Academic Success.
Until midterm grades came out, I just assumed I was doing well. That was until I calculate my GPA. Do not get me wrong, I did not do HORRIBLY, but I did not do as well as I hoped. I fell into an endless cycle of comparing my results in college to my successes in high-school and it took me a few months to realize that is completely pointless. College is hard for a reason, and if it was that easy to get a 4.0, ZSR library would always be dead. While this does sound cliche and like you are on a campus tour again, there are so many great resources on campus. I would not have survived half my classes last semester if it was not for office hours. THAT SAVED ME. Seriously though, do not be nervous to walk into your professor’s doors. they are there to help and most likely you will see a change in your grade for the better.
FOMO: Fear of Missing Out.
An illness that will infect every freshman at some point. Believe me, the first few weeks I was suffering from severe FOMO. I constantly felt like I had to be everywhere with everyone all at the same time, and if I was not, I was missing out on life-changing experiences. In reality, that is not the case. At some point, school picks up and you will not have time to go everywhere with everyone, and sometimes you will not want to. A piece of advice: If you feel like you HAVE to go out, do not. After a few months, you’ll realize that legit every weekend is basically the same, and you are not missing out. Another piece of advice: if you ever feel left out the next day in a group setting, literally just say, “Yeah last night was wild,” and I guarantee you nobody will even think twice of you not being there.
Your health.
I cannot stress this enough, but you actually have to put yourself first: emotionally and physically. It’s totally okay to eat pizza at 2am here and there, but put some healthy meals in between. If you keep putting this off, it will most definitely catch up to you and at the worst times. Having a 104 fever every day two weeks before finals is not fun. Enough said.
Family and friends
Do not forget about your folks back home! It’s okay to get caught up with some school work and social events, but do not forget about the ones that are working hard to send you to the place you’re at right now. This applies to friends too. Make an effort! I know for a fact that you have at least five minutes in your day to spare to call your parents, siblings, and friends. Call them in between classes, on your walk to the gym, while you’re putting your makeup on before going out to dinner, just call them! Going to school in North Carolina while all my friends and family are still in the North means I cannot just go home on the weekend whenever I want, so making those calls is really the only means of communication I have. College is basically a 24/7 sleepover with thousands of kids so I for sure get sick of people sometimes so it’s nice to hear voices from back home.
Roommate
If second semester started and you’re still not best friends with your roommate, do not be frustrated. As long as you guys are able to coexist, that’s all that matters. You cannot force relationships.
Relationships.
Just by looking around me, it seems like many people either came into college in a relationship or somehow found themselves in one after a few months, and even weeks, of being here. Not going to lie, there have been moments where I really started to question myself. Desperation is not an attractive look on anyone so do not lower your standards because you will find yourself unhappy at some point. It has only been one full semester. Chances of you finding your soulmate on day one are pretty slim so do not take it personally. (This one took me a WHILE to learn.)
First semester friends.
While second semester only started, it’s already kind of noticeable who is a loyal one and who is not.. Rush will change relationships, and while that may suck in the moment, this happens to everyone and that just means you guys were not meant to be genuine friends in the first place. Everyone will make new friends every semester, especially after joining Greek life, and that is part of the process. They are called first semester friends for a reason, so leave them in the first semester and move on. You will find your soulmate best friend soon. I promise.