Want to Survive Freshman Year? Avoid These First-Year Blunders

August 4, 2010 3:00 pm     Posted in Back to School, College, Reality  Erica- University of Michigan g+ page


By Erica

So you’re going to be a freshman. Thanks to your advisor/mom/campus tour/Bed Bath and Beyond advertisements, you think you’re ready. You learned how to do laundry, you’ve purchased the Twin XL sheets, you measured your future dorm room (and cried when you realized you could touch all 4 walls from the middle of the room) and all those A.P. classes have prepared you for the workload that comes in college.

Congrats. You now know about 10% of what you need to know to survive freshman year.

The truth is, there is a lot that happens your first year of college that no advisor (and especially not your parental units) is going to know about. And that’s why we’re here – to get you from Welcome Week through final exams in one glorious piece. And to try and stop you from making the same mistakes we did. Again and again.

You wanna survive your first year of college? Avoid any and all of these freshman year faux pas:

1. 8am class.
Despite thinking that 8am really is not that early, there is no way you are actually getting up for this class once you begin to discover that there is potential to party every night of college.  Do yourself a favor and don’t even try. 99% of the time, this class will be offered at another time or another semester. If you have to re-work your entire schedule and eliminate time for lunch between classes, do it. I promise, it’s worth it.

2. Hooking up with an older frat boy…and thinking that he will automatically fall in love with you.
In reality, college boys have been waiting three years to finally be big men on campus and use this status to hit on freshman girls.  Have fun, just try not to get too attached.

3. Puking in Public.
You’re in college.  Great job! This means you have pretty much unlimited access to alcohol.  This does not mean that your tolerance has gone up since high school. While the people around you may be able to slam 10 beers in 10 minutes, it might not be the case for you. Don’t be stupid. And if you are, excuse yourself before you become “girl who puked in her hands.”

4. Skipping Class.
I get it: skipping lecture where there are 300 people and no one takes attendance is tempting. But don’t do it. Lecture notes are incredibly important to your academic success and oftentimes the professor will discuss things that are not in your assigned reading but are in your final exam. Getting to class isn’t hard, so suck it up, bring some snacks and get to it.

5. Showing up to a frat party with male friends.
The rule of frats is simple:  chicks are in, and guys are always going to have to wait.  Do yourself a favor and make your group at least a 2:1 ratio in favor of the female gender.

6. All Sweats, All The Time
Ah, sweatpants. Love ‘em. But despite the comfort they provide (especially after you #3 and you’ve got a #1), they don’t love you back. Between the drunk eating, nasty dorm food, and major beer calories, you will gain weight. And without the guide that only a non-elastic waistband can provide, you’ll never know it. Put on some jeans once in awhile.

7.  Overdressing in theme.
Theme parties are great, but remember that as a freshman, you will likely be party hopping (especially if you mess up on #4 and can’t get in to the party you dressed for).  Don’t go all out for a “CEO and Corporate Hoes” party unless you plan to stay there all night.  Otherwise you may end up wearing a bra and a pencil skirt at an ’80s party, and that’s just not cool.

8. Spending all of your time video chatting.
While your home friends are great, so are the people at college!  Branch out, and learn to put away your Skype for some real person time so that you actually make new friends.  While a little bit of homesickness is normal, a relationship with your computer is not.

9. Winging an Exam.
If you did fine in high school not studying, good job.  That’s not how it works here.  Even those of us who do study can’t always make the grades, so don’t hurt yourself before you even take the exam. This is what you’re here for, after all.

10. Drunk Dialing Your Parents
It’s funny at the moment, but no one’s laughing the next morning when your mom calls at 9am and gives you “the talk.”

27 Comments on "Want to Survive Freshman Year? Avoid These First-Year Blunders"

  1. A says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 201010:43 am 

    I swear, my entire first year could have been different if I didn't have a mandatory 8:30 am class.

