COLUMN: First-year offers advice
My first year was quite the experience. As with most graduated high school students, I was excited to move on to the next chapter in life – attend college. I was counting down the days on the first day of senior year.
I participated in the USD marching band, which was a great opportunity for me to meet a lot of new people before the semester even started. On the day I moved into the dorms, my mom did not cry and we gave each other a hug. I’m sure she bawled on the way back home but we both knew it was time for me to move on.
The first weeks of the semester were easy because I was excited to go to class and learn. However, by the middle of the semester, I started to realize that college was not going to be a cake walk. I started to stay up late and get behind in a few of my classes. I even dropped a course which I never thought would happen to me.
The lesson I learned was to stay on top of things. It was easy to go socialize, watch movies, procrastinate and hang out with friends. The real priorities seemed to fade.
Now that we are done with second semester, I understand the importance of studying. It is a lot more comforting to give up one night of socializing and fully know your material than blowing it off until one hour before the test.
The best advice I can give to incoming first years is to enjoy what you have now. There seems to be a lot of people worried about graduation as we are finishing up our first year. It is important to think ahead but within reason. These are the times of our lives we will remember and if we only worry about the future, there will be little time to enjoy the now. Join organizations, get involved and do your homework above all else. This advice seems fairly simple but is hard once you gain freedom away from your parents.
Although it is a difficult transition, college was the greatest change in my life. It opened me up to a lot of new ideas and a new way of thinking about others. Keep an open mind and your first year of college will be a rewarding experience.
