I start school in less than a month, and it is really starting to hit me that this is my last semester. My plan was always to graduate early, but now that Fall 2015 is arriving I can’t believe how fast time has gone by. I don’t feel like freshman year was yesterday, but it does feel strange that three years of college are done. I graduate December 20, and that date is inching closer and closer.
Now that I’ve barely survived most of college, I have been thinking about how different I am and how much I have changed. So, for all of you about to depart for freshman year (and so that I can take a little trip down memory lane) here is my advice to myself before starting my freshman year.
- Don’t pack so much. You won’t wear half the crap you are hauling to school. You’ll survive with way less.
- You do NOT have to hang out with anyone that you don’t want to. You don’t like the people you live with? That’s fine. Everyone in your dorm is hanging out and you don’t want to join? That’s ok. You probably will not see those people after freshman year, except for an awkward glance across campus. There is no rule, anywhere, that says you have to become best friends with your roommates and they are guaranteed a spot in your wedding party. All of my best friends I made at Hofstra (aka the people who I am still friends with as I enter senior year) are people I met the end of freshman year, and become close to during the next two years.
- College is hard. You have to learn to study. You (almost always) have to do the reading. It is assigned for a reason. However…
- Sometimes your professors are idiots. There is no reasonable explanation for how they were hired for a higher education job, but they are there, you are stuck in their class for a semester, and you have to make the best of it. That review that you write at the end of the semester probably won’t make a difference, but it’ll let you vent a little frustration and give the department a laugh.
- Join clubs. Even ones that you are unsure about, go to at least a meeting or two. I was invited to join Zeta on Facebook by a friend of a friend who I barely knew at the time, and going to that first info session was one of the best decisions I ever made. I followed a friend to the first rehearsal of a new dance group, despite not having danced in years, and now I can’t imagine not knowing all of these brilliant, talented people.
- Greek life is not for everyone. I decided to forgo a traditional sorority to join Zeta (a co-ed, pre-professional frat made up of all communications majors- definitely not what I had planned). You will find your people, and they don’t necessarily have to be wearing letters to be your friend.
- Living by yourself, no matter what people say, is probably going to save your sanity. Having your own little space that no one else can claim is exactly what you need at the end of the day.
- You are not homesick right now, but you will be. The shiny newness of college will soon wear off, and you will want nothing more than to be home with all of your old friends. You’ll be fine- break will come soon enough.
- Give people a chance. But not too many chances. If someone treats you poorly and doesn’t return your friendship, drop them out of your life. They are not worth your time, effort, or tears. On the other hand, sometimes people deserve a chance. Go on that date. Go on another one. He might be the one.
- Don’t over-commit. College is your last chance to have fun and not worry about a full time job or adult responsibilities (for the most part). You don’t want to intern this summer? Fine. As long as you have a few internships and clubs under your belt that you had enough time to commit to, you will be fine. You don’t need to be president of every organization out there. Relax.
- Sometimes you have to put down whatever you’re doing and watch an episode of ‘The West Wing’ instead. Your work will still be there in an hour. If you think you don’t have enough time to take a break, then you need a break!
- You’ll be fine. No matter how crappy your day was or if you made a C or if you think life is falling apart and you haven’t slept in three days- you’ll be fine. College is fun, and no matter how crazy things may get, you will have a group of people supporting you. Just know that in the end, you will get your diploma and it will all be worth it.
Me on move-in day….how times have changed.
While there were certainly more than a few times where college wasn’t the best, it’s been fun and I really have loved it. Not every minute of it, but most of it. I haven’t always been sure of my decisions, but in the end, I cannot imagine going anywhere other than Hofstra.
There are so many things that I wish I knew freshman year, these are just a few. There are things I will learn even as a senior, as I continue to grow and change and- gasp!- become an adult. While writing that makes me freak out just a little, I’m excited to tackle my last semester and see what is in store!
