Congratulations, you’ve survived the first few weeks of college! You got lost on the way to class, you forgot that one important thing at home and you slowly started to figure things out. Your first year of college is so special, and what you do during this crucial time can set the tone for the rest of your college career. As a senior, allow me to give you some advice that will help you live a fun and fulfilling four years at William Jewell.
- Build good habits early. The best college experience is one built on balance. College gives you a lot more freedom than high school, which is great until you realize that no one is going to remind you to do your homework. You have to learn how to manage your time, get enough sleep, keep up with assignments and still have a life outside of school. The habits you build during your freshman year will follow you for the rest of college, so you might as well start good ones now. Set aside study time so that you aren’t neglecting your grades, but try to keep at least one day of your week open for social activities. Set alarms, set up a calendar, whatever works for you. You don’t need to have your entire life figured out, but learning how to balance work and fun will make everything much easier.
- Make friends with other freshmen. Your freshman year is one of the easiest times to make friends because everyone is in the exact same boat. You are all new, you are all trying to figure out where your classes are and desperately trying to remember everyone’s names. Take advantage of that! Talk to the people sitting next to you in class and introduce yourself to people at events, even if it seems scary. You don’t have to become best friends with everyone you meet, but sometimes a simple “Hey, do you want to get food?” can turn into a friendship that lasts all four years. Don’t be afraid to make the first move. Chances are, the other person is just as nervous as you are.
- Take advantage of counseling services. College can be a lot, and there is absolutely no shame in admitting that you are struggling. William Jewell has resources available to students for a reason, so use them! Simply open your Brightspace, click “WJC Resources,” then find “Counseling Services” in the drop-down to see hours, location and who is available. You don’t have to wait until you are having a complete crisis to talk to someone about stress, homesickness, friendships, classes or anything else that is bothering you. Think of counseling like academic tutoring, except instead of helping you with calculus, it is helping you sort through the other messes that come with being a college student. Asking for help does not make you weak or incapable. If anything, knowing when you need help is a very important part of growing up. There is no secret rule that says you have to figure everything out by yourself. College is a learning experience in more ways than one, and part of learning how to be an adult is learning when to ask someone for a little assistance.
- Telehealth is your friend. Sometimes the idea of walking across campus and sitting in an office to get help feels like way too much work. This is where telehealth can be incredibly useful. Being able to talk to someone from the comfort of your room makes getting support much more convenient. College is already busy enough, so take advantage of resources that make your life easier. Whether you’re working on your mental health or another aspect of your well-being, don’t ignore a problem just because getting help feels inconvenient. Your health is more important than whatever reason you have for avoiding the appointment.
- Most importantly, go to as many events as possible, especially on the weekends. You will probably receive an absurd number of emails about campus events, and after a while you may start deleting them without even reading them. I know it can be tempting to go home on the weekends, especially if you live close by. Don’t. Go to the weird event. Go to the sporting event. Go to the movie night. Go to the event that you think sounds completely boring. You have four years to decide what you like, and freshman year is the perfect time to try things without worrying too much about whether they are “your thing.” Some of your best college memories will probably come from things you almost decided not to attend. You might meet someone new, discover a new interest or simply end up with a funny story to tell later. You can always go back to your room after it’s over, but you can’t recreate a night that you decided to skip.
At the end of the day, your freshman year is about figuring things out. You are going to make mistakes, miss assignments, get homesick, meet people you love, meet people you probably should have avoided and have days where you wonder what you were thinking when you decided to go to college. That is all part of it. You don’t have to have the perfect freshman year. Just put yourself out there, take care of yourself, ask for help when you need it and say yes to experiences whenever you can. Four years sounds like a long time right now, but trust me, it goes by much faster than you think.