Before coming to college, I had heard lots of stories about the way of life here, horror stories, drunk stories, stories that people will cherish for the rest of their lives. I was excited to finally get out of the house but I was terrified of being on my own. I know everyone faced the same conflicting feelings before they came to college too.
I had fears throughout the beginning of my freshmen year, some that I still have, but overtime they slowly go away. Of course you will have other things to worry about as you pass through college. Your problems will grow just like you. However if you are about to or just entering college, you have no need to stress over those small things we all suffer through.
Let’s start with move in day. For some reason all the excitement of moving into the dorms also causes every new freshmen to be deeply embarrassed. Now I don’t know about other colleges, but at JMU, FROGS move your stuff for you. I carried one trip worth of my own stuff to my room on move in day and this crowd of JMU students in bright yellow shirts carried the rest. I spent most of the time unpacking and there was no ugly cart that I had to push around and the entire student body wasn’t outside the dorms watching us move in. The most embarrassing thing that day was probably my parents who thought they knew more than the people running the show.
Another thing that took me a little time to realize is that everyone here is there to learn too. Unlike high school, for most students, college is a choice and we have a lot more freedom with what classes we take. In class, if you have a question, ask it. There are probably some other students in the class that have the same question. Also by asking you clear up room for less confusion later on. I have personally been told by a professor that I was wrong about an idea I had in class, but so had everyone else in there. College is where you are suppose to fail. The professors are here for you and are not as scary as high school makes them out to be.
I also wish I knew what type of studying was best for me. The school work here is not as scary as you think but it does require effort. If you do know the best studying tools for you then stick to it! As a freshmen your classes are fairly basic but still pretty interesting. However you will still have a good amount of homework, nothing is ever too treacherous but there is a lot of it. If you’re like me and still have no idea how to study best for yourself, then your time management skills will become elite. I also use to procrastinate but it no longer just helps my grades if I stop putting things off, it has greatly improved my mental health. By doings things ahead of when you have too and even before that, stress is decreased, almost eliminated.
You will also want to do school work because you will get bored. Most freshmen don’t have a car and that isn’t a major setback but you have a lot more free time than before. Yes you will fill your time with friends, roommates, clubs, parties, and everything else college has to offer but there will be times when you are sitting in your dorm with nothing to do. It is a good idea to get a head start on homework or semester projects during this time, your future self will greatly appreciate it. If you are insistent on not doing homework, we’ve all been there, then you can do chores, like laundry, or something for yourself. I like to paint, make necklaces, or design graphics on my computer but you can fill the time with anything you want!
We all have different ideas coming into college and we all have different experiences while we are here. It is everything you thought it was and everything you didn’t. I hope your experience is as great as you make it!