  2. Leigha says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 20103:22 pm 

    Don't a lot of schools schedule freshmen's classes for them? Good luck not having an 8 AM if you go to one of those.

    My school has a wonderful (by which I mean annoying) attendance policy where if you miss more than 2 or 3 classes a semester, your grade drops (OFFICIALLY, though some profs won't).

  3. K says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 20103:45 pm 

    #2– Even if you're actually dating an older frat guy, don't expect too much from him. He already gets the "big man on campus" status, meets tons of sorority girls all the time at mixers, and if he's 21 (and you're not) then he can be out downtown doing whatever he wants without you there. Yes, you'll probably have to trust him if yall are together, but don't fool yourself into thinking he wants to be serious with you. Given the choice between being with 1 younger girl, or partying it up with their frat brothers and going out to bars with the chance to meet so many other girls, he's likely to choose the latter. Don't make the same mistake I did :/

    #3– if you do drink, at least build your tolerance and not go all out. Save yourself the embarrassment and keep trustworthy friends around so you stay safe

    #4– agreed. Don't skip. Your grades will reflect it.

    #9– study ahead of time. It sucks to have multiple tests coming up (like, the next day) and you're still cramming in for the first one

  4. Ashley says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 20106:15 pm 

    I totally wish I had read this before I went into college. I definitely wouldn't have signed up for back-to-back 8am and 9am classes. :(

  5. eliz says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 20108:41 pm 

    completely agree. this was a great list.

  6. Chloe says:
    Wed, 4th Aug 20109:29 pm 

    Ashley- 8am's really aren't all that bad! The best part about being a freshman is living on campus aka you're super close to classes. It can be a pain in the butt to go to class later in the semester when it's colder but as long as you stay on top of the work you'll be fine!

  7. CR says:
    Thu, 5th Aug 20107:35 am 

    This made me so excited to go back to school!

  8. Lizz says:
    Thu, 5th Aug 20107:58 pm 

    CR, I was thinking the same thing!

  9. Kate says:
    Fri, 6th Aug 20109:31 am 

    Two things I would advise:

    1) If you live in a dorm that is very friendly and social (which I did, and it was great!), just know that nothing stays a secret for long. That means, if you bring a weird guy home with you, do something embarassing, or hook up with someone on your floor, everyone WILL find out eventually.

    2) Keep a "change jar" and put all of your spare change in it. It sounds silly, but I did this my freshman year and I had over $20 in change by the end of the year.

  10. hlynn says:
    Fri, 6th Aug 20105:59 pm 

    #1: Suck it up. Organic chem: 8:30 am. Two semesters of it. Only time offered.

    #5: As a more tom-boy type girl, who naturally just has a lot of male friends, this sucks. Learn the art of house parties and private parties where you can get in with a group of dudes.

    My own:

    1)Get to a gym. I joined a club sport to stay active and made some great friends along the way.

    2)Do things and make friends in different places. I didn't only hang out with my freshman floor during freshman year, and therefore avoided a lot of the 'freshman friend' syndrome sophmore year when people found out they only liked people because they lived beside them. This also includes making friends outside of your major.

    3)Go on adventures. My personal adventure was when I got a campus job over the summer, but none of my friends were around. I spent the time hunting sweet vintage shops, meeting new people, trying different foods and coffee shops, and landing an awesome volunteer oppertunity that got me a grant the next summer.

  11. kim says:
    Sat, 7th Aug 201010:28 am 

    8am classes are not bad. They are only bad if you plan to be a drunk student that cannot control themselves. Just be responsible and go to class!

  12. Izzy says:
    Mon, 16th Aug 201010:43 am 

    Why do all CC articles assume everyone is a huge partier? How about some freshman year advice for those of us who don't intend to go out and get drunk all the time? I've gone through HS with a set of friends who love to smoke, drink, and party, and I've not done any of it. It's not out of fear of a parent presence (my parents are the type who would give me alcohol if I asked), I'm just not into it, and I'm sure I can't be the only one.

