1. Don’t wear your lanyard around campus.
Wearing a lanyard around your neck screams out freshman. If you want to be taken seriously on campus and earn respect from the upperclassmen, avoid advertising your freshman qualities – but don’t be ashamed! We have all been there!
2. Don’t go home every weekend.
Some of you won’t have the luxury of having home nearby, but for those who do, avoid it as much as possible. You want to stick around to make new friends and memories! By going home often, you will miss some of the best moments of your freshmen year and college career.
3. Step out of your comfort zone.
Don’t just stay in your dorm, get out there and embrace what college has to offer you. Join an intramural team, club or a sorority. Getting involved and meeting people will be the most valuable experience of college – you meet the most people by being an active member on campus!
4. Take a class that you are actually interested in.
It will make going to class much more enjoyable if it involves something you are passionate about, or find fascinating. Of course you will not enjoy all of your courses, especially the generals, but take one at least once a semester.
5. Take care of yourself.
Always keep the phrase, “everything in moderation” in the back of your mind. This can relate to anything really, food (who wants the freshmen 15?), night’s out with friends, etc. It all sounds great at the moment, but too much of anything (even good things) can be bad.
6. Ask for help when you need it.
Trust me, your professor isn’t as scary as you think. They’re always happy to help, and appreciate students who make it a goal and make the initiative to understand something. Sometimes they even enjoy visitors in office hours to get to know their students! Get to know your professors, it will only benefit you.
7. Keep track of your spending.
You have so much money from graduation, the funds seem to be endless – they aren’t though! Set a budget for yourself and stick to it. Being a poor college student is a very stressful lifestyle that should be avoided if possible.
8. Understand that it’s acceptable to make mistakes.
You have so many things you will learn, you are guarenteed to make mistakes! That’s okay though, just take each mistake as a learning opportunity and remember that life goes on.
9. Stay organized.
Simply put, planners save lives.
10. Have fun!
It’s your first year after all, and trust me, it will fly by! Take in as many fun and new experiences as possible.