During the first week of college, you can easily point out the freshmen in a sea of thousands of students. Wide eyes, often looking at Google Maps on their phones, overdressed in comparison to other students and usually sporting college merchandise – standing out is inevitable.
While we can easily poke fun at these distinct characteristics, I can personally say that as a freshman, those experiences are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. During the first week of college, we are thrown into a completely new environment and must adapt while also staying on top of our classes, trying to make new friends and going through all the emotions that are humanly possible. There are so many things my friends and I wish we could have told our past selves to be more prepared for the first week of college and this is what they had to say:
Going into college, especially when you are the first of your family, is extremely overwhelming. When looking at everything you must accomplish within just four years and all the classes you must take, it is hard to not look at the big picture and focus on just the semester ahead. A lot of freshmen struggle with taking on a large course load and feeling overwhelmed.
“I wish I knew that there’s no point of overwhelming myself right from the beginning,” Daria Bannova, an 18-year-old biology freshman, said. “I wish I knew to take the classes I need rather than trying to skip the basics and skip into harder class. You have four years, use them.”
As a freshman in college, you do not only face being in a new area but you also – for the most part – must learn how to be alone and away from home for the first time.
“Before starting college, I didn’t think I would be so homesick,” Neyaa Rajan, an 18-year-old computer science freshman, said. “I was so excited to finally experience freedom and independence, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss the people I love till they were taken away. I really didn’t expect to miss them so much.”
Many times, we get so caught up in being so excited for a new life and a newfound sense of independence without thinking twice about what we are leaving behind. During the first week of college, most of us realize how alone we really are, and it’s hard to not have your family right there to turn to – leaving us homesick, and if you are anything like me, texting your parents every single detail of your day.
Making friends in college is not easy and often requires you to make the first move. This can be especially difficult when you are used to attending school with the same people all your life.
Maria Goyanes, an 18-year-old biology freshman, attended the same school from the fifth grade until her senior year. Within her first weeks at UF, she said, “I wish I knew that making friends in class takes some form of effort because the person next to you is probably thinking that you’re going to make the first move and vice versa. I also wish I knew that the RTS bus system is not 100% reliable and that sometimes the drivers won’t even stop.”
We are so used to relying on the same people so having to go out of your way to find people – and other aspects of daily life like transportation – that you can rely on is something that many freshmen don’t anticipate.
You really don’t know yourself until you live alone and only have yourself to shape your opinions and daily actions.
Juanita Echeverry an 18-year-old biology freshman said “Before college, I felt like my life was dictated by other people. I never had to think about what I wanted so I did not know my true preferences. In the first week of classes, I confronted this reality for the first time. I was used to school starting early and ending in the afternoon. I was used to buying bread every time I went to the store with my mother. I kept the windows covered because that’s what my brother preferred. I wish I knew that I don’t like staying for classes till the afternoon. I don’t eat bread a lot when alone. I don’t like my rooms in darkness. I wish I knew myself more. I should have spent more time acknowledging my thoughts.”
As a freshman, you don’t realize how independent you have to be until you wake up the day after move-in and can fully dictate how you spend your day. Small actions, like choosing what groceries you will buy instead of the groceries your family has always bought, can be a shocking and liberating feeling for new students.
The college experience goes beyond academics and school. No one is there to tell you all the little things you should know before entering college, and as a freshman, you are left to figure it out.
Megan Bentley, a 19-year-old applied physiology and kinesiology freshman, who had many of these small discoveries, listed the things she wished she knew before stepping foot on UF campus.
“I wish I knew to not overwhelm myself with a big course load or classes that I didn’t need to take. That I should’ve joined a sorority if I wanted to tailgate at a frat house and that I needed to bring more cash to pay bouncers to let me in. I wish I knew that the Swamp, literally means THE SWAMP and that the three buses that come to my apartment will never come on time and, or will all come at once. I also wish I knew that a simple walk to class means 500-step journeys trying to dodge 10 buses and five bikes. Before starting college, I wish I knew that grocery shopping for yourself is really hard and that I need to bring more clothes.”
As a college freshman, it is difficult to grasp all the time that we really have. It’s hard let go and to stop worrying about small things that will not matter in a week.
Auxane Godefroy, an 18-year-old architecture freshman, said “I wish I knew that there is time for everything. That stressing about school and money will go away with time. I wish I knew that planning my dinners helps with grocery shopping. And that I should really purchase an umbrella for the rainy days instead of soaking my hoodies.”
As a college freshman, it is most important to let go of your worries and stop focusing on the stress of the next four years. Taking everything in – rain or shine – one day at a time is the best way to get the most out of your college experience.
Personally, I think being in a new area subjects you to so many new things every day: people, cultures, events and traditions. It’s hard to stay true to yourself when surrounded by an underlying pressure to do what others are doing to fit in and make friends. Whether it’s changing the way you dress, doing things you usually wouldn’t do or feeling like you should be joining certain clubs or classes just because others are. I wish I went into the first week knowing how prevalent this feeling is and didn’t let myself get overwhelmed by all the pressure — especially because I have four more years to achieve all the things I want to do.
As freshmen, we often wish we could know all the details about college ahead of time. While knowing all these details, big or small, there is such beauty in the unknown. Understanding that not knowing everything is normal and appreciating the learning curve is what really makes a student’s freshman year so unique and something that they will never get back.