First Year 101

Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking back of course I can now admit that my first year of college was a great year but while experiencing it all I wanted was to get out. Your first year presents all new challenges. This is your first time on your own in a sense, you don’t have a large group of friends with you, your classes are new, and overall, you have a lot to figure out.  

The things you learn about yourself and the risks you take will set you up for a successful 4 years and life beyond college. Let’s talk about just a few things I wish someone had told me during my first year.

You won’t make friends immediately, and that’s okay

We are all social creatures, and as humans, we crave connectedness. I remember watching my friends on social media who went to schools with others we knew jealous of how they automatically had a friend. Or sitting in the cafeteria eating alone because you don’t know anyone (I’ll address this later).

It is perfectly okay to come to college and not have friends or desire new friends. It personally took me about 3 months to feel like I had potential friends and about 5 months until the relationships felt real. I didn’t consider them close friends until the next year, and now 2 of these same friends are my best friends. All that to say it takes time and you have nothing but time.

Get out of your comfort zone

You did not come to college to be the same person you’ve been your whole life. You will evolve, and there will be guilt as you realize you are away from your old friends and family but trust me the real ones want you to grow.

IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO EAT ALONE. Believe it or not, no one is watching or judging you for sitting alone.

I will also challenge you to go join a club, start a new hobby, and/or sit in your residence hall’s common area. You will find in these moments that most people feel the same way as you. All of these things not only help you connect to your campus better, but they give you an outlet outside of class.

Take class seriously, but don’t forget college is for fun too

Oftentimes first-year students find themselves in 1 of 2 places, either studying so much they forget to have fun, or having too much fun they forget to study. Learn your balance early. I remember being so convinced that as a pre-med/biology student I had to spend all my days studying and doing homework my first semester. Sure, my grades reflected that routine, but I also felt like I missed out on a lot of moments on campus for a major I ended up switching (and switched from that major too).

By my second semester, I realized I needed to have fun too. You are living on a college campus the perfect cross-over of business and pleasure. These places were designed to give you the best of both worlds.

Last but not least…

Give yourself some grace

I know this all too well, present tense, as I still find myself struggling to give grace. You won’t always understand the content in your classes. Sometimes you’ll be so tired you oversleep. There may be times when it feels like you’re doing everything wrong. I assure you; life goes on.

It will feel like everything has gone wrong and you’ll never recover but don’t give up now. It is in our toughest battles that we find our strongest assets.

There’s an entire book I could write of advice for just your first year, but I can only hope that these few tips can help you make your college home. I hope they can remind you that everything takes time and with patience, you will have the life you desired.

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Talk next week! For more information about the blog, me, or the work I do please explore my website.