your school has an exploratory major or a way to come in undecided, take the opportunity to ask around on campus and/or take a class (or a few) you think you would enjoy! Ease into the college experience. And don’t be afraid to change your major or drop a class if you have no interest!
your major follows you
Don’t be afraid to major in what you enjoy! People come to college and think they can just suppress their passions by saying they will “make themselves” enjoy a subject they hate so they can get a job they “have heard” will make them money. College will eventually have to get tough; there will be classes you will have to take that you will not want to, but try to avoid the mistakes and hardships that you can! So, listen to yourself. If you don’t enjoy your major, maybe you wouldn’t enjoy the field it will lead to. Try something new! Conduct heavy research into any major you find interesting and look at:
- What careers it leads to
- What characteristics or type of people those careers suit best
- Which locations those careers are most prevalent in
- What the average salary is
- If those careers have opportunities to work up the ladder
get involved
Join clubs and organizations! Most universities will have a club fair early in each semester, so drag your roommates along and take note of what seems interesting. Take a risk or two, go to club meetings and check out their social media. The more clubs you try the better, because you may find something you adore that you would never have seen coming! Work your way up in the clubs and organizations you join.
make connections
Even if you end up not sticking to a club, at least you will have made first-time connections!
College is a wonderful place full of opportunities, although sometimes there are so many that they can become overwhelming. Take it one step at a time:
- Reach out to someone in your high school who attends the university you plan on going to.
- Go to your professor’s office hours to stay up-to-date on assignments, and respond to their emails.
- Ask your advisor if they have any advice or opportunities for internships.
- Go to every workshop organizations host. Even if you know already how to use LinkedIn, go to their beginner’s class!
We already pay so much to go to college that we have to take these opportunities to get the most out of our experience. This can look different for everyone, so pick and choose!
go outside
I spent the majority of my freshman year harbored away in my dorm. Yes, there was a global pandemic going on, but then I would wonder why I looked and felt so pale. Go outside! My college has beautiful greens and so many benches on all parts of campus perfect for calling my family (seriously, call them—they miss you). If it’s too cold, rainy or snowy to sit outside, at least try and leave your dorm twice a day and talk to one person!
you will fail, but work so that it doesn’t happen again
College can be an adjustment in so many ways, and it really hurts to not succeed at something you wanted to, but it’s all about what you do next that makes the situation a good or a bad one. Never give up, and don’t let your losses define you; everything is a lesson.
What we don’t know can be frightening, so the future is terrifying, but college is where that begins. Remember that you are changing daily; our college years take place during a vital time in any person’s development. As long as you work hard and stay true to yourself, everything will work out!
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