I found out about HerCampus in August of my freshman year while wandering the quad at Festival ISU. I’ve always had a passion for writing and content creation (but in all honesty what drew me to the Her Campus sign-up table was the pink sparkly decorations). I never imagined that putting my email on a sign-up list would turn into so many incredible opportunities. Through HerCampus, I got to share my passion for writing with friends and family throughout college, meet so many friendly and talented women, build my confidence as a writer, and even lead my university’s chapter of HerCampus my entire senior year. However, my final article is not about joining HerCampus, it’s about the lessons I have learned and carried with me throughout the past four years that I want to share with anyone who will be entering college this upcoming fall.
- Give Yourself Time
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Freshman year of college is NOT easy! You’re transitioning from being surrounded by constant familiarity, family, hometown friends, and peers you’ve known since the age of five. Being on your own for the first time, in a brand new town, surrounded by unfamiliar faces can be very difficult to adjust to. The first people you meet will most likely not be your long-term friends, and everyone is in the same boat of trying to belong anywhere. Classes can feel intimidating at first, living in a shoe box-sized bedroom with a completely random person can be strange at first, and nothing feels “normal” yet. I’ve felt that loneliness and cried on the phone to my parents many times to pick me up. It truly does get better with time though. It’s also important to not compare yourself to what you see on social media. I remember seeing so many posts of people from high school in pictures with a whole group of new college friends, at parties and seemingly having it all together. However, when winter break came around and I went back home to see them, everyone felt the same way- lonely, overwhelmed, and jealous of everything they saw on social media. It’s important to remember that the stuff you see online is just a highlight reel. Once I found my core group of friends and developed strong relationships with them, we all laughed at how we shared the same feelings of loneliness freshman year, and how much better things became with time.
- bE FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE
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You should always be kind to everyone, especially when you’re all in the same boat of feeling new and out of place! You never know if the girl down the hall in your dorm might become your future best friend and roommate, or the person sitting next to you in your first major class will be in all your future classes to come. Kindness can go a long way, and will always serve you well. Let go of any need to have a certain “look” or surround yourself with a specific type of person. Any form of “popularity” goes out the window in college. As long as you find people that make you feel happy and that you enjoy being around, that’s all that matters. Quality over quantity!
- gET INVOLVED
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I can not stress this enough- get involved as soon as you can! This is probably the easiest and fastest way to make friends with people who share common interests with you. Whether it’s Greek life, sports, clubs, or study groups- being as involved as you can be is the best thing you can do for yourself. I met my closest friends through my sorority and study groups. Don’t feel discouraged either if it takes some time to get to know people either. Just be consistent in showing up to events, friendly to everyone, and patient with making friends. Also, don’t just join clubs because people you already know are in them, or because you think it will look cool. As cheesy as it sounds, branching out and finding stuff you are truly interested in will do you more good than following the crowd.
- lEARN TIME MANAGEMENT
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While school is a top priority, it’s also important to take advantage of these next four years to create memories and have fun! It will be beneficial to learn strong time management skills to balance school work with social life. Too much of either one can quickly become a bad thing. Show up to classes, set aside time to do homework, know when you need to stay in and study, and also allow yourself to have breaks. This is important to learn not only for college but for life. Professors won’t hold your hand and make sure you are turning your work in, with your independence comes responsibility and accountability!
- tAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
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There is a great amount of change that happens in college. You will grow and develop as an adult so much over the next four years. Friendships will come and go, relationships will start and end, your perspective on things will change, your interests will change, your plans may change and you will discover a lot more about who you are as a person. Change can be scary, some of it can be good and some of it can be bad, but it’s all shaping you into the person you will become. Be kind to yourself, give yourself breaks, advocate for yourself, and find support to lean on when you need it because there will be a time when you do.
- ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
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Lastly, have fun! As cliche as it sounds, the next four years truly will go by in the blink of an eye. Say yes to new opportunities, soak up the late-night ice cream runs with friends, go to Pub on Wednesday for post-class drinks, attend sporting events, try different fitness classes at the Rec, and enjoy every minute that you can. There will be hard times, stressful times, but a lot of good times.
Seeing the same friends that I was crying-laughing in a dorm room with freshman year, now walking across the stage at graduation and stepping into their careers is such a bittersweet feeling. To quote Andy Bernard from The Office: “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.”
Sincerely,
A washed-up senior