Another semester is here. With it, brings the promise of many nights filled with late night LaFun runs, opportunities to Snapchat embarrassing pictures of my roommates to all of our guy friends, and undoubtedly MANY mental breakdowns. At the helm of a new semester chalk full of new oppurtunities, I’ve taken to reflecting on what my first few months in college has taught me.
Sometimes I find it difficult to fully process all that’s happened to my friends and me over the course of a mere four months and all that we’ve learned from our experiences. So, in order to (hopefully) save some of you the trouble of learning these lessons the hard way, I’ve done my best to put together what I think are the most valuable pieces of advice I can offer.
You can’t have it all.
As much as feminists across the globe might shake their fists at me for this one, I really believe it. Being involved in clubs and intramurals is tempting and undeniably a great way to spend your time, but many ND students also hold down jobs and have serious commitments related to academics to balance already.
It’s happened to me more than once that I’ll be heading out the door to the DH with my friends after a grueling afternoon of Finite when I suddenly remember that I’m scheduled to attend an event dinner with the Center for Ethics and Culture where I work. Having too much on your plate results in a hectic schedule and not enough time to devote to all of your involvements, so I recommend committing yourself only to what you know you are truly passionate about and have the time for.
As annoying as TA’s can be, they really can help!
I’m willing to bet I’m not the first kid to struggle through Intro to Philosophy, and I know I won’t be the last. Although I spent most of the semester sending vibes of ill will to my TA across the discussion table about The Republic, when the time came to turn in our second and final paper of the semester, he was a Godsend. Take advantage of office hours before you’re drowning in waves of abstract thought.Â
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Not all “nice guys” are good guys.
I cannot stress this enough. Not one girl in my friend group made it through this semester without experiencing major disappointment caused by a guy who had us all fooled into thinking he was fantastic. Anyone can act like a gentleman until he gets what he wants and unfortunately that type of behavior is all too common on college campuses, freshman year in particular. Be careful to safeguard your heart and keep an eye out for your friends as well until you know a guy has genuine intentions. I promise they’re out there, they can just be hard to find! Â
Don’t forget to have fun.
We attend one of the most academically challenging universities in the world (surprise!). This means that we’re entitled to take it easy on the weekends or stay out late with friends to combat the stress. This may mean that you spend the entirety of Sunday cooped up in your dorm room and repeatedly asking yourself why you put of all of this work until the last minute, but it’ll be worth it. Each of us can and should take advantage of the finite number of weekends we get as college students and use that time to make unforgettable memories.
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Images: 1 (provided by author), 2, 3 , 4, 5 (provided by author).
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