Entering your freshman year at JMU? As a college student going into my fourth year at JMU, I think I’m pretty qualified to give advice to incoming freshmen. While you may feel like you know everything about JMU, here are some tips and tricks that might be useful to know as you begin your first year at college.
- so…unassigned assigned seats are actually a thing
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I remember hearing this before going into my freshman year and laughing it off, but nope, it’s actually a thing. The seat you sit in on your first day will be your seat for the entire rest of the semester.
While you can hypothetically take someone else’s seat, it’s one of those unspoken things that nobody does. Just like how you don’t take someone’s luggage at the airport baggage claim, you don’t take someone’s unassigned assigned seat.
Definitely make sure to get to class early so you can pick out a good seat on your first day, because once you sit down in that chair, you won’t be sitting anywhere else, so get used to it!
- It’s really not that deep
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I remember overthinking and freaking out over the tiniest things my freshman year, whether it was bombing an exam or getting into an argument with a friend. Now, as I’m entering my fourth year of college, I’m realizing how none of those things matter, and I shouldn’t have given so much of my energy to things that won’t matter in the long run.
That argument with your best friend will blow over, and that C in your Gen-Ed doesn’t matter. Before I fret about situation, I always ask myself: will this matter in ten years? 9 out of 10 times, the answer is no.
- Don’t date a frat man!!!
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Please please PLEASE don’t date a frat man your freshman year of college. This rule ESPECIALLY applies if he’s an upperclassman. Freshman year is your time to find yourself and who you are; it’s really hard to grow if you’re spending your time focused on someone else. While there definitely are very rare scenarios where you find true love your freshman year of college, let’s be realistic: it probably isn’t with a frat guy.
Additionally, if you’re a freshman and you think the love of your life is a senior, please think again. If your grades don’t touch, neither should you!
When I was a freshman, I thought I was fully matured and had no more growing to do, and boy was I wrong! I wish someone could’ve slapped me in the face and told me to stop crying about that frat man and to focus on myself, but it was a lesson I had to learn. Odds are, that frat guy that you’re obsessed with is talking to several other women at the same time, and couldn’t care less about you. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have enough experience to say that this is often the case. Make sure to look out for red flags and warning signs if you do find yourself in a situation where you’re talking to a frat guy.
I had my fellow Her Campus writer Isabel Costa read this before publishing, and she said that there should be a required Gen-ed class on this topic: “AVOID FRAT MEN FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR SANITY 101”. Since there isn’t an option for this class at JMU, take my advice instead.
- The first people you meet might not be your permanent friends
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While this definitely varies from person to person, it’s incredibly common to meet people your freshman year and become best friends with them, only to never talk to them ever again a few years later. I’ll admit, I completely doubted this, yet I’m not friends with a single person I was friends with my freshman year at JMU. I made some really great friends during my first year at JMU, and while some of them may have backstabbed me, others I just had a falling out with. While it is definitely possible that some of the people you meet your freshman year may be with you until the day you die, just remember that this may not be the case 100% of the time.
- Cover your drink!
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If you’re going out, please please PLEASE don’t take drinks from anyone at parties. Make sure you’re bringing your own drink and holding onto it all night, because while you may think “It’ll never happen to me”, I thought the same thing before my drink got roofied at the beginning of my junior year. Never trust the jungle juice at a party, and never let anyone near your drink, whether you know them or not. If your cup doesn’t have a lid, the NightCap scrunchie is a great (and fashionable) way to ensure that your drink will remain covered all night.
- Join clubs and orgs!
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This is such a great way to make friends with similar interests to you! It can feel so lonely at college, and joining an organization (such as Her Campus;) ) is a great way to cut a campus down to size and meet people with similar interests.
In all honesty, I think I’d be losing my mind at college if I didn’t join Her Campus, so branching out of your comfort zone and checking out different clubs and orgs is something that I cannot stress enough!
- Make sure you’re going out with people you trust
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I definitely have some personal experience with this. I became best friends with this girl at the start of my freshman year of college, and we’d always go out together. Most of the time, she’d leave me alone at a party while she left to hookup with a guy, and because it was my first year of college, I didn’t realize that this isn’t okay, and this isn’t something that real friends do. I didn’t have a problem with it until my junior year when she left me at a darty blacked out, and I woke up with my head on the lap of a random man who told me my friend had left me.
