Dear incoming college freshmen…
These next four years you will learn, grow and have a lot of fun. One thing that you can confidently predict is that life is unpredictable. As a senior about to graduate,I find that I am nostalgic and introspective about the last four years. I will miss how pretty the leaves look in the fall, how nice campus looks decorated for Christmas, the tulips in the spring and the mist off the clocktower fountain in the summer. I will miss running into friends on campus in their hammocks or playing spike ball.
Everyone is different but here are a few things I wish I knew or am glad I did during my time at Saint Louis University (SLU).
Get to know St. Louis.
It’s your new home, and it may not feel homey at first, but the more you build memories, the more it will. St. Louis has so many places to explore. Forest Park is beautiful and really big. At Forest Park, it is important to decide what part you want to go to, like the zoo or the science museum, since it takes a long time to walk from one side to the other.
St. Louis also has a lot of great restaurants to try out. A quick healthy option that I love is Crazy Bowls & Wraps near campus. After a short amount of time being open, Neon Greens has become a favorite of mine, as well. My family’s favorites are the root beer floats at Fitz’s and the big portion sizes at Joey B’s on the Hill. As you will learn, Fresh Thyme has $5 sushi on Thursdays and Sushi Ai has all you can eat sushi.
There is something to do every weekend so make sure you check the local calendars. For example, there is a hot air balloon festival in the fall at Forest Park. A great place for concerts is the Pageant and you can see plays at the Fox Theater down the street from campus or during the summer there are outdoor plays at Forest Park at the Muny.
Pace yourself, and be perceptive and open to changes in yourself.
Getting to school and meeting so many people can be really exciting but remember that you do not need to do everything all at once. It will take some time to find a balance between school, work and play. It will take some time to balance building friendships here and keeping up with friends and family from home. This is okay. Don’t be too hard on yourself and make sure to give yourself grace.
It is a good idea to join activities your freshman year, but do not feel like that if you didn’t join freshman year, you can’t anymore. You can join clubs and new groups anytime during your college career! Also, notice how you feel in your classes, in activities, when you’re with friends and when you are alone. Take time to consider if your major still feels right for you. Re-evaluate your priorities often and make sure your time reflects these. If you set expectations for yourself, be open to things not turning out the way you thought they would because when you do this you create space for something better than you could’ve dreamed of.
Take advantage of all your classes.
We all know we are here to get an education and for many of us it is the needed step to get into the career we want to do. Keep an open mind about your general education requirements. They can spark new ideas and cause you to combine it with your major. It can also help you reaffirm you are in the right major for you. If you feel like these classes will not be relevant in your future career, think about how they will be relevant to your life outside of work. For example, I was a healthcare major but taking political science courses helped me to understand how the Constitution impacts our daily life. This has been especially beneficial to me because of the many groundbreaking Supreme Court cases that have happened in the past few years. Classes can get hard and overwhelming but try to remind yourself what an amazing opportunity it is to be able to learn so many new things.
Keep your room clean.
This is a more practical one. Since you are most likely sharing with a roommate, it is common courtesy to be clean. When in the dorms your room doubles as where you work, where you sleep, where you hang out with friends and sometimes where you eat. You’ll feel so much better if you keep your space organized. It may not feel like a lot of space, but the way in which you organize it can maximize the space you have. When you make your bed each morning you can feel productive and accomplished before you even go outside. Also, if you are living in a dorm that has suite style bathrooms, like where I lived in Marguerite Hall, don’t forget to bring a shower curtain.
Take a trip with the school.
I went on an immersion trip my senior year over spring break and I am so glad I did. Traveling with the school is different from any other trips you can take after graduation. There are learning opportunities and tours of places not always accessible to the average traveler. SLU specifically has immersion trips to many different places during spring break. It is a great opportunity to learn about a different area of the U.S. and make new friends. If a week-long trip is not something you are interested in, you could try a weekend or day retreat.
Overall, you know yourself best. Stay true to yourself and do what feels right to you. These are a few things I wanted to share with you when looking back on some of the things I learned and made an impression on me to this day.