As a senior, I feel it would be a disservice to not share my wisdom with underclassmen. Thankfully for you all, I am not stingy. Here is my version of a survival guide; rules to live by to get you through the next four years at your Home by the Sea. Results may vary.
- Get out of your comfort zone
One of my biggest regrets of my college tenure is it took me so long to get out of my comfort zone, whether it was with people or clubs. One piece of advice someone told me freshman year was to just say “hi” to people. Something so simple allowed me to create wonderful friendships with people who I would just see in passing. People are generally friendly so there is 95% chance that you may get a “hi” back but college is about taking chances so go ahead and put your foot out there. My friend group consists of people I met by chance, and I whole heartedly believe that I would not have met them without a random interaction.
- Find your people
I vowed to be 100% truthful in my survival guide, so I would be lying if I said Hampton was the best school and there is never a dull moment. WRONG! The school definitely could use some improvements; however, it is the people that makes it wonderful. Hampton University has some of the best people and you are truly blessed to find the people you just authentically click with. You can find these people through classes, clubs or even the person who lives down the hall from you can be your next best friend. Once you find your people, the Hampton experience becomes so much better. One piece of advice I will give is once you find your people, please remember these are not the only people on campus. It is perfectly normal and healthy to make other friends.
- Do not get into a relationship when you first get here
Once again, I vowed to be perfectly honest, so I have absolutely no problem stating that I have never had a Hampton relationship BUT I have plenty of friends who supported to this rule. I know this may be first time you are around a plethora of good-looking individuals. However, college is a time where you are supposed to find yourself. How are you supposed to find out who you are if you are already tied to someone else within weeks of stepping on campus? It is perfectly natural to be attracted to someone but do not put all your eggs in one basket, especially when there are plenty of people you have not met yet. Do not let your boyfriend/girlfriend distract you from the love of your life.
- Do your own thing
In my experience of being on campus, Hampton has this tendency to push a certain narrative of what a student should look like. Scratch that. Be who you want to be. The experience is a million times better when you remain consistent to what makes you happy. You do not want to get to your senior year and be in a bunch of clubs or organizations that do not make you happy. Your choices and aspirations are completely valid. So, join that club that does not have a lot of “buzz”, you never know you may find your passion or better yet your people.
- Enjoy the moment
As you progress through your time at Hampton, you will realize time moves entirely too fast. One day you will look up and realize that you are no longer that freshman trying to navigate college, but you are now the class that everyone looks up to. Seize the moment. You are only this young for so long. College is a bubble. Once you leave this bubble of familiarity, you become forced to navigate the real world and real responsibilities. So, enjoy while you can.
With all these rules and regulations, just enjoy your experience. Covid-19 really put into perspective how short our time here is so soak it all in because just like that the time is gone but the memories will last forever.