10 Things I wish I knew Freshman Year
I want you to close your eyes for a second and think about your first day of college.Your parents driving you down in a packed mini van with zero rear view visibility. Passing by a kid in a bathrobe walking down your dorm hallway as your moving in and averting your eyes. Your dad huffing and puffing as you move your boxes up 3 flights of stairs and finally, the inevitable goodbye to your family as they drive away. Maybe it was just a few days ago or maybe it was years ago. Regardless, I bet you can remember how frightening yet exciting it was to start your college career.
We just dropped off my younger sister down at Indiana University a few days ago. She’s living in the same dorm as I did freshman year, down the hall and one floor up. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s living in my friends’ room from two years ago. Going back to the dorm, flooded back all of these memories from my freshman year: watching basketball games in the lounge, the ultimate snowball fight in the courtyard, ordering pizza late at night and sharing it…
Thinking back to that time, there are a few things I wish i knew going into my freshman year. Some of these will pertain just to Indiana University, but most will apply to everyone.
1. Treat it Like your job
Hit the books M-F, 9-5. Now did I do this my freshman year? No no definitely not. However, learn from my mistakes. Think about it this way, you’re spending thousands of dollars in tuition in order to get an education and if you’re trying to get into the business school (like many of my friends freshman year) it is your livelihood. This is the most important thing in your life right now. Do your self a favor and try your best in your classes. This means taking the time to go to them, take notes, answer questions, and meet with your professors.
2. Get Organized
If you haven’t already, learn how to organize all of classes and extracurriculars. I, for one, need an assignment notebook and have to write all of my information down. Some people use the google calendar, their mac, or wunderlist. To see more about my assignment notebook click here.
I’d also recommend making folders for all of your classes on your laptop, and putting all of your documents inside of those. Then at the end of the semester you can put them all inside one big folder. This creates less of a hassle when you are trying to find something.
3. Choose your courses carefully
For me the 3 biggest factors on choosing a class: location, professor, and time. Research ahead of time: check rate my professors, use google maps, and ask friends. You don’t want to have the teacher who screams at the class to wake them up and you don’t want the class across campus at 8 am.
4. Invest in your Health!
Save your self from the freshman fifteen. Trust me it actually happens, even if you go to the gym. Without anyone buying groceries for you and easy access to cheap, microwaveable food many college students gain weight their freshman year. The trick is to make your health a priority. Instead of eating bosco sticks and pasta every night, switch it for a salad and some protein. Try limiting the late night takeout from PizzaX or Baked. Every now again its okay. Just try not to live on them.
I'd also recommend that you stay active! Walk everywhere. Get involved in intramurals sports or group exercise. Make a plan and stick to it. For me, I go to the gym 5-7 days a week and I have a 12 week workout plan so I never have to think about what my workout will be for the day. It’s all planned out and I can go straight to the gym and bang out a workout.
5. Build a relationship with a professor or an advisor
This is crucial. Within the first couple of weeks, visit all of your professors office hours. While it can be scary at first, these are the people here to help you. Make sure to research them beforehand and make sure you read their syllabi so you don’t ask questions that are already answered. Regardless, find someone you can connect with. Not only is it nice to get to know someone who knows the school and curriculum, you can probably hit them up later in your college career for recommendation letters.
6. Get Professional!
- This is mainly for business students, however, I’d recommend this for everyone. Before going down to school, invest in some business clothes. For guys, make sure you have at least one pair of slacks, a couple button downs, and a blazer Make sure your belt and shoes match. For girls, have at least one pair of flats, one pair of heels, and a business suit (it can have pants or a skirt, just make sure it’s appropriate). You should also invest in a padfolio as well.
- Write your resume! Review the UCSO Career Guide booklet. You should receive one sometime during your freshman year, however, you can also find it online. Within there you can view examples of resumes. For you first year, it is okay to have high school information on there, over time it will go away.
- Create a linkedin. This is something that I cannot stress enough! Start this as soon as possible. You’ll stand out compared to your peers and it helps connect you with the business world.
7. No one cares how cool you were in high school
Everyone is in the exact same boat as you. There’s no need to try to impress people or act better than anyone. Keep your doors open during the first few weeks of school and be nice to everyone you meet. Invite some of your floor mates to go grab dinner with you and your friends. Offer to help someone put together their new shelving unit. You never know who will be your new best friend.
8. Take advantage of the Health Center!
College is a stressful and overwhelming time. If you’re feeling sick or need to talk to someone use the health center. I’ve been multiple times, and the people there are so welcoming and understanding. It’s terrible being sick when you are away from home and it’s best to go get it taken care of as soon as possible. The IU health center offers students opportunities to talk to counselors, nutrition advice, massages, and more.
9. Work your summer after your freshman year.
While it may keep you busier than your friend lifeguarding for the summer, you’ll be gaining experience. It’ll be something you can add to your resume and talk to recruiters about. Plus, when you go to apply to jobs, you’ll have 2-3 year of experience under your belt.
10.Try Something New!
I'm sure you've heard this from multiple people, but I'll say it again: get involved! Make sure to go to the student activities fair. You'll probably get free stuff and you never know what might spark your interest. If I didn't go my freshman year, I would have never have known that IU has a cave exploring club. They're will also be a lot of call out meetings in the first month or so! Go to them as well, and bring your friends from your floor (especially if it's a business fraternity). They normally have pizza or something to eat as an incentive!