  13. Danielle says:
    Mon, 16th Aug 201012:20 pm 

    Izzy, most people in college party at LEAST on occasion and it's good to have some advice other than what most parents tell you. And, for the most part, this article is pretty solid advice (most of them apply even if you don't drink.)

    It's perfectly fine if that's not your scene. All I'm saying is that I think CC is one of the more realistic sources of information about college life because it doesn't sugarcoat everything. Partying is a big part of college life, regardless of whether it's part of yours, and I like that CC isn't afraid to acknowledge it.

  14. Sarah Marshall | 12 says:
    Mon, 16th Aug 20101:08 pm 

    Haha definitely a great list! All incoming freshman need to read this NOW! I came across this other funny list of the top 12 things found in a college dorm room fridge. Pretty entertaining! I'm sure you were guilty of owning some of these items :) http://www.become.com/resource-center/top-10-list…

  15. Rachel says:
    Mon, 23rd Aug 201012:50 pm 

    About 8am classes, PLEASE don't listen to this article.

    First of all, party a ton (god knows I did this past freshman year), but that doesn't mean that your partying should ever be an excuse to put off what you're PAYING for (an education). I had 8:30s, and to be honest, it isn't that bad at all (cause they're done sooner, and even though at home I always slept in, I managed to wake up for every class). Furthermore, that class may not have an alternate time slot, and if it does, that may conflict with another class. If it's good for your major or it's a good option for a gen ed, go for it, because if you keep putting it off it will continue to hang over your head, meaning that you'll have to eventually forget about other classes so you can get that out of the way (all because you couldn't get up at 8am). Most importantly, while college is totally the opposite of real life, the world IS coming, and guess what? Most of you will have to leave for your jobs even earlier than 8 *gasp*! So do yourself a favor and suck it up (and act like an adult instead of a teenager with no priorities than getting drunk).

    And this is coming from somebody that partied almost every day of the week.

  16. Tamara says:
    Mon, 23rd Aug 20103:18 pm 

    I think the morning classes stuff depends on every person: I'm a night owl, so I don't mind leaving school every day at 9 PM or even 11 some semesters, but some of my classmates can take it and are already falling asleep at 6. The earliest I can take a class is 11 (I don't live in campus so that means waking up at 9:30); otherwise, I end up skipping or just not paying attention. My recommendation: KNOW YOURSELF. KNOW WHAT YOU CAN TAKE.

  17. Heather says:
    Mon, 23rd Aug 20109:39 pm 

    Hlynn–I love your description of "freshman friend syndrome"… I made a few life-long friends on my freshman year floor, but a few I got "stuck with" for 4 years (possibly more). My advice is to try to branch out as much as possible even once you've found your "niche" of friends. Believe me, by the middle of sophomore year probably only half of them will still be around anyway. Also, you find you only got along so great with them because you had so much in common just starting college (not so much after you get over the initial bonding phase of "omg I'm a virgin too", etc.)

    Also, even though I'm the definition of NOT A MORNING PERSON, I discovered that I'm a much better student when I get my classes out of the way and have time to myself later on in the day. Otherwise you're just going to sleep in all morning, have classes until dinner time, and then homework all night. Best to get some work done in the afternoon, since you'll already be awake and done with classes.

    Anyway, great list, but I think most people just have to figure it out on their own. Good luck freshmen! =)

  18. Kate says:
    Tue, 24th Aug 20101:12 pm 

    While I'm not a fan of 8:00 am's either, don't get rid of your lunch break to avoid it. First semester I had later classes, but no lunch, second semester I had early classes and an hour for lunch. It was so much better second semester, because hunger gets distracting.

  19. Elena says:
    Thu, 2nd Sep 20102:24 pm 

    Great article! I am going to retweet this @AveryEducation
    http://www.averyeducation.com Good luck everyone!

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