As a senior – aka chopped and unc – I’m simultaneously terrified and thrilled for post-grad life. However, as with any major milestone, it comes with a lot of reflection on the last four years. Thinking back to how everything felt so uncertain at that time, filled with so much change and newness. Nothing would have fully prepared me for my time at A&M, but knowing what I know now, I imagine I would have approached it differently. So, these are a few things that I’d SCREAM at myself as I was beginning freshman year:
College IS harder than high school! – While you have more control over your classes, the classes are going to be a decent amount of work and are so much harder, especially the STEM courses. Read the syllabus, decipher the important grades for the class, and figure out the best way to study. Also, everyone’s right when they say that skipping is a slippery slope, so just go to class.
You’re going to fail – and you’ll be perfectly fine! – Physics is gonna kick your ass, wayyyy more than other people. So study extra hard for it, and if necessary, use your Q-drops; you have three of them. Also, you are not gonna be a straight-A student like in high school, but a few Bs never killed anyone, and trust me, you’ll get real comfortable being happy with B’s.
Don’t let social anxiety run your life! – Remember that the anticipation of something will always be worse than the thing itself. So do everything and do it scared, cause it won’t get easier until you put yourself in situations where you’re slightly uncomfortable. Whether that is class presentations – you’re going to do a billion of these –, going out for a social organization, talking to guys, or the girl next to you in class. It’ll either end up being fun or at least you’ll be proud of yourself for trying. Also, do things tired! Cause looking back, you’ll definitely wish you went to more parties or out with friends — mostly because it’ll NEVER feel like enough.
Set realistic expectations! – And I mean this applies to all of life’s aspects. With friends, family, academically, and healthwise, it is important not to aim way too high and get disappointed. Instead, try to be more go with the flow and let things happen as they do. This isn’t to say don’t set goals or work hard, but give yourself and others grace, and not to sound cliche, things really do work out for the best.
Few rapid fire: You can’t have Chick-fil-A for every meal; You’re gonna end up getting into running, and genuinely enjoy it; Junior year will be INSANE but sooo much fun; Use your student-worker early registration; Always sit near an outlet while studying; Use the bus, you’re paying for it anyways; 10-minute tidy EVERYDAY;