With the first month of college coming to a close, life at the Forest has begun to feel like home. Orientation is long gone, classes are in full swing, and more faces are becoming more and more familiar each day. Even though the buzz of being a newbie has worn off, there are still those gut-wrenching moments that cause us little ones anxiety. “Freshmantimidation” is real, folks. Here are some staple “freshmantimidation” factors that have I stumbled across so far as a first year, along with some words of advice that’ll hopefully make your year a little less intimidating:
1. Eating Alone
Even though I don’t mind running solo to the pit for a pre-9 AM class breakfast, during the first few weeks of school, eating alone seems like a low-key death sentence. Those long dining style tables are just begging to be sat at by sports teams and groups of friends. Your party of one might not be too hot about squeezing between the entire floor of girls and the soccer team, but when it comes down to it, a gal needs to eat. So follow your stomach, because eating alone is better than being hungry all day. Booths and high tables work great for those solo pit sits. After all, you are surrounded by people 24/7 in the freshman dorms, so try to enjoy those brief periods of alone time you have each day.
2. Upperclassmen
The last thing any freshman wants is to get off on the wrong foot with an upperclassmen. As a girl who wants to rush, you hear all the rumors about the dos and don’ts of the semester before rush to ensure you don’t get yourself in trouble with potential sisters. Possibly upsetting a member of a sorority you’re interested in is pretty intimidating. Will my gray lace-less converse from 8th grade keep me under the radar at frat parties? One can only hope so. Until then, I just remind myself that behind the Greek letters on ThinkPads & sorority t-shirts are girls who were once freshmen and want you to be just as excited about rush as they were. Hakuna matata, because the big kids were small once, too.
3. Social Media
Every day, my friends from home update their cleverly named college albums on Facebook or post on Insta with their new friends at parties or football games. Does this picture of me with my five new best friends in the hallway of my dorm make me look like I’m totally having the absolute time of my life, joining tons of clubs, getting good grades, and making it to the gym every day? A picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes down to it, our tagged photos and Instagram feeds don’t necessarily say how much we are loving our new campus, classes, and college friends. Social media is a place to post only what we want others to see, which means most people are just trying to make their lives look better than they actually are.
4. Freshman 15
It’s scary. It’s real. It lives in Moe’s and Chick-fil-A (except on Sundays) and the pizza station at the pit. But, with some self-awareness, you can be absolutely fine. Just make an effort to think healthily: take the stairs, go to the gym instead of taking a nap, stop yourself from ordering late night Domino’s with your hallmates, and take the extra 15 minutes to wait in that mile long line at Benson for a salad. Trust me, it will be well worth it in the end.
So collegiettes, despite any intimidation you may face, just remember everyone has been a freshman at some point. So embrace your first year and all the wonderful adjusting that goes with it.
*Cover image from pyxurz.blogspot.com