a college freshman’s survival guide
as some of you may know, i passed my freshman year w/ flying colors even though there were some nasty classes thrown my way (gen chem third term… lookin at you bud).
so! without further ado, here’s some freshman year tips from your local friendly not freshman.
early morning classes don’t suck (usually)
okay so I might be lying a little because I never took a class before 8:30am but the point still stands. it was so worth taking calculus at 9am my first term of college because I would show up excited as fluff to learn and I always learn better in the mornings. HOWEVER, taking a class that early sucked winter term because it was still insanely dark out when I’d get to campus at 8:30 to my writing class which I despised and had only taken because my schedule was too full. so, lesson learned, take classes in the morning that you’ll love. DON’T take writing in the morning if you’re not a writing major/person. take classes that fit with your major better and make sure you drink coffee.
always, always, ALWAYS check ratemyprofessor.com
this should be like, in bold during college introduction but it gets severely glossed over. a good teacher makes a good student because they have a good experience. my last term this year, I made the choice to have chemistry at 3pm instead of my usual morning time of 11am BECAUSE i checked rate my professor. that professor had a 1.2 rating. i’ve never seen anyone that low and i hope to never see it again. turns out, this guy had been teaching for over 40 years with only handwritten notes, some of which you had to read BEFORE class because he’d spend class making jokes and not teaching. some of my friends had to endure his teaching and let me tell you, i dodged a bullet on that one. find people who are rated highly or at least whose faults you feel you can handle. you can take more risks if you have to after your first term/semester but definitely play it safe at the beginning.
advising occasionally sucks.
it doesn’t suck because you don’t want to go to see some dude who’ll tell you what classes to take. it sucks because it might make you question why you ever came to college in the first place. that’s totally normal. but don’t feel pressured into having your college experience fit into their 4-year plan boxes the way they write courses in. courses are flexible. you can retake, you can take a course during a different year (usually). make your college experience a happy and healthy one, don’t feel pressure or stress to fit into a box you don’t wanna be in. oh, and go to advising with ideas, don’t go emptyhanded.
living off campus with your parents isn’t lame (and any frat boy who tells you it is… is gonna live with his parents after college because #karma)
i lived with my family my first year for medical reasons and am deciding to live with them sophomore year too because you’d be surprised how many people in the dorms absolutely miss their parents and their home. homesickness never leaves and what better way to avoid it than to live at home forever? just kidding, i’ll move out at some point but take advantage of in-state tuition and no housing. your wallet WILL thank you for adulting early on. and for my chronic illness buddies, it’s extra helpful and will save you a lot of anxiety. one of my best friend had to deal with endo flares and ER visits at our university with me and friends instead of with the only person she wanted at the time (her mom) and it was heartbreaking.
self-care is extra important in college
my reusable water bottle saved me from dehydration many a time. also getting (and spilling) tea on campus helped me stay sane. going out to eat pad thai before big tests IS the ultimate form of self-care. next.
you can buy and sell your books on amazon (and you should because adulting, wallet, remember??)
slugbooks.com is a great place to find the cheaper alternative to your campus bookstore although occasionally the bookstore has had books way cheaper, but it’s rare. most of the time i end up on amazon for my books, and if you buy in very good or like new condition you can usually sell it back to amazon at the end of the term which i enjoy a lot. and most of the time you won’t need those books again, so definitely sell them if you’re able. ALSO rip to my chem textbook which i’ll never be able to get rid of it because it’s stupidly loose leaf and i hate her.
those are all of the tips i can think of right now but hit me up w/ questions and i’ll probably make another one of these soon now that my soul is (partially) free of university.
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