I cannot believe I am a few weeks away from walking across the stage and graduating from college. The past four years have gone by so fast and have been a huge roller coaster, navigating a pandemic, friends, relationships and terrible group projects. I look back to the weekend I moved my belongings into school to where I am now with all of the twists and turns and I wish I could tell my freshman self it would all be okay!
Get Involved
Coming into college during a pandemic getting involved was difficult to do. Unfortunately out of my control, it was hard to learn about the different student organizations on campus and the lack of in-person meetings made it discouraging to join. After joining student organizations once the pandemic settled down and the campus started opening back up, my college experience elevated. Meeting new people is the best part of college and getting involved in organizations that pique your interest will bring you to people who share your interests! Entering college can be intimidating and scary, especially in a new place with all new people, but getting involved will not only help you find new friends but start to structure your schedule by finding a routine.
Time Management
It took me some time to adjust to the college class and homework lifestyle. Prioritizing time management as a skill to master is something everyone should do from the first day of college. Once I arrived at college I realized how hard it is to balance the many moving parts of life. Having a notebook that I wrote down a daily checklist as well as connecting all of my Google and Apple calendars. Taking the time to be organized not only helps you in school but I found it to help my overall day-to-day life and mental health.
Confidence
I wish I could have told myself to let loose and my guard down and become more confident earlier in college. Jumping in full charge into college with the confidence to go to any event or workshop by myself would have been very beneficial to elevate my experience. College has so much to offer and is the best place to discover new and exciting interests. Being confident bleeds into your life and will improve the other aspects. Once I realized that UNH is a fairly big school and I see different faces every day I stopped caring a bit more and put myself out there more. It is college after all and being confident is the best way to grow into yourself.
As I am finishing my college career it makes me so happy to reflect on how I have developed as an individual. The start of my freshman year amid a pandemic only made my experience more unique and interesting. I would not change anything, just go into every experience knowing time flies by and try to soak it all up!