Oh, college… in the media, these hugely formative four years of our lives are often depicted to be full of partying, late-night hangouts with friends, and unrestricted freedom. Then, on college websites, there are images of students studying with full focus at a library, appearing disciplined and productive. While college does provide a dynamic experience of enjoyment and academics, the idealization of it can cause us to forget the potential struggles that come along with becoming a student.
My first year of college definitely humbled me. During the summer, I envisioned myself being a whole new person once college started: someone who seamlessly balanced her studies, health, relationships, and personal activities, who was disciplined and diligent, who got A’s and studied well before the exam date. Basically, someone who I wasn’t during high school. I wanted college to feel like a fresh start, but I didn’t think about the actual effort it takes to change your habits and routine.
Needless to say, I definitely did not have that idealized vision during my first year. However, I realized that maybe the purpose of freshman year is to introduce the reality of the college lifestyle. My first quarters of college taught me things I’m grateful for and that I can now use for my second year! My hope with sharing my thoughts is for you to realize you’re not alone if you struggled as a first year and to maybe find insight for future quarters!
- Creating a schedule and being diligent about due dates is immensely helpful!
A major thing I wished I’d done before my first year was outline a rough daily schedule. Emphasis on ‘rough’, as unexpected things can happen some days! Don’t stress too much about following the schedule perfectly!
Still, I found that noting the times for essential things like my morning and evening routines, showering, and meals helped me see how much time I had for other activities like homework. It also made me more conscious of when I was procrastinating or getting distracted since I’d realize when I was doing something non-academic during my homework times.
Besides writing down a rough daily schedule for myself, I also wrote down my due dates in my planner. I realized how much more independent you had to be in college once I saw that classes often had the entire syllabus already and thus, professors wouldn’t be too frequent about reminding students of deadlines (unlike high school). It’s easy to overlook a deadline but writing it down somewhere you look at often can help you keep it in mind!
- It’s difficult to find a balance between academics, personal life, and social life- but it’s still possible.
With the higher workload of college, I had a lot of difficulty managing my academic and non-academic activities. For me, it was mainly because of poor time management; I chronically procrastinated so I’d end up finishing my assignments late into the night. As a result, I felt like my days mainly consisted of just classes and homework.
Having this unbalanced feeling the majority of my first year taught me not only the importance of disciplined time management but also of making sure you’re nurturing different aspects of your life. The days I actually managed my time effectively allowed me to spend time on enjoyable hobbies and stress-releasing outings.
College also had me learning how to nurture my social life more. In high school, the designated lunch times and aligned classes made it easy to meet up with friends every day. However, in college, everyone’s schedules vary. Genuine effort has to be made to meet up with others.
One moment I regret during the fall quarter was declining my friend’s invitation to get boba after class since I had an assignment I wanted to work on. While it’s definitely important to focus on academics since that’s what college is primarily for, I feel I could’ve at least spared one hour to connect with my friend. My next class wasn’t until two hours later, and the assignment wasn’t even urgently due.
Overall, I guess the lesson I learned was to be more conscious of when I’m neglecting certain parts of my life. I think, at least for me, it comes down to time management and knowing it’s okay to take a break from studying once in a while.
- Remember the importance of physical and mental health.
In terms of health, my freshman year was admittedly rough. With a bit more freedom, I ended up consuming a lot of sugary and snack foods. Additionally, I rarely took the time to exercise and never consistently had eight hours of sleep due to late-night assignments that were consequences of procrastination.
Feeling physically fatigued with “brain fog” as a result of this poor lifestyle ended up negatively affecting my mental health as well, since I’d have little motivation to complete homework. I’d then feel disappointed with myself and overwhelmed by coursework and exams.
By the end of the year, I realized that I’d been majorly neglecting my health! Once again, I wasn’t really practicing a balanced lifestyle, putting academics at the forefront of anything else. I now know how ironically detrimental that was- how could I perform with my highest energy and focus when I didn’t even feel nourished internally?
I think we college students need a reminder about the importance of taking care of our minds and bodies. It can be very difficult, especially when we have so much studying and assignments to do, but our health is ultimately the basis of how we feel every day!
- Create study strategies and list resources for classes to be prepared early on!
When my first STEM midterms arrived, I was frankly unprepared. I’d never thought about how I was actually going to study for my biology and chemistry classes, nor what resources were available for me to use (I didn’t even know the office hours of the TAs or professors).
I ended up having to scrape together a quick study plan for biology that involved simply going over my notes and some lecture slides. Needless to say, I failed my first biology midterm. I did better on my chemistry one since I’d done some actual practice problems but the process still felt rushed and shallow.
When I decided to truly put in some effort and brainstorm what I could do to study for my courses, as well as outline specific study plans, my exam scores increased to passing grades. It all came down to taking the time to reflect on which study strategies worked for each distinct course (ex. practice problems, vocab flashcards, diagrams) and researching resources my professors had listed.
For future quarters, I’m working on looking into my courses and listing resources for them beforehand. I believe it’ll help me know what I can use to study and decrease the chances of me experiencing analysis paralysis before the first exams!
- Be prepared for mental blocks, a lack of motivation, and other obstacles.
Of course, before college, I knew my first year wouldn’t always be a linear path full of excitement and wonder. Life is full of ups and downs, and being in a college environment wouldn’t change that fact. Still, I think my idealization of the “college experience” hindered me from thinking about how I would take care of my mental health and stay focused during “lower” moments.
Fully experiencing the exhaustion, insecurity, procrastination, and burnout that can come with the college lifestyle during my first year has taught me the dangers of idolizing something in your head and the importance of acknowledging the natural highs and lows of life.
Now, I’m much more aware that my future quarters in college will likely come with periods of burnout and stress. This might sound depressing, but I’m actually glad I’m more conscious of this idea, as I can reflect on ways I can persevere through these moments instead of being hit with them unexpectedly!
While my first year came with many struggles and learning curves, it ultimately also came with new opportunities, cherished relationships, chances for growth, and excitement about the future. Without the less positive moments I experienced, I wouldn’t have had the chance to reflect and learn what I’ve realized now.