Please go out with people you trust. While I definitely had a lesson to be learned, the girls I go out with now are girls that would never leave me at a party, and while it may not seem like it, this is something that is so so important. If you’re in a dangerous situation while under the influence, would you rather be with a random girl on the floor below you who you just met three hours ago, or would you rather be with someone you know would take a bullet for you and do anything to protect you?
- Be honest with your professors
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This is something I’ve never been afraid to do with my professors. My freshman year, I was going through a REALLY bad breakup and completely lost all motivation to do homework and assignments because I spent all my time crying. I vividly remember emailing all of my professors, apologizing for not submitting assignments and explaining that I was going through a breakup. They were all so sympathetic and granted me extensions without even needing to ask.
Just last Thursday, I walked up to my professor after class and said, “I could lie to you right now and make an excuse as to why I need an extension on this paper, but I’m just going to be honest.” I then went on about how stressed and overwhelmed I am with my classes, and that I just needed an extension until Friday morning, the next day. She was so understanding and sympathetic and thanked me for being honest, and told me I could have until Monday to submit it. A whole FOUR extra days!
Please remember that professors are real people too. They’ve been through college and have experienced hardships, and it’s better to take the honest route than to make up a half-assed lie that your professor probably won’t believe. If you’re going through something, communicate with your professors!
- Make class friends!!!
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On the first day of my math class my sophomore year at JMU, my math professor told us to exchange contact info with three people around us. While my social anxiety was screaming in this moment, this was 100% the most helpful thing any professor has ever asked me to do in my entire college career.
If you’re confused on an assignment, sick and need notes, or looking for a study buddy, it’s so helpful to have a friend in your class you can reach out to. In all honesty, professors are hardly ever reliable, and I’ve had professors that just never respond to their emails regardless of the urgency of the message.
Definitely make sure to get the contact info of at least one person in each of your classes! Just the other day I ended up texting a class group chat asking for clarification on an assignment and got a response in two minutes, whereas my professor wouldn’t have even responded by the due date of said assignment.
- don’t be afraid of changing your major
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I’ll be honest, I changed my major during my junior year of college. Am I going to graduate a year and a half late? Yes. Am I supposed to graduate this school year but won’t graduate for over two more years? Also yes. Am I a fourth year student in classes with all freshmen and sophomores? Uhhh, yep. Was it absolutely worth it? 1000% yes.
Your major is what makes or breaks your experience at college. I was a social work major and was loving it; for the first semester I was taking social work classes. In all honesty, JMU doesn’t have the best social work department, so eventually, I was miserable in my major. This destroyed my mental health, only resulting in an extreme lack of motivation. I didn’t want to go to my classes or do my assignments, and found myself skipping classes because I hated them so much.
Eventually, after many pleading phone calls with my parents, I changed my major to elementary education. In the middle of my first semester of my junior year of college. And I’m honestly so glad I did. Although it’s a little painful thinking about how I have two more years of college left when I am more than ready to graduate, I’m so happy with my major and classes. I’d rather be at college for a little longer than be absolutely miserable with a deteriorating mental health.
Don’t be afraid to change your major! Almost everyone changes their major at least once in their college career. One of my close friends actually changed her major five times before landing on criminal justice and becoming a cop for Delaware State Police. You are not stuck with your major when you first go into college, and this is crucial to remember.
When I was conflicted about changing my major, mainly because I didn’t want to graduate late, a friend of mine gave me really great advice. He told me that I wouldn’t be graduating late, but I’d be graduating when I graduate. “That’s the thing about college, it’s your own path. Not anybody else’s. So what if it’ll take you another couple years to graduate? As long as you graduate and are happy and proud of the accomplishments you made, that’s what matters most.” He told me that what matters most is what I truly want and what benefits me the most, and if I’m being honest, his advice is what pushed me to change my major.
Nobody will care if you graduate late from changing your major, or if you have to switch to an easier major because you’re struggling. Do what’s ultimately best for you and your mental health!
- do your assignments ahead of time
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Oh-em-gee if I could tell myself one thing before freshman year it might be this. I am a major procrastinator, and would always (and honestly still) complete my assignments the night it was due.
