Hey Y'all! Sorry for the radio silence lately, it has taken me some time to get into the swing of things with my new job. It feels weird seeing all my friends and others on the internet getting ready to head back to school this year. I can't tell yet if I'm sad I'm not heading back to school, or happy I never have to worry about taking another midterm or final for the foreseeable future.
Now that I have graduated I've thought back to all the advice I wish someone had told me before starting my freshman year.
1. Don't procrastinate! (ok maybe every professor told me this at one point). Seriously though don't leave papers and tests until the last minute. It will lead to many late nights in the library and a lot of coffee.
2. Leave Campus. For me going to school in the city this one should have been pretty achieve. However I rarely left my college campus outside of school breaks and my internship sophomore year. I graduated wishing I had explored Boston more, tried new restaurants, and seen all the museums in the city. But either way leaving campus can be a stress reliever, giving you a chance to get away from studying and just breathe.
3. Use that free gym membership. Seriously in the real world they are expensive.
4. Don't go crazy in the "all you can eat" dinning halls. It may seem like a good idea at first, but you will regret it. (Also don't go crazy with alcohol at parties. You don't want to be that person everyone on your floor/hall is talking about the next day)
5. Get involved with organizations. I waited until my second semester freshman year (when I joined my sorority) to get involved and I wish I had joined more clubs earlier. By the end of my college career the majority of my friends were from clubs/organizations I was in.
6. Don't pretend to be someone you aren't. This probably sounds really cliche, but if you surround yourself with people you like, and do things you like you will be happier.
7. Don't obsess over your grades. I came from a very competitive high school, and in college I obsessed over that GPA my first 3 years. But honestly my GPA played no role in my ability to get a job. Unless you are going to Law School (though most value your LSAT higher than GPA anyway) or Med School your GPA really doesn't matter.
8. Don't worry about what others think. I'm sure this is another major cliche, but it took me until my junior year to realize that for the most part what people think about me in college doesn't matter. Seriously, there are no "popular kids", and honestly people will forget most of the embarrassing things you do (unless we are talking about your friends. They will remember every moment, and remind you of it constantly.
9. You aren't going to be friends with everyone. And you're not going to like everyone. Actually you will probably meet more people in college you can't stand than you did in high school. It's ok!
10. Take every opportunity you are given. You will likely be given many opportunities throughout college, whether it is an internship, study abroad, or a leadership position. TAKE IT! These not only give you great life experiences, but they also can be fun.
