As my time in college wraps up (just one week of classes left!) and I prepare to receive my Bachelor's in Psychology, I have really started to think about my four years at my university. Freshman year seems like it was just yesterday (no exaggeration, it really flew by), and that 18 year old girl who stepped onto campus for the first time four years ago is not quite the same, 22 year old young woman that is writing this now. I have learned a lot in school...but not just academically. I have to say, if I were to go back and had a chance to talk to that 18 year old me, I'd have quite a lot to tell her about what I wish I'd known before I started college.
1. You absolutely do not need to limit yourself to one group of friends. When I first started college, I was still a little shy and obviously nervous about this next big step in my life. So when I (rather quickly) found my group of friends, I kind of stopped looking. I had people to hang out with, and they knew people, and that's all I really needed. I had parties to go to, people to eat lunch with, and friends to experience our first big step in independence with. People really find their 'people' freshman year, especially when they're living on campus. So what happens when you find yourself without that initial group you thought you had for life? Well...brings me to my next point.
2. "Close" friends do NOT always mean "good" friends. People betray. They lie, they cheat, they put you down, gang up on you. You could be close to someone for so long, and then find them stabbing you in the back without warning. I always looked at it as such a betrayal...how could they do that to me? Well, they may have been close friends but that did not mean that they were truthful and caring friends. A truly good friend does not intentionally hurt you.
3. Don't slack off freshman year. Every college usually has a max and a min amount of classes or credits you can take per semester. They also probably have the "go-to" amount of classes, that will keep you on track to graduate within four years. For my university, that was 5 classes. If you took 5 classes all 8 semesters, you would graduate no problem. I didn't exactly think that through and ended up taking 4 classes all freshman year instead of 5, and once I hit junior year, I realized I'd have to be squeezing in 6 or more a semester if I wanted to graduate on time with everyone else. Luckily, I managed it, but taking 6 classes plus a lab all in one semester is way more stress than necessary...just take the amount of classes you need! There's always time for parties and sleeping.
4. If you need extra money, try to get a job on campus! I didn't have a job freshman year because the stress of a new environment and harder classes was enough to handle at the time. I wish I'd known I had options on working on campus before I started so I could have been working an extra year. But when I was a sophomore, I knew I needed to start making money again so I could go out with my friends and make a few necessary payments. I knew some people who were waitressing at night, but that seemed like a lot. I applied to a few on-campus jobs (there's on-campus student working & work study...if you don't have work study you can still see if you can work on campus!) and ended up getting one at my university's library. Not only did I get to make money while in school without overwhelming myself, but I ended up working with some of the sweetest people. Sometimes, if I got all my work done early, they let me catch up on homework. Getting this job on campus was one of the best decisions I made in college.
5. You don't have to know what your major is going to be right away. I didn't realize how many people came into college undeclared. When I went to my orientation the summer prior to starting, I was under the impression I had to choose a major right then and there, because everyone had one in mind already! So, without knowing I didn't have to know for sure until my third year, I went and signed up to be a sociology major...without ever having even taken a sociology course. When I completed my first semester and had finally taken a class in my "major", I realized I didn't have much interest in it and definitely did not want to make a career out of it. After a lot of thought (and effort...the process wasn't as simple as it was when I first picked at orientation) I eventually switched my major over to psychology. It was such a weight off my shoulders to know I was finally going to be studying something I found fascinating and could see myself doing for the rest of my life. Had I had the opportunity to go back and know this now, I definitely would have been undeclared until I was sure.
6. Even when you know your major, you don't have to know exactly what you want to do with it. When I had declared my major in psychology and started taking more intensive psychology classes, everyone around me seemed to have a good idea of what they wanted to do with their degree when they got out of school. Therapists, doctors, researchers, etc. I started to kind of panic when I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do with a psychology degree! The more I took classes, I found the topics that interested me and eventually came to the conclusion that I was most taken by psychology in children, abnormal behavior and behavior analysis. But I had to take classes that involved these topics in order to really find my place. Don't feel pressured to decide your entire career future the second you declare a major.
7. Work hard, but don't forget to have fun. And vice versa. There were three major groups I noticed in college. People who partied too much and didn't study, people who studied too much and didn't have any fun, and people who found the perfect balance. I personally think I went in and out of all three of these groups before finally settling right in the middle and learning the art of balance. You'll be both happy and successful if you manage your time.
8. Not everyone finds "the one" in college. I feel like people are always saying that most people find their true love in college. I'm not going to lie, I kind of expected to. My advice: don't expect that. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Either is fine and neither is right. You're not doomed and alone forever if you don't find someone in your four year block at a single university. You have much more time and many more places to explore.
9. Who you were in high school does not always carry over. Really popular in high school? Don't expect it to be the same in college, because it might not be. Same goes for being super unpopular. You could end up having a ton of friends. You have a chance to start over with new people who didn't grow up with you and see you at your most awkward stages. Thank god.
10. The freshman 15 (or more) is a real thing. And doesn't end after freshman year. There's a good chance you have access to a gym if you go to a university. Use it. I can't speak for everyone, but these past 4 years have not been my fittest. I have definitely gained weight from eating too much and too often and not getting my lazy ass to the provided gym. Just remember to stay healthy! Booze can really make you gain some pounds too....whoops!
11. You're going to be just fine. There will be moments where you will feel so overwhelmed, so sad, so stressed out, and you'll really consider giving up. There doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. But there really is. There will be giant bumps in the road but you will get over them. You really will be just fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment