Many people say that college was one of the best times of their lives, and so far, I agree. As a college student going into her sophomore year, this past year brought many new people, experiences, and lessons into my life. I am so grateful for all of it, but there are a few key pieces of advice for incoming college students that are not talked about enough.
- Clean out your closet before going to school.
Packing for college is no joke– and neither is setting up your dorm room. I felt like my school offered great storage space, but throughout the year I recognized that I brought a lot of clothes that I never wore. I packed way too many bags and boxes and suitcases of clothes to have throughout the year, and it was excessive. Do not let your clothing situation be excessive. Minimize before you enter a new space. Start fresh. Start clean. Start simple. And remember that you can switch clothes out for different seasons as the year goes on and you visit your home, which brings me to my next point:
- Don’t go home the first weekend.
I get it. I am super close with my family. Leaving them was challenging, but it was so helpful to me in the long run to stay at school most weekends! While it is great to visit home and spend time with your loved ones if you are close enough to go home and visit, it is also important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Let yourself get familiar with your new place! Take advantage of the first weekend to meet new people, explore the area, and learn about what is going on around campus. What I noticed with many kids who went home the first weekend is that it became a habit for them to go home as much as possible and it took them longer to build strong relationships with their peers on campus. I am not at all saying that you should avoid visiting home throughout the year, it could just really benefit you to get one weekend under your belt in a new place! Become familiar with the faces and places around you.
- Join a group.
One of the best ways to become familiar with new faces and places is to join a group! Get involved! Some of my best memories this year are from the organizations that I was a part of at my university. I was busy. I am in multiple groups, including the women’s soccer team and student government. It was super helpful being a part of an athletic team as I immediately felt like I had new friends to connect with. However, joining a group does not need to be as big of a commitment as an athletic team. Intermurals and volunteer groups were also SO MUCH FUN this year! I made my pickleball debut… it’s safe to say I won’t be going pro anytime soon. I had deep conversations with strangers as we went into Cleveland to give warm meals to homeless individuals. I met people who have very different backgrounds than I do, and I learned just as much from the experiences of extracurriculars as I did in my classes.
- Find study buddies.
Many kids enter college without strong study habits, which is fine if they work to improve their study skills. I found that studying in various spots across campus and having good company is helpful. Now “good company” does not necessarily mean your new best friends, or maybe it does! Find people who are willing to work hard, have similar academic goals as you, and are still fun to be around. I was happy with my academic performance this year, and that is largely due to the study buddies I had. They are great people and became very good friends of mine. I got to know them because we recognized in class that we have similar goals and wanted to hold each other accountable and help each other better understand the content. Sometimes you and your study buddies can use your strengths to help each other in areas of weakness. Again, you have to be willing to put yourself out there, but if you notice that someone works hard, has a strong understanding of the course content, or seems like someone you would want to get to know, you should try to meet with them outside of class! So many kids that I met were open to studying with their classmates in small and large group settings. Sometimes it is just a matter of taking the initiative and seeing where that will take you.
- Understand that priorities change, and that’s okay.
I was shocked this year by the life lessons I learned, one of the biggest being that leaving home would make me reflect on my priorities. This past year was full of self-reflection and many discoveries about myself, my strengths, interests, and passions. While I went into school thinking that my main life goal was to make money to travel in the future, I realized that what I wanted for my life was entirely different than the materialistic goals I had in mind. I was reminded of my appreciation for my home and my family. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder. My sights shifted from monetary goals to developing my passions and skills and becoming a better human being. While I still hope that my future job is lucrative, my reasons for wanting financial stability have shifted. I have become more focused on the intangibles than the tangibles. I am excited about the people I have met, the relationships I am building, and the person I am becoming. I am going to continue working extremely hard to create career opportunities. I’ll go forward while keeping in mind my priorities, the people and places that truly matter to me, for both present and future times. Give yourself the freedom to let your goals change and to be reminded of what is most important to you.
I loved my first year of college and am so excited for students beginning or continuing this chapter of their lives. It is a beautiful time to learn more about yourself and others, about the world and how it works. To any new students, embrace the change and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Take advantage of this time to live around so many people your age and meet some of your best friends. I hope you love it!