This often resulted in me spending my entire Sunday doing homework since I pushed it all off until the last minute. I had one class where I underestimated the workload despite the professor urging us to spread our work out throughout the week, and ended up spending seven hours straight on one assignment.
College assignments are no joke! Definitely do your best to spread your work out throughout the week, even if it’s only spending an hour on assignments each day.
- You can use your jacard off campus!
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Whether it’s Chipotle, Sweet Frog, CVS, or Sheetz, there are several places off campus that accept Flex. Maybe it’s for the better that I didn’t find out about this my freshman year, because I would’ve been seen at Chipotle every single day if I did! Definitely check with your local stores and fast food places to see where accepts JACard, because you may be surprised!
- STUDY STUDY STUDY!
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When I first entered my freshman year, I foolishly assumed that college exams are similar to high school exams, where you could study a night or two ahead of time and get a good grade. This is NOT TRUE! College exams are so much harder than high school, and with such an intensive amount of complicated information, it’s good to play it safe and start studying at LEAST two weeks in advance.
Quizlets are also a GREAT resource for studying for exams, as many other college students who have taken the same exam before have created Quizlets to help out other college students. If you’re taking a popular class at JMU, odds are you can look up the specific class and find a JMU-specific Quizlet to study with.
- STarships are ur bsf
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Maybe you’ve seen those white robots moving all around campus. These are a LUXURY for freshmen, as I’m still wishing they had Starships that came to off-campus apartments (okay maybe this is Doordash, but who can afford all of those extra fees?!) Definitely take advantage of these while you can, as they deliver yummy campus food to your dorm, study spot, or wherever you are on campus!
- Dukes hold doors!
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This is a common phrase that you might hear at JMU. While it may seem unnecessary to always hold doors for people, we take it seriously! At JMU, we’re a community, and whether we know each other or not, it’s always considerate to hold doors for the people behind you.
Also, don’t forget to say thank you if someone holds the door for you!
- Be open to meeting new people!
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While this may be a little scary, especially if you’re an introvert like me, it’s so crucial to be open to meeting new people and stepping out of your comfort zone. College isn’t just for taking classes, but it’s also to make lifelong friendships and find a community of people who will support you until the day you die. The only true way to do this is by stepping out of your comfort zone and being open to meeting new people. Whether this is by going up to someone at a function and introducing yourself, or by complimenting the girl next to you in line getting coffee, don’t be afraid to meet new people and make some friends!
- Choose a major you love
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I have so many friends that have chosen their major based on how much money they’re expected to make with said major, and while there’s nothing wrong with this, oftentimes, my friends have ended up hating their classes and switching their major to something they actually enjoy. If you don’t like your classes, you won’t like being at college, so save yourself the struggle and choose a major you enjoy.
- talk to your profs
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Forming friendships with your professors can honestly save you in your future career. I have social anxiety and have never been able to talk to my professors, so when it got to the point where I needed to use a professor as a reference for an application, I was completely stumped.
Contrastingly, my old roommate was friends with all of her professors, and it even got to the point where her car broke down three hours away at Virginia Tech and her professor offered to go and pick her up. She said that she didn’t even have to go to any of her classes because all of her professors knew her and knew that she was dedicated to her classes and would turn in assignments on time.
Building connections with professors can truly help you in your professional career, so don’t be afraid to go up to your professor after class and introduce yourself!
- go to office hours
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Your professors are genuinely there to help you. Definitely take advantage of office hours and don’t be afraid to ask for extra help if you need it. Going to office hours shows you’re trying!
This also helps with building a relationship with your professor as well!
- it’s okay if you don’t love college
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In all honesty, I hate college. Whenever anyone asks me, I always tell them otherwise, because how am I supposed to admit that I’m not a fan of being in college? It’s okay to not love being in school.
You shouldn’t compare your life to other people’s lives, and scroll through social media thinking: “Their college experience looks so much better than mine,” because social media isn’t reality. I did this so often and saw a major difference in my college experience when I deleted social media.
It’s okay to not want to be in college. If I had the choice to be able to become a teacher without going to college, I would, but it’s not really an option for me. It’s completely normal to not like being in college and to be impatiently waiting until the day you graduate. This is okay. College isn’t for everyone.