With the May 1st deadline approaching, students across the nation are narrowing down their choices and preparing to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives. Fortunately for me, I made my decision November of my senior year of high school by applying early decision to Wake Forest. I had never even taken an official tour of Wake, but after visiting the school for the first time, I knew it was the perfect place for me. However, by not looking at many other schools, I limited my scope in selecting a college and seeing what other schools had to offer. While I believe that committing myself to Wake Forest was one of the best decisions I have ever made, there are several things I wish I had known before entering my first year.
1. College is hard, and there is absolutely no way around that.
College requires more self-discipline because there really isn’t anyone checking in on you to make sure you’re finishing your homework and getting enough sleep. Living in a dorm can be hard on academic performance at times because, even though you may have a 9 AM test tomorrow, that doesn’t stop your snoring roommate or loud hallmates from keeping you awake.
2. You may struggle in picking a major.
Before coming to college, I was fairly confident in entering a certain field of study, but after taking several different classes in varying subjects, I learned that my interests have changed, and I may not see myself in the field I originally thought I would be. You have a lot of time to pick and switch your major if necessary, so it’s alright if you don’t know what you want to do with your life at this very moment.
3. Old friendships may change as new friendships form.
I absolutely love my hometown friends, but being away from them for so long can put a strain on even the closest relationships. As you begin to get closer with a new set of friends, you may find yourself talking to your home friends less, but that’s ok. Your home friends are probably experiencing the same situation at their respective colleges. Just because you don’t talk every day doesn’t mean you don’t love your best friends any less.
4. Choose your own path.
No matter which college you decide to attend, you’ll always run into those people who are crazy about their future plans and devote themselves to a particular career or academic path. It seems like everyone at Wake Forest is pre-business, pre-med, or some other kind of pre-profession. Don’t freak out when one of your friends is mapping out her classes for the next three years and looking into what graduate school she’s going to apply to while you aren’t even able to decide what you’re going to have for breakfast tomorrow. Life is unpredictable, and college, in itself, is a life-altering experience. The people who seem to have it all together may very well change their interests and paths as well.
5. It’s ok to miss a few big parties or social events; there are plenty more to come.
Some say that college is the best four years of your life, so you can’t waste any moment of it. Sometimes the repetition of staying out and partying all night can become exhausting and monotonous. In the beginning of the year, I always seemed to convince myself that I needed to go out when everyone else was because I was afraid I would miss out on something. After becoming slightly sleep-deprived and missing several classes the next day, I realized that it’s ok to miss a few nights to catch up on work or sleep. There will be another big party next weekend, so don’t feel the need to push yourself to go to every social event. You’ll thank yourself later when you finally devote enough time to finishing that essay you’ve been putting off or getting eight hours of sleep for the first time in over a week.
*Cover photo and gifs from giphy.com