5 Tips For Any College Freshman

By Nicole Hindberg on March 1, 2019

In the spring semester of my sophomore year, I find myself reflecting on the two years of college that I have experienced so far. Although it may seem odd to reflect back this early, I think it is still good to give advice and tips to freshmen who have no idea where they are in college yet.

from pixels.com

  1. Join something you have never tried before: When you’re a kid your parents force you into different activities and hobbies. Eventually, you decided for yourself if you wanted to stay in them as you get older. If your parents didn’t do that, you would have never known what things you like and what things you don’t. In my sophomore year, I joined Lacrosse — a sport I had never tried before. In the short time I have played it, I have fallen in love with the sport and I have found some friends that I will keep for a long time. If I hadn’t stepped outside my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have found something I love.
  2. Don’t buy your textbooks until classes start: My freshman year I wasted hundreds of dollars on textbooks that I never opened. Sophomore year, I waited until I got the syllabus to buy books and I ended up only needing half of the ones that were listed before classes start.
  3. Don’t be afraid to change your major: The major that you start out with is most likely not the major that you’ll end up with. College is all about exploring your passions and finding yourself. It’s usually not too late to change your major, that way you’re not stuck with something you don’t like. I started studying to be a physical therapist and I regretted going to class every day. Once I changed my major to Journalism, I was excited to go to class again.
  4. Don’t spend all your time studying: Although grades are very important in college, experiencing college is important too. Believe it or not, you can fit your social life into your busy schedule. You’ll regret not going out with your friends that one Friday night, or not going on that date, or not going to that sleepover or whatever it may be.
  5. Don’t sweat over every little thing: I spent most of my freshman year worried about my grades, my social life, and plans for the future. I spent so much time worrying, I would get headaches almost every day. Most of the time the things I was worried about didn’t even matter and ended up working themselves out.

All in all, everyone will make many mistakes in college. Taking advice from someone older than you can really help a lot when you’re trying to navigate through your college years.

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