Whether it’s your
first year of high school, your first year of college, maybe you’re transferring…
this is really for anyone jumping into a new season of life. First times can be
scary especially when you don’t know what to expect. I’m that type of person
that loves to try new things if I know the end result… and well, as I’m growing
as a person, I’m figuring out that there are more unknowns than answers these
days. Slowly but surely I’m learning to be brave and embrace all of those
unknowns.
So before I get too
deep and sentimental, I’m going to jump into my tips for all of you college
freshman! Yay! I learned a lot in my first year of college, and not just in the
classrooms. Being on your own gives you more time to figure out who you want to
be, what your interests are and what types of people you enjoy being around…
the list goes on! I’ve compiled a list of the top ten things/tips I learned as
a freshman and I hope you find this helpful!
1.
Partying
and drinking isn’t the only thing to do
I
know what you’re thinking… cool Mariah, I’ve already heard this from my mom and
I don’t need to hear it from you. Yeah, I realize I started off with the most controversial
tip and I realize not everyone wants to hear it, but this is honestly something
huge I learned my freshman year. Oftentimes
we find ourselves doing things we don’t enjoy just to fit in don’t we? FOMO
(the fear of missing out) is real isn’t it? Yes it is! Guess what friends,
college is a time to be yourself. Really any phase of life is a good time to be
yourself, but college offers a new start for most of you. You can become
whoever you want to be, you are not bound to any identity you feel the need to
fulfill and you have the power to redefine who you are. My biggest piece of
advice is to be true to who you are, no matter what others want you to be. I,
like anyone else, love to have fun. If you don’t like to have fun you’re lying
to yourself! I personally don’t think partying and drinking is enjoyable. I’m
not shy to admit that I didn’t drink my freshman year and don’t plan to anytime
soon. There is so much to do at school, and so many other ways to have fun… don’t
feel the need to do something just because someone else thinks it’s cool. Be you
and you’ll attract the right people. Also just remember how much you’re paying
for school… don’t throw it away to drunk nights at a frat house. And don’t
think I’m condemning those that love to party, do what you will, it’s just not
for me.
2.
You will
become friends with unexpected people
This
was my favorite revelation during my freshman year. You meet so. Many. People. Every
day I met someone new going about my daily routine. You connect with others in
so many ways. Over doing laundry, a hairstyle, going to social events, you name
it. My roommate Kylee (Hi Kylee!) and I became roommates and best friends
because we were wearing the same shorts and she complemented them. Crazy, huh?
You’ll find things in common with unexpected people you may not have reached
out to if you were still in high school. Be brave enough to start a conversation
because you’ll never know what kind of friendships will develop. Even going
into my second year of college, I’m so excited to meet new people and create
new bonds. I know how scary the thought of rejection is, how crazy it is that
you’re in a new world with new people you know nothing about. Don’t let fear
get the best of you, just reach out. Something amazing could come from it.
3.
Do not
bring your entire closet to school
Wow,
this was one of my biggest mistakes. Please take my advice on this one and don’t
bring everything you own, especially if you’re living in a dorm. It’s an all-around
bad idea and I chose to ignore this advice because I’m a fashion major and
thought bringing all my clothes would somehow help me succeed. I promise you
that you won’t wear half of them. Also, I’m expanding on my advice for this one
in a post coming soon, so keep an eye out for that!
4.
Greek
Life isn’t what you think
Some
of you may know that I went through formal recruitment within the first month
of being at school. I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun weeks of
my life. It was full of minimal amounts of sleep, pizza bagels at two in the
morning and a whole lot of talking. So you know all those stereotypes placed on
sororities and fraternities? Well I’m here to tell you movies like Legally
Blonde and Neighbors don’t accurately reflect the Greek community. This year
hundreds of thousands of dollars were poured into those in need all over the
country thanks to Greek Life. Not only do we raise money for great causes, you
get to do so while meeting women who share similar values. Now I’m not saying
Greek men and women are absent from the party scenes, I’m saying that there is
a lot more to it than that. My advice to you is to go through recruitment if
you’re interested in the slightest and choose the place where you feel most at
home. Going Greek doesn’t mean “paying for your friends” it means connecting
with your peers and creating lifelong friendships and bettering yourself those
around you.
