Honest Advice For Freshman from Current Students

My daughter just finished up her freshman year, so I took advantage of that and surveyed her and several of her friends to find out what advice they have for incoming college freshmen. I asked the simple question of what advice would you give to incoming freshman and was surprised at how quickly they came up with their answers and how the answers overlapped with each other. So here you go, advice for freshman from the outgoing freshman.

1. Go to Events

There was unanimous advice on this one. Don’t lock yourself up and stay in your room. It’s important to get out there and go to events. This is a great way to get to meet new people that don’t live in your dorm and to discover things that you are interested in. The kids that stay in their room and fail to get involved do not enjoy the college experience nearly as much as those students that make an effort to go to the events. But make sure to read #two below.

2. Don’t Worry about Missing Out

While it was unanimous that it is important to go to campus events, it was also unanimous that it is equally important not to feel like you are missing out if you can’t make some events. Do not try to do everything. Like anything in life, it is about finding balance. You want to get involved and put yourself out there but don’t over do it or feel like you are missing out if you can’t make a particular event your friends are going to. There will be many, many opportunities to go to other events.

3. Talk to Your Advisor

Your advisors are a wealth of information, it is so important to go and talk to them about any questions and concerns you have. You should try to meet them your first week. If you find yourself in a class that is uncomfortable for you, don’t be afraid to go and talk to your advisor. While your Advisor won’t tell you what to do, they will have sound advice for you as to whether you should consider dropping that class or maybe even changing majors. Your advisor can really be your biggest help in setting up and managing your schedule. Remember, that is what they are there for, don’t be shy about contacting them, it is important to go and talk to them and get to know them.

4. Say Hi to Everyone

Your first year of college is the time to open up.  You are going to be living with these people and seeing them all the time, so be friendly. Don’t wait for people to talk to you, say hi.  You don’t have to start an entire conversation, just say hi! This applies even if you are an introvert, go outside of your comfort zone and say hello. You will start some of your greatest relationships simply by saying Hi.

5. Make Friends

If you really want to enjoy your first year of college, you need to make friends. But, here is the part of this advice that was stressed as really important, “don’t settle.” If you do not build a great relationship with the first few people you meet, there will always be new people to meet who are just like you, give it a little time. Your college friends should become life long friends. So don’t settle and feel like you have to be exclusive friends with the first people you meet. Meet as many people as you can to find those true friendships.

6. Go to Office Hours

If you want your professor to know your name, you must go to office hours. Freshman college classes are large and your professor will most likely never know who you are by just attending class. Office hours are not mandatory, so you have to make the effort to go. By making this effort, you will get to know your professor.  This is a good thing because your professor may very well be the one who recommends you for that internship you want so badly.  So make sure you attend office hours.

7. Know That You’re Not the Only One

This applies to everything. When you first get to college, you wonder what if no one else is like me? Well, rest assured that you are not the only one. If you don’t drink or go to parties, you are not the only one. Don’t worry if you think you’re weird, you are not the only one. Even if you have a certain unique passion or hobby, you are not the only one. You get the picture, no matter what it is, understand and know that you are not the only one.

8. Leave Your Door Open

The absolute best way to get to know people that live in your dorm is to leave your door open. It is a sign that you welcome others to come in and say hello.  You let others know you want to get to know them and you are good to hang out. For the most part, everyone is new freshman year, you’re not alone.  Don’t be afraid to leave your door open or to stop by someone else’s room with their door open and say hi.

The main benefit to living in a dorm is that it provides the greatest opportunity to get to know other people quickly. Take advantage of that and let others know that you are open to getting to know them by leaving your door open and saying hi when you see an open door. Of course, if you want some alone time, or if you need to study, it is also a good idea to close your door during those times so that you will not be disturbed.

Follow these tips to make your freshman year your Favorite year!

Now go and doing something to make today your Favorite day!