When I first stepped foot on campus for my first year, I honestly didn’t know what to expect as a freshman. I was the oldest child, my friends were all my age or younger, and I had never lived away from home for more than a week. Obviously, I had an idea from both movies and television series portraying college life, but it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that there was no way my college experience was going to be like Animal House. Coming to school was a big change for me. My parents bought our house in 1997, two years before I was born, and despite a few additions that my dad built, not much had changed in my living situation over the course of my life. My mother always told me how unusual it was for her to have lived in one spot for so long after she grew up a “navy brat” – bouncing around various areas up and down the East Coast, even Europe, dependent on my granddad’s deployments.
Re. Finding Your Friends or Friend Group
Prior to college, I never had to start over with respect to being somewhere new and having to make friends in a new place. Honestly, making friends was the easy part for me. What I didn’t realize was that deciding who was worth being friends with for the long haul was the more difficult part. As a freshman, you latch on to the first people you meet – be it your roommate, the people in your hall, or the people that are just generally nearby. In your hometown, you have years to decide who you are friends with and who you are, as you experience life’s trials and tribulations. At college, you decide your friends within the first few days. You might be one of the lucky ones who find their people right away, but for me and many others, that didn’t happen. Realizing that your “friends” aren’t the kind of people you want to surround yourself with is a hard realization, and the even harder action is ditching them to find the right kind of people for you, because you risk temporary loneliness. Leaving my first college friend group was one of the best and, notably, one of the hardest decisions I made during my freshman year. I found new friends in clubs and other extracurricular activities who treated me right and were a better reflection of who I was as a person and who I wanted to become during my four years attending the University of Maine. Recognizing who I should surround myself with was a learning experience and something that I suggest one should stay vigilant about to preserve their mental health throughout their college experience and beyond.
Re. Finding Your Major or Majors
Truthfully, I can be quite an indecisive person and when deciding my major, I was no different. I entered the University of Maine as an engineering student, but I had been having doubts long before I arrived, not knowing if this was exactly the type of path I wanted to embark on for several years. During my senior year of high school, I played with the idea of conservation law and forestry but eventually settled on engineering, however, I was in no way married to that idea (thankfully). Halfway through my freshman year, I changed my major to economics, something I had never seen myself doing and took me out of my comfort zone. So my piece of advice here, don’t be afraid to change your major, I love my new major and I am grateful that I have found one of my callings. Even after your freshman year, don’t be afraid to change your path and don’t force yourself to stay in a major that doesn’t cater to or suit you. It’s much easier to suffer through that eight in the morning lecture when you actually care about what you’re studying and the career you are pursuing in that field. A year after changing from engineering to economics, I added political science as a secondary major, which has only benefited me as well. College can change who you are as a person, which can be a daunting thought but it’s meant to, so don’t be afraid to roll with the punches and alter your life plan accordingly or even as you go. Three years ago, I never would’ve considered the path that I’m on now, but I couldn’t be happier with where I am as a student today because of the necessary changes I made.
Re. Being Proactive in Regards to Groups and Organizations to be Involved In/With
One of the things that I pride myself in as something I did do right early into my freshman year is how active I was in both clubs and campus organizations that sparked or aligned with my interests. Joining clubs that interest you can help you find people who share similar hobbies and values, which isn’t so easy in those large general education classes. These groups have given me many of my best friends, giving me people who I do things with outside of the club environment along with people I can simply enjoy my hobbies with. There is also something to be said for trying new clubs, you may find a talent you never knew you had or develop an interest in something you may not have even known existed before. Even as a Junior, I regularly attend meetings for clubs or organizations I have never tried before because I still don’t know if I’m in all the clubs and organizations that may interest me, even if I do so begrudgingly (at the request of a friend or classmate). You never know what you may find interesting and what opportunities lie in that simple request of going to that initial meeting or participating in an activity of that club or organization. The vast number of clubs at a modern campus means that there is an activity or interest group for almost anyone and for nearly everything. Even if it doesn’t appear that there is anything specifically for you, forming a new organization is easy enough, and there are likely others on campus who share your interests and are waiting for someone like you to get the ball rolling on creating a club or organization that aligns with those. Being involved on campus is rewarding socially, not to mention the fact that it looks great on a resume.
I have certainly made some mistakes throughout my college career thus far, and I will certainly continue to make mistakes as I work my way towards completing my undergraduate career. However, the things that I have learned from those mistakes through my first nearly three years at college have shaped who I am and who I will continue to become in these last years of my undergraduate career and beyond. I have not faced this alone but with the help and support of friends and mentors, I have come to appreciate that learning from others, be it students or faculty, can only help you adapt faster and better to your life at college earlier than I did.