Yesterday was Freshman Move In day at the University. This means that staff were encouraged to take the day off (which I did) because the school would be infested bustling with young eager students and parents descending on the school with carloads full of college “necessities.”

I went and had lunch at one of the re-opened dining halls today, and was looking around at the other patrons. I know that each year I get older, but it still seems like each year the freshman look younger. They look more nervous than I remember being, and still tote their keys on lanyards around their necks with maps of campus buildings being checked frequently.

Our school has a pretty neat orientation system, it’s over a week long and for the first few days parents and students have activities together. This helps students and parents adjust to the separation. They’ve actually cut off a few days since I went through it, but it’s still long and very informative. Since move-in was only yesterday many tables were filled with two parents and one student, getting a taste of campus food for the first time.

All these new faces got me thinking. Now that I’ve been out of college for three years, (I graduated in 2007, this is the 2010 school year), what would I tell the incoming freshman if I had to give a seminar during orientation? What tid-bits of information would be most valuable to a newbie entering the world of college, and the University of Rochester?

A lot has changed since I graduated: there’s been a new library built, dining halls revamped, new apartment style dorms built… but many (I’d even venture to say most) things are still the same. And most of my experiences (and the advice stemming from it) can be applied to all freshman at any school

Thinking back, here are 7 things that I wish I had known as a freshman:

• Don’t be afraid of trying new things. University of Rochester has a truly awesome curriculum because we only have one core required class outside of specific major requirements – so take advantage of this and don’t declare a major right away. Explore new fields while you can. I did this by taking Astronomy, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Religion, Psychology, Philosophy, Linguistics, and of course the required writing class in my first year here. I also tried fencing, Wado Ryu karate, and ultimate Frisbee; and although I didn’t end up sticking with any of them during college I am very glad I tried all three. Don’t limit yourself! Even if your school has lots of requirements make sure to fill your electives with things you are interested in and might never get a chance to study again.

• If someone on your hall asks you do to something (within reason) do it! Before the work load get tough and things get busy take advantage of being in a new area with new people. It is unlikely that you will be in a situation like this again – where everyone is new and exploring the world around them. I did this and saw some awesome shows, heard fascinating speakers, had great experiences, and made life long friends in the process. Only one other freshman on my hall, Anna, and I really took advantage of the situation and really branched out with every opportunity.

• Keep up with the things you loved in high school. This is one I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. I used to play soccer and go skiing every winter, and freshman year I did start off playing intramural club soccer and joining the ski race team (there was no recreational team at the time). But I chickened out of the practices that were late at night at “bad” times, and stopped going to both after a few weeks. I regret it to this day and if I could go back and tell my younger self to suck it up and go I would, but I was very intimidated when it came to stuff like this, and it was tough to get motivated go outside in the cold at night.

• You don’t need to drink to have fun. Cliche but true. I was actually afraid of getting drunk and drinking (school and my parents did a good job instilling me with a healthy fear of underage drinking), and even though many people went to the frat quad each night I stayed in. I was able to find friends with similar interests and we had tons of fun each night playing games and talking without beer. You don’t need to be as against drinking as I was – but you also don’t need to get wasted every night to meet people… and it’s bad for your health anyway.

• You really DON’T need all that stuff on the college checklists. When I packed for school we had so much stuff that we had to borrow our friends Suburban to fit it all. It was ridiculous. About 1/3 went home again with my parents, and another third went home over Christmas break. Even then I probably had too much stuff. If you have something you don’t use much at home then you probably won’t use it in college either. If you have clothes you don’t wear much you probably won’t wear them much either. With tiny dorm rooms and limited closets, and storage space, make sure you pack sparsely. Worst case mom and dad can ship something you forgot or you can make a Wal-Mart run with friends.

• Budget your time carefully. In college your main purpose is to study and get a degree in a particular field, but that won’t consume all of your time. You will find yourself with lots of homework, labs, and reading to do – but with even more free time to do what you please. Make sure to keep a careful balance between having fun and studying; it’s very easy to go to either extreme and limit yourself. Even when school is in full swing make sure you budget your time and studies effectively, you don’t want to be the person who can’t go out because they have too much reading to do, or the person who always hangs out and fails. I used to write time flow charts and and allocate time for each thing I needed to get done that day – but it took months to figure out the best system for me to really achieve balance.

• Watch your spending. It’s easy to over spend when you want to try new things and meet new people. $10 here for a movie, $15 there for dinner, $3 for a show ticket this weekend… it all adds up. Chances are you don’t have a job on campus (yet) and have limited savings. I had a credit card in high school and had learned careful spending then – but really be extra careful if you haven’t had a card before, it’s only too easy to pay for something now and forget how much it adds up until the bill arrives. I will admit to needing parental bailouts a few months when I over spent – luckily my parents were able to help and I never acquired credit card debt. If you do have savings, budget yourself a certain amount each week and stick to it. If you don’t then try to get a job and in the mean time take advantage of free activities. You probably are going to come out of school with student loans – the last thing you want is consumer debt on top of that.

Really, when it comes down to it, the most important thing is to just relax and have fun. Remember that everyone there is new and just as nervous and excited as you are. The four years will FLY by and you’ll look back in envy at the times you spent in school and the lon
g vacations. Although I still work in a college, and am surrounded by the experience every day, my life is very different now that I’ve graduated. You won’t be able to appreciate it until you graduate yourself, but really – there is no other experience that comes close to what you get out of the university experience. Take full advantage of it while you can.

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