Oh, to be a freshman again. I remember the days when I bought every single book for all of my classes, tried my best to finish all the reading assignments, and got the phone number of every single new person I met. I still have tons of random names in my phone. This new College Freshman meme is taking me back to those days. Here’s the best of the College Freshman meme – see anything you recognize?
As I write this, I am about to embark on my final semester of my college career. Weird, right? It almost seems like yesterday when I was a little freshman moving in to my dorm. Except for the growth part, a lot has changed in these three and a half years. I’ve learned the hardships of picking the right classes and managing my social life and my studies, but it was all worth the ride. It’s cliché, but some say that college is the best four years of your life, and it’s true. They go by in the blink of an eye, so take the time to cherish your college life.
1. Make a Bucket List
While it should be on nearly all seniors’ to-do lists, making a bucket list at the beginning of your college career can help you get to know your campus a lot better. Who knows? If you accidentally stumble upon one of your campus’ landmarks, you not only knocked something off “the list”, but have a great story to go along with it. If your school has a great basketball team, sit in the student section and go to a basketball game. The student section of a sports game has its own little bubble, and that’s where all the excitement is. Whatever is on your list, don’t miss out and start making it happen.
2. Take Advantage of Campus Resources
The thing about college is that it offers a variety of resources that very few students actually take advantage of. From coffee houses with free Wifi to free entry to recreation centers, free printing, and basically anything with the word FREE next to it, be sure to snatch up these opportunities now before you have to pay for the real thing once you enter the real world. Syllabus week is the best time to get freebies from bookstores, so don’t miss out!
3. Learn How to Balance Academics and Activities
This is a pretty simple rule to follow, but sometimes, a freshman’s first semester can get a little out of hand. You’re on your own for the first time without Mom and Dad deciding your every move, so it’s up to you to determine if you’re going to that 10 a.m. class or if you’re going to go out every night. Here’s a handy tip: Go to all of your classes during syllabus week. While you should be attending them all semester long, this way, you can decide whether it’s worth dragging yourself out of bed every morning. And while it’s fun to go out, know your limits and know your deadlines. Don’t go out the night before you have an exam, and instead of pulling all-nighters and cramming, study for an hour a day until you have the material down. Studies have shown that you retain more information the longer you study. Plus, you can still have free time to do whatever else you want.
4. Go to Your Professor’s Office Hours
Like the rule before it, this is another handy tip for freshmen. If you’re stuck on an issue or don’t understand the material from lecture, go to your professor’s office hours as soon as you notice a problem. Professors have taken an hour out of their day to meet with students to help them succeed in the class, so it’s harmless to take an hour out of your day, too. Plus, if you go early on, you can get to know the professor and see what a future exam might be like, and if you take the time to meet with the professor, chances are if you’re on the border for a grade, he or she will bump you up.
5. Have Fun!
Simple and easy. The opportunity to be a young undergraduate only comes once, so live it up to the fullest!
My first day of Kindergarten went a little something like this: ditch mom ASAP at first sight of newer, shinier toys, touch and play with toys, disregard any and all hand-outs and shove them into my Hello Kitty bag for mom to deal with, chase boys on the playground, eat lunch surrounded by strange, future friends, sit on the circle carpet, play more games (Show and Tell!) and wait for mom to come back.
My first day of college? Well, much of the same: ditch mom and dad after they take me downtown to eat at an expensive restaurant but don’t marvel at the used, rusted bed frame, desk and chair; shove any and all syllabi materials into a folder and go back to texting on my BlackBerry, chase down the closest seat to the cutest cutie in the room (but don’t get too close, you’ll look desperate), eat lunch surrounded by strange, potential friends and wait for my final class to end to call mom and dad.
I wish I could have pressed rewind and told my six-year-old self to remember exactly how I felt on my first day of kindergarten because 12 years later I’d be retracing my steps as a freshman in college. Reason #4353453578768 why life should come with a remote. Read More »
It’s finally here! Once again, we’ve been knocked to the bottom of the totem pole, but this time, it’s not a big deal. While looking like a major n00b around campus for the first month or so is far from fun, there’s certainly more of a welcoming vibe from the upperclassmen. If you have yet to move in and make your mark in your classes and social circles, read carefully.
Move-In Day can either be a hit or a miss. The worst part is over when you finally chuck the deuces up to your parents as they get back in the car (“Later, guys! No, I totally won’t give in to peer pressure. I’ll def study hard. Love you too!”). Trust me, missing them won’t be as bad as you think. It’s like ripping off a bandaid. Don’t do it slowly or you’ll both cry.
Now, may I be the first to remind you: just because your new friends take full advantage of the free beer and meal plan doesn’t mean you should, too. Keep that cute lil ass of yours in check!
That said, rest assured that everyone is friendly. So be outgoing, Hang out with your God-fearing RA’s rather…um…interesting roomies. Don’t freak out if you don’t instantly click with someone- you’ve got four years to make another impression. And also- this is important!- don’t be weirded out by the idea of tagging along with the crew you meet heading out at the same time as yours. Bigger crews = better fun. By doing this, you’ll make connections for next week as well! Read More »
You’re off to college! Welcome to the world of crazy terms and way more abbreviations than you’d ever need. We decided to round up a bunch of typical campus words to ease your transition into the big time. Because how embarrassing would it be if you didn’t know what shacking was?! Ah, you’re welcome. Read More »
Here’s something you probably already know…high school students aren’t exactly happy with their education. At least that’s what Jezebel is telling us. Apparently high school students feel like their education is not preparing them enough for college.
And frankly, I don’t blame them. Not just because I think there should be more emphasis on math and science or something like that, but because I genuinely feel that high school doesn’t do enough to prepare students for college inside and outside of the classroom. Networking? Time management? These things matter too, a lot more than AP scores or SATs.
