Freshman year tips

By Joshua O'Connell
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004

It's that time of year again - the time where about 900 fresh-faced, well-rested freshmen arrive to tackle the "best four years of your life" while attempting to take that last giant leap into "the real world." But while college is constantly touted as a time of preparation, many of us forget one thing: we have four years to live first.

When I first entered college, I wished there was some sort of primer of things to keep in mind as the years went on so I could get the most out of it. Well, you lucky freshmen you, I now have the opportunity to do just that.

So, in no particular order, here are some things I've learned from both my experiences and long, all-night chatfests I've had with people over the years here:

• Break out of the herd mentality. It's very easy to fall into a trap when you first get here of hanging all the time with people you met at orientation or during week of welcome. They're familiar, and pretty much the only people you know here, so you practically live together for the first semester. Don't do that - one-eighth of your time will be gone by the time that's over, and by the end of freshman year you'll be sick of them because you've spent too much time together.
• Meet people from different grades. Find someone who's taken the path you think you might take (one future comm major befriends a current comm senior). Make connections now, so later on you already know people on the outside when it comes time to find a job.
• Get out - and not just to party. Go to a major city and just stroll around for the day. Catch a game at the local arena - it's a lot of fun. Even as a freshman, utilize the campus shuttle for movie trips and visits to the almost-holy mall. And of course, since you're freshmen...
• Find an upperclassmen who's nice enough to play taxi. But don't abuse that privilege, and pitch in gas money so they don't feel totally used. After all, they're doing you a favor.
• Make every day count - the time goes by faster than you'd think. And for those who might still be anxious about the times ahead...
• Don't be afraid. College is high school without the marionette strings. There's less structure, and you're more in charge of your decisions, but that's not a bad thing - it's just different. Your family spent 18 years building you into someone who's ready for this challenge - you'll find it's much more than you imagined, but oh so rewarding.

This column originally ran September 16, 2004 in The Mirror.

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