Here’s a hint, collegiettes™: you can’t do it all. I’ve only been at Northeastern for a month, but I quickly realized that this school is filled with driven people who are determined to earn good grades, develop friendly relationships with their professors, participate in clubs and sports, attend campus events and compete for the best jobs out there.
Don’t get me wrong–I’m not at all upset that Northeastern is filled with overachievers. I applied to this school knowing that my fellow students would challenge me to become a better person. But even after I finally got used to day-to-day life on campus, it still amazes me that so many students here are so busy all the time.
Every aspect of campus life is focused on molding students into productive workers, thinkers and achievers. This is an amazing and essential part of Northeastern’s reputation–but it’s still overwhelming.
With that in mind, I’m determined to be an essential and influential part of this amazing and productive community. To accomplish this, I compiled a list of guidelines that I should follow in order to be successful in my five years on campus.
I have faith in the fact that any collegiette™ who follows these basic guidelines will absolutely definitely succeed here at Northeastern University.
How to Succeed at Northeastern:
TRY! This is the key element to success, and it doesn’t just apply to NEU; it applies to life. If you’re on a sports team, give every practice and game your all. Even if you don’t win every game or score the most points for your team, you will grow from every experience that you actively throw yourself into. If you write for the Huntington News, make every story as detailed and interesting as you possibly can. It sounds cliché, but you’ll walk away from every experience knowing that you did your best, and that’s something to be proud of! If you continually give something your all, then your best will keep getting better.
Study! The number one reason that [most] people go to college is to learn more about topics that interest them and eventually earn some type of degree in that field. Because of this, even if you spend a lot of time in clubs or sports or just hanging with your friends, it is imperative that you devote at least an hour or two each day OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM to your schoolwork.
Study, do practice problems, read and reread your textbooks–do whatever it takes to get a good grade in the class. I know that I’ve only been in classes for a few weeks, but no matter how long you’ve been at NEU, you know that good grades are important. Granted, some classes are ridiculously tough (I can’t imagine that I would get anything higher than a C if I took a Calculus or Biochemistry class), but that’s another reason to study your butt off even more! Some professors may seem unreasonable in their grading… but there’s usually a way to improve your grade. Many upperclassmen have told me that I should take advantage of office hours whenever I can. This will show professors that you are interested in doing well in the class and you are willing to put in the effort to earn a higher grade. Usually, although there are some exceptions, professors will be more than happy to help you. I’ve already picked up on the fact that positive classroom experiences and good grades are highly valued here, so it would be foolish for students to not put in the effort it takes to get mostly As and Bs.
Get a job! Many people thought that I was making a huge mistake by applying for jobs here as a freshman. They said that I should wait a while first in order to get used to college life and focus on schoolwork. While I agree that all freshmen definitely need to do those things, I already see so many positives to being employed: I get a paycheck (which makes up for the ridiculously large amounts of money that I’ve spent my first month in Boston), it looks good on a resume, I can build up relationships with fellow students and my boss and it gives me an extra edge over other NEU students who are not currently employed (this could definitely help me when I apply for my first co-op here; companies are more likely and willing to hire students with job experience).
Not all students have the time to manage a job, clubs, schoolwork, and a social life- and that’s fine, of course! I do recommend, however, that any collegiette™ who is focused on getting hired for the best co-ops in their field should spend at least a semester working in order to build up her resume and develop a good work ethic.
Sleep! This is a big one. There’s a saying that college students can have two of the following three things in their lives: enough sleep, a social life and good grades. At Northeastern, I’ve noticed that many students (especially the women) focus on maintaining a great social life and earning good grades, often forgeting that getting enough sleep is very necessary to functioning properly. Besides the obvious fact that getting enough sleep will mean that you’re more awake during the day, it also helps our bodies to generally be healthier, maintain a normal weight and have more energy throughout the day. The more regularly someone sleeps, the more likely they are to have a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
If you don’t sleep much during the week, try to rearrange your schedule so that you get more work done during the day and can sleep better and longer at night. If you want to party your butt off Thursday through Saturday, then make sure you devote Sunday to getting back on track and preparing for the upcoming week. If you’re well-rested, then you’ll have the energy to go from classes to clubs to the gym to hanging out every day, which will result in a more productive and happy you!
Eat (but not too much)! I’ve noticed too extreme eating habits on campus so far. Some of my friends have been so busy that they often forget to eat much, and they’ve already started losing weight and getting sick from their lack of nutritional intake. The opposite of eating too little is eating too much–and I’ve seen several friends already fall victim to the dreaded “Freshman 15.”
The key here is keeping track of how much and how often you eat so that you don’t make these mistakes. For example, I’m on the 15 meal plan. On average, I go to the dining hall once a day, sometimes twice. College dining halls are basically buffets, and I’ve noticed that I eat a lot when I’m there. Because of this, I try to eat as much natural food as possible (like fruits and vegetables) and limit the number of times I go back for seconds or thirds. By following this basic plan and limiting the amount of food and snacks I eat (which is hard– I love of anything salty or sweet), I can concentrate on other aspects of my life and avoid constantly worrying about my health and weight.
Have fun! It’s corny, I know. But college is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (usually), and you need to enjoy it while you can. Make sure you stay on top of your grades and try to be as involved in campus life as possible. I’ve found that joining clubs here is the best way to make friends and participate in activities I love.
Take Her Campus, for example: I’ve been writing this freshman blog since before I came here, and because of my involvement in this particular club, I get to do something I love (write and talk about myself) and meet new, amazing people in the process. Finding a club that interests you can really affect how you view your time at Northeastern, and even impact what extent future employers will be interested in you (hint: don’t rush to join every club on campus to impress people. You’ll actually impress employers more if you commit yourself to one or two clubs and participate fully and consistently during your time here). Most obviously, do what you enjoy! If you like to party, don’t let me stop you. Just make sure that your entire time here isn’t defined by how wasted you were last weekend or how many guys you’ve met.
Finally, and most obviously, just use common sense. College is what you make of it, so do whatever it takes for you to make the best of your experiences here. Not every day will be fun, and some days might even be awful. There will be times when classes will be overwhelming, your commitment to a club will stress you out, or you’ll have to deal with strained personal relationships. RELAX! This is normal. As long as you deal with every situation in the best way that you possibly can, then you’re almost guaranteed to leave college with no regrets. Everyone makes mistakes; how you deal with them will define you and your time here.
I have faith that all of you fellow collegiettes™ will make choices that will benefit you in the best way possible. If you follow my advice and apply it to your own experiences and situations, I don’t doubt for a second that you’ll be a great success, no matter where you go in life!
Photos: MSUapartmentblogs, mylot, Brookline Wicked Local, Northeastern