1. Survival Skills. I’m not trying to take us back to the days of home economics, believe me. But I think there is something to be said for high schools offering their students the means to learn some basic survival skills. A few quick and easy snacks for late night studying. Some meals that can be made in the dorm room. A few basic rules for laundry room virgins. These are things college students need to know, but I’d be really surprised if any high school offered courses in them.
When most people think of Groundhog Day, they probably picture a medium sized rodent climbing out of a hole in an attempt to determine whether we’re going to have an early spring, or if the mountains of snow are just going to keep on coming. But when we think of Groundhog Day, we think of Bill Murray.
You know, Groundhog Day. The movie. You’re with me? Right. Well in Groundhog Day Murray gets to relive the same day over and over again, Groundhog Day, which wasn’t so great for him because he kept messing everything up. But still, we’re a little bit jealous. There are plenty of days in college we’d love to live over and over and over again, and never change a thing. (Editor’s Note: Or the whole thing? Please?)
Here are our top 5:
1. Your 21st Birthday. This is it. The day you’ve been waiting for. The day you take your first legal drink. The day that’s all about you. An excuse to splurge on a fabulous new, totally 21 outfit. Silly hats. Sashes. Maybe even a tiara to go with that sparkly dress? Free shots. Lots and lots of liquor. And the perfect excuse to go up to a boy and ask him if he’ll buy you a drink. The perfect excuse to do whatever you want, whenever you want to. Because nothing is a better excuse for drunken bar top dancing than “It’s my 21st birthday!” It should be noted though, powers that be, that we want to relive our 21st birthdays, not the morning after hangovers. Read More »
Ask Tuffy Luv. If you dare. TuffyLuv@collegecandy.com
Dear Tuffy Luv,
It’s my freshman year of college and I started spending a lot of time with this boy on my floor. By a lot I mean we stay up until 3 a.m almost every night talking and he comes over to my room unannounced just to hangout, he texts me on weekends after I’ve gone out to hangout, and he flirts with me on the regular. Needless to say, I like him. The only issue is he has a girlfriend. They have been dating for 2+ years and she is still in high school, a junior to be exact.
One weekend (with a little too much alcohol in my system) I told him how I felt, and he replied by telling me he liked me but was still in love with his girlfriend and he could not break up with her. Two nights later while he was intoxicated, he loudly announced to the room how attractive I was, and that he would like to spend the night in my room. We talked about both nights and he said he would rather us just be friends and forget any of our conversations about liking each other ever happened. I am not sure what to make of this. Things cooled down for a few weeks but he is starting to spend a lot of time with me again. It’s hard to think about when his girlfriend comes to visit or he goes home for the weekend.
I think I am the better fit for him right now – he is in college and needs a more mature girlfriend – but I can’t tell him that without harming our friendship so I try to be supportive. But it sucks. Should I just move on or tell him how I feel (again)?
Please help,
I Do it Better Than Her Read More »
Considering that my last post looked back and cleared the slate for me to realize that my life has finally moved on past high school, it’s time to look ahead. And there’s no time like the present (with NYE looming ever so closely) to take everything I’ve learned this year and use it to change myself for the better.
So her are my totally dope freshman year resolutions:
- I will become more globally aware: You guys, I know some of us (me included) set New York Times as our homepage and then, as soon as we get on the internet, our eyes glaze over at the mention of any word like “security” or “Iraq” and then we’re just like “Whateva,” and read Perez instead. Totally guilty of this. However, knowing your current global events is kind of a big deal—you always have an intelligent conversation topic to keep in your back pocket and you gain so much perspective on your own life—just how good you have it, and just how much plight really is out there. It’s easy to ignore it, but this year, I will dive into it.
- I will keep up appearances: I think I’m getting better at this overall, but this next year especially, I am vowing to stay away from the sweatpants and the not-washing-my-face-before-bed-because-I’m-too-tired excuse. Looking good helps me to access my swagger, both while doing Spanish homework and shaking my thang on the dance floor. Plus, looking good makes an impact on anyone around you—just see how intense (read: AWESOME) UBS’s dress code is for their employees in Switzerland!
- I will volunteer more: My school is in the middle of a city. Volunteer opportunities are all around me, and it’s not like I don’t have time to help out anywhere. I was so overwhelmed first semester that I didn’t really do anything and I feel like a lump of horse poop because of it. No more of that, ladies and gentleman; I will give back to the community this semester. Read More »
I’m living in an obnoxiously clean room and my days consist of waking up at 2 pm and then eating for the next 12 hours. It could only mean one thing: break time!
I’ve decided recently, while lying naked in my bed after a shower (try it—it might just be the greatest thing about being home) that this break is 5% nostalgia, 25% catching some Z’s, 20% eating and 50% flat out weird.
While it’s great to see old friends and talk about that one girl in our class who got married in a hush hush courtroom wedding, or to share in on the somberness and tears of the death of our classmates’ family members, such events are not just fodder for ladies’ “let’s catch up!” sessions. More than that, they mark a tangible milestone of the passing of our high school years and the reclamation of something a bit more personal.
I’ve always held my life motto to be that I don’t take myself too seriously—and yet, maybe, taking yourself seriously is what going to college is all about. But in a different sense than what I’d ever thought about.
My good guy pal (who also decided to go to school out of state) attended our high school basketball game last weekend. To him, it was weird sitting in the college section, seeing all the high school girls clad in Ugg boots, visibly clinging to any tentacle of popularity, and all the high school guys standing chests puffed and arms crossed, the picture of hetero manliness. It was weird seeing all these doppelgangers of ourselves past adhering to the unwritten standards of our mainstream Midwest conservative high school. It was weird realizing that we were those people, just a year ago. And it was most disconcerting of all to recognize that we no longer are. Read More »
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