Freshman year can be pretty stressful—adjusting to the workload of college while simultaneously being able to hang out with your friends anytime you want is tough!! There are also some added fears that come with being a freshman. Whether it be the fear of eating alone, falling in front of the starting quarterback, or blurting out “good how are you?” when your crush asks you “what’s going on,” the stresses of freshman year are real. Here are a few of my big ones, and feel free to comment your own below!
1) Dropping a plate in Commons
This is probably my biggest fear as a freshman at the moment. The thought of dropping a full plate of food right in front of the tables where all the football, baseball, and lacrosse players sit is the scariest thing I can think of. What if your foot slips and that plate of pasta with marinara sauce spills all down your white shirt? I don’t even want to think about it.
2) Calling an upperclassman in your class by the wrong name
Does this happen? I have yet to do this, but I already know I’m scared of it. There’s an upperclassman in my Medieval Lit class with a tattoo and I don’t know his name, and I just hope I never have a reason to need to know it because that would be so embarrassing! I just default to making eye contact with someone when I talk to them so they know who I’m talking to, then I don’t have to know their name.
3) Falling off your scooter on alumni during the 8 am rush
Having a scooter as a freshman is already bold, so you have to make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself while using it. While whizzing off to your 8 am from commons, you better not take a corner too fast and slip off. No one wants an injury to start off the day! Especially an injury served with a side of complete embarrassment.
4) Having no one to sit with when commons is packed
That feeling of dread when you’re really hungry but none of your friends can go eat with you, PLUS it’s 12:00 or 6:00 and you know commons is going to be full is the worst. Make a beeline for the stairs and hope there’s a spot open upstairs where you can eat in peace (and as quickly as possible). God forbid you come downstairs to put your plates away and find all your friends just starting to eat at a table together.
5) Walking into the wrong room for a pregame
This is something I’ve actually done. Freshmen were hanging out in room 224, and I walked straight into room 214 by accident, which was occupied by two upperclassman girls and two upperclassman guys, all who I did not know. Luckily the girls were friendly and understanding enough to send me in the right direction, but it was pretty frightening in the moment.
What are some other fears you had freshman year? Leave them in the comments below!