Three Tips for Navigating Your Freshman Year of College

Freshman year of college is filled with lots of new and exciting experiences. However, for some, it can be difficult to navigate. As I begin my senior year, I want to pass on some things I have learned along the way that just might help you make the college transition a bit easier. 

1. College Course Work

My first piece of advice is to be sure you understand the rigor of a college course load. In high school, your teachers are more likely to keep you on track, but in college professors aren’t going to hunt you down to make sure you turn in your essay or even show up to class. Your success is up to you. Everyone is different when it comes to academics, so making sure you are prepared for the adjustment will increase your chances of success as a student. Some ways you can prepare include reading the syllabus, meeting with your professor in office hours and creating a study group with other students from your class. It can be easy to get involved quickly on campus, but I think the best thing to keep in mind is that you are always a student first when it comes to college. Academics should always be a top priority above any extracurricular or hanging out with friends because the main reason you are at the school you are attending is to receive an education. 

2. Getting Involved

Now, just because academics should be a priority you should still look at getting involved. College is a time for you to discover yourself, so finding new ways to get involved will help you discover things you may have never thought about before. Most schools will have some type of involvement fair at the beginning of the fall semester. This is where you can go to discover different clubs and organizations on your campus. I consider this to be a great place to find your “home away from home.” Getting involved is something that you must have a “trust the process” mindset with because it might take you a bit to find that place that feels right for you on your campus.

There were many clubs on campus that I wanted to join (and tried too) but in the end they didn’t work out because my schedule did not align with theirs and I simply did not have the time for it. Your interests will also change throughout college because you as a person are changing. If you decide halfway through your college years that you no longer have an interest in what you are doing and want to try something new, by all means do it! Joining a sorority has truly helped me get involved both inside and outside of my chapter. Each sorority will have countless leadership opportunities as well as just incredible opportunities to meet new people. The people you meet can then help you discover things outside of the sorority that you may not have tried otherwise. It is okay to try things outside of your comfort zone! 

3. Making Friends

Getting involved and putting yourself out there will help making friends a whole lot easier. I think the great thing about meeting new people and making friends in college is that you truly get to choose who you surround yourself with. The people who you become friends with and the support system you build within those people can help lead to your overall success in college. One important thing that I always like to tell incoming freshmen at my school is that you don’t need to put all of your eggs in one basket. Panhellenic will bring you so many connections inside and outside of your sorority,  You will meet incredible people all over campus and it is up to you to find them. 

Overall, college is going to be what you make of it. The best gift you can give to yourself going into college is being open to new experiences and exploring different opportunities. Everyone has a different path and I know this advice won’t work for everyone, but it is important to push yourself and test your limits. I spent three years as an editor for my university’s newspaper, but joining a sorority introduced me to an entire new realm of opportunities and without it I would never have run for president of the Panhellenic Council. College is all about discovering who you are, so don’t be afraid to get out there and try.