5.
Taking
time for yourself is important
Between
going to class, getting involved, creating a social life and being around
people 24/7 in general, it’s so important to take time to recharge and take
time to do something you love. Without this breathing room, not only will you
become cranky, your grades and health could be effected (and staying healthy is
so important during the school year, trust me). For more on this topic check
out this post here!
6.
Procrastinating
is an awful idea
In
high school I procrastinated quite a bit of the time. I crammed for tests the
night before, started projects later than I should have… sound familiar? Let me
tell you it’s not as easy in college! After nearly pulling an all nighter to finish
a very important project and struggling the entire next day, being tired is one
of the worst feelings ever. So is stress. It is so easy to put things off until
last minute since there is so much to do, but remember why you’re in school.
Especially if you’re majoring in the arts… this is a competitive field and you’re
not going to do your best if you put everything off. Now, this is definitely a
habit that takes time to break and I still struggle to force myself to get my
work done early. But we can do this together! Create a to-do list for the day
and try to conquer two big tasks and three little ones. I find this method
works well for me, but let me know in the comments if you have effective
methods to tackling a large workload.
7.
Socializing,
Sleeping and Studying is possible
I
know there are rumors out there that having a healthy balance of these three
components of college life is impossible, but it is, I promise! There are
definitely seasons during the school year when you’ll have to spend more time
focusing on one area than the other, but it won’t always be like that. It
really comes down to time management. This definitely connects with the whole don’t
procrastinate thing and once you determine your priorities, you’ll too find
this balance.
8.
The
freshman fifteen doesn’t have to be real
Your
school most likely has a rec center and you can most likely utilize the gym for
free using your student ID right? For most of you yes! I know the weeks get
busy and fitness usually is the first thing to take the back seat, but making
time for a fifteen minute run or a quick ab workout session in your dorm room
can make all the difference. Even if you hate working out, try walking to class
instead of taking the bus, those little things every day make a huge
difference. Also, you’ll have an unlimited (well, limited by your meal plan) access
to a multitude of unhealthy options as well as Insomnia Cookies at 2 a.m. Girl,
skip it. As many greasy options as there are there is an equal amount of
healthy foods to choose from. My biggest tip is not to keep junk food in your
dorm room. If it’s not there you’ll be less likely to snack on it and overall
less likely to think about it. When it comes to meals, try to focus on portion
size more than anything… for more, read this helpful article here! And don’t
worry it’s totally okay to splurge once in a while… we all have those cravings.
9.
Do not
buy books until you’ve been to class
Don’t
do it. Trust me. First semester I was scared to death of being kicked out of a
lecture hall in front of everyone if I didn’t have all of my supplies (like
that scene in Legally Blonde you know?) It won’t happen. The first week is all
about adjusting and you mainly review the course syllabus… so you have time to
figure out what you need in a timely manner. I have a quick story: second
semester I needed about eight books for the classes I was taking and I only
bought one. So that being said, I only needed 12% of what I originally thought
I needed… in turn I saved myself about five hundred dollars. And saving money
is super important when you’re in college… you know that. Do I sound like your
mom yet?
10. Get involved
Do
it! Go to that cake baking class if it sounds fun, join a fitness group on
campus to meet new people, join a club that stands for something you believe
in. The best way to get the most out of your first year of college is to put
your all into it. Don’t be afraid to try new things… you may discover something
new about yourself. It’s important to make life long friends and connections
with people who have connections.
These days finding a job is more about who you know than anything, isn’t it? I
still have a lot to learn, but I know this is a great way to enhance future
success career wise. Also, who doesn’t love meeting new people?
So,
I hope you found this post helpful and insightful. I’m so excited to be kicking
off August with a back to school series. New years for fresh starts right? Join
me in preparing for a successful year! Stay tuned for more posts coming this
week related to back to school.
Thanks
for reading!
xx Mariah
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