This week, I kicked off my senior year at GW, and could not help getting swept up in a little nostalgia as I saw the latest batch of freshman, our class of 2018, settling in campus-wide. In that nostalgia, I started to think about the past three years, and what I wish I had known when I was younger. Below is the best advice that I have to offer, after mulling over my own experiences and talking to some fellow seniors. Everyone has a different college experience, but here are my top five tidbits of advice for any incoming freshman.
- Be open to new friendships.
When you first come to college, you’re going to meet a hugely diverse range of people. This is particularly common at GW, where people come not just from all over the country, but all over the world. It can be scary to come to a new place and start a new chapter without a support network of close friends or even family nearby, but that doesn’t mean you need to meet your best college friends right away. It sometimes seems like there’s a certain pressure to create a college “family” away from home as soon as you move in, but you will immediately meet so many people everywhere (in your dorm, your classes, your students orgs, at parties, literally everywhere) that you will definitely meet people you click with. There’s no rush to have a new college BFF; over time, you’ll see that these relationships develop naturally, and that sometimes the first friend you make in the fall will just be an acquaintance by the spring, while your neighbor down the hall turns out to be your friend soulmate.
- Re-evaluate your relationship status.
Some people come to college with high school boyfriends or girlfriends. Some make a point of coming to college single. Some don’t want anything even close to monogamy, while others want to find a husband or wife and earn their MRS/MR degree. But just as you will grow into your college friendships, you will also grow and change significantly as a person during your freshman year of college. Maybe the relationship you came to school with doesn’t work anymore, or you find yourself in a place where you thought you wanted a relationship, but you really just want to explore what is out there. There are so many possibilities in college and there is no right or wrong way to define your relationship status. The important thing is staying true to what you really want and need.
- Don’t be afraid to change your mind (and your major).
I came to college knowing my major was still up in the air. I planned my schedule accordingly, taking an assortment of classes in different departments, from English and foreign language courses to some in science and math. Sometimes trying different classes in different topics can be the best way to figure out what you actually like and what you want to pursue for a career. Your college days are the time when you are free to try on different potential professions, and as a freshman, you’re in the perfect position to take a variety of classes and sample different fields before you need to lock yourself into a major.
- Get involved.
Just like you should try different classes, you should also try different activities and student organizations. From Greek life to GWTV and a million different groups in between, GW has a club to fit any interest. And if there isn’t one, you can pretty easily start your own group and meet other people who share your passions. Putting yourself out there and going to club meetings, intramural sports matches or any other organized group event is also a great way to meet people with common interests and make new friends.
- Make mistakes.
This may sound slightly trite, but I think it’s important. The four years that lie ahead of you are yours to make whatever you’d like of them, but along the way you’ll encounter new situations and things may not always go as planned. Keep in mind that sometimes, making mistakes is the best way to learn, and to grow. You might fail an exam, or get too drunk one night, or kiss someone you shouldn’t, but life goes on. Just do your best to stay mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy, and the rest will fall into place.