Dear Freshmen,
Welcome to the beginning of the next four years of your life. You’re all moved in, anticipating the start of a new chapter in your life and you probably have about 50 different emotions running through your head. Nervous? Excited? Scared? Trust me, you’re not alone.
At this point, you’ve probably heard many different rumors about college. Perhaps how it’s filled with a bunch of partying, or how you don’t need to attend class to get a good grade. Well now I’m telling you to forget all those rumors, pull up a chair and listen up. If you listen very closely and follow my advice, I assure you that you will have a very successful four years.
Branch out. Just because you see your high school friends around campus all the time doesn’t mean you have some sort of obligation to always hang out with them. Meet new people. VCU is known for its great diversity, meaning you are sure to find someone that has the same interests as you as long as you allow yourself to try. So instead of calling up your old friend to have dinner, ask your new roommate who probably is too shy to ask you.
Go to class. This is probably going to be the best advice you’ll ever receive. Just because you see some of your peers skipping class (which you will), doesn’t mean you should follow suit. Over the past three years, I’ve realized that most of the answers to tests will be found in the lectures and your notes. Also, most classes nowadays make participation points one of the main aspects of your grade so you definitely don’t want attendance to be the reason you fail. College isn’t cheap. Go to class.
Use your meal plan wisely. By wisely, I mean don’t get Pizza Hut every day for a month. This is what I like to call “the path to freshman 15.” There are many healthier options that VCU offers on campus including Subway, Einstein Bagels, Croutons, Bleecker St., etc. My personal favorite is Croutons because you can choose between a healthy salad or a wrap! Also, you will have many leftover swipes at the end of each semester so please, feed the upperclassmen.
Don’t walk by yourself at night. BIG ONE. I’m sure by now, many of you have been told that Richmond can get a little sketchy at night, and they are exactly right. Whether you’re walking back from the library, a party or a friend’s dorm at night, please make sure to either have a walking buddy or take RamSafe. Don’t become the next crime alert.
Get involved. The SOVO Fair is at the Siegel Center on Friday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. You should go. This will be your chance to learn about the many different organizations offered at VCU. Whether you’re looking to join Greek life, the Quidditch team or the Latin Student Association, you will find all the information you need. The SOVO Fair helped me out a ton over the past years because it’s how I got involved with pretty much every organization I’m currently in. Getting involved on campus is a great thing to do since you’re building up your resume early and getting a lot of experience. And you get free stuff!
Be smart at a party. It’s time to address the elephant in the room: partying. It’s a known fact that partying is a huge aspect of college life. Maybe you’ll join a sorority or fraternity and have a lot of access to parties, or maybe you will only attend a few during the semester. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to know how to party the right way. Never accept a drink from a stranger (this is how date rape can happen). If you’re attending a party where you don’t really know anyone, bring a friend just to be safe. And lastly, remember that it’s not worth it to drink or smoke in your dorm room. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are and it would be a shame to throw it all way for one little “buzz.”
Explore the city. Last but definitely not least, take the time to explore the city! You obviously have some sort of adventure side since you chose to attend VCU in the first place. During the weekends, after class or even between classes, take the time to venture out to different places. One of my favorite places in Richmond is Carytown, which is about a 10 minute drive from campus. Here you will find a bunch of mini shops, thrift stores, restaurants and more. You can also check out the James River for a quick tanning session or just to explore the outdoors. The city is huge with so many different things to do — I promise you will never get bored.