There are many highs and lows of freshman year. After years of being stuck in the same town, freedom finally seems tangible. Our world opens up a little more and we bask in the presence of countless shiny, new experiences.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, it’s over. We walk on the familiar campus and watch, with slight nostalgia, the new class of freshmen arrives with the same wide-eyed wonder as we first did.
Knowing what you know now, what would YOU tell your freshman self? Here are 20 people’s answers to that question.
“You can be exactly the type of person you want to be if you put in the effort.” – Sitara L.
“Actually DO the readings, get the hell out of Taco Bell’s drive-thru sooner, ask out Alexa because someone beats you to her and I guess don’t take college’s short length for granted, it goes by very quickly.” – Danny C.
“Enjoy yourself more and take the time to really appreciate those around you.” – Gene H.
“Don’t be scared.” – Alex L.
“Trust your gut. You know what’s best for yourself so do it and follow through.” – Jazmin H.
“I would tell myself not to worry so much about figuring out what I wanted to do with myself. If I had spent less time stressing I might have been able to engage myself more. I think it’s also important to put aside time for yourself, not just academics.” – Liz C.
“You have to give up who you are today for who you want to be. Also, just do it…you’re the only thing stopping yourself.” – Eric A.
“Don’t be afraid to put yourself and your needs and wants ahead of people just because you’re nervous it might inconvenience them or make them unhappy with you.” – Lauren S.
“Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.” – Jantzen R.
“I would tell myself to pick a major I actually like and not just a major that makes my parents happy.” – Emily D.
“You will make decisions that are not always the right one or the best, but you can’t be hard on yourself and even if you aren’t doing as well as you hoped in school, with patience and hard work your goals will be achieved.” – Neetu N.
“Enjoy your general education requirements. They can be fun and help you explore new areas you didn’t think you would be interested in.” – Jess L.
“Focus less on your relationship and more on finding friends. Also, procrastinate less.” – Christina G.
“Explore and become involved.” – Natalie S.
“Things aren’t always what they seem, but your goals are always achievable no matter what. So, always believe in yourself regardless of what happens, even if things feel like they’re not gonna turn around because it’s always gonna turn around and you can accomplish anything you set out to do.” – Leanna Z.
“I’d probably tell myself to not take things too personally and to be prepared for people to come and go from your life.” – Presley J.
“I would tell myself it doesn’t matter and that having experiences and standing up for what I believe in is more important than being respectful to authority that feeds into societal double standards.” – Matt P.
“Procrastination leads to nowhere, work hard for what you want, and study for the future you want, [it’s] not something you wish for.” – Jeff L.
“Um calm down you, you’ll be fine.” – Natalie M.
“If I had the opportunity to tell my freshman-self anything, I would choose not to tell him anything. The hardest yet greatest discoveries of my college years were made with little to no forewarning – I learned through human trial and error. So, I wouldn’t take advice because everything eventually works out and I only learned that because my future-self didn’t talk to me.” – Kyle C.
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