Dear Incoming Freshman

I had the idea months and months ago to wrack my brain of all the advice I could think of to give to any of you entering into college for the first time! It then hit me that maybe I'd ask other people for their advice to gain multiple perspectives- and man oh man- the response was unreal! There are so many wonderful pieces of advice in here from so many different types of people. I wish there was a way to present each of these that shows how wonderful I view all of this advice, but for now this will have to do! Whether you want to read through each quote or pick and choose, you can not lose! Thank you to everyone that contributed advice- you are all wonderful!

And dear incoming freshman, you've got this.

                      

"Go into [college] with an open mind and don't let your expectation or stories of what you hear college is like get in the way of your experience.

"[Do] not get discouraged if things don't happen exactly the way you imagined. Depending on where you are or who you knew going in, you might not make friends right away. Don't stress if you're not doing a lot of social things at first because it will eventually happen." 

"It gets better!!! Get in community as soon as possible! And as much as possible! You're not the only one struggling, other people just might be good at hiding it! The Lord is going to teach you some really awesome things, so be open, ready, and expectant!!" 

"Come in with open expectations. I came in with a whole big plan of what I wanted my life to be and what major I wanted and I ended up hating my major. I tried to stick with it because I didn't want to stray from the plan of how I pictured my life, but eventually I switched majors and now I love it. I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do, but I know that I'm going to love it whatever it is. 

"Take advantage of all services available. Go to the writing center at the outset and end of a paper, check out emotional support options, email your academic advisor if something is tough and ask them to point you towards more resources."

"Make sure to make friends on your hall- they're great!"

"Always know that you are enough, in any given situation."

"Find an advisor that you are absolutely comfortable talking with and one that leads you on the best path of success." 

"[Do] not let the word freshman hold you back from doing the things you want to [do]. I know I found myself cowering behind the word and it was only me restricting myself. College is about being yourself." 

"Remember everyone is 'new 

at this' in a sense. Be yourself and you will find yourself surrounded by people that will become your best 

friends in a blink of an eye!"

"[Do] not be afraid to branch out and talk to people

that you wouldn't normally talk to because you never

know who you'll become best friends with in the future."

"It is okay to not love college at first. Everyone talks about the college experience and how great it is, and it definitely is, but the adjustment period is tough and varies in length for everyone. So remember, it is okay to not be okay sometimes, always seek a friend to talk through problems with, and know that it will be so cool to be able to look back at the end of your freshman year to see why things happened the way they did. God always has a plan. Always!"

"You don’t have to go to the stereotypical college route of parties and binge drinking and drugs, etc. College is a time for you to start your independent life and no one actually cares [or] judges you like [in] high school. Focus on yourself and what you need to do to finish school and do your best. Don’t worry about what is [portrayed as] cool, worry about yourself... Lots of people go into college thinking that everyone just gets wasted every night and while that does happen [for some people], there’s tons of people who don’t! [There's] no need to give into the pressure from the college stereotype, no one actually cares if you go to that party or not. Don’t give into stereotypes, focus on school and doing well, nobody will judge you." 

"Don't be afraid to do your own thing. Join a club, take a class, or go to an event even if your friends aren't doing it too. It's an awesome way to meet new people, plus college is all about figuring out and doing what you're interested in!"

"Go to class and get to know your professors. I found it super intimidating to go to my professors' office hours for the first time, but I am so glad that I did! One of my professors wrote me a letter of recommendation for a scholarship and one gave me extra credit." 

"Go in with an open and trusting mind and [do] not have a preset idea of what your 'college experience' will look like. There were so many things throughout freshman year that I would not have ever thought I would be a part of, but with an open mind [I] was able to get involved with some really awesome things that have grown me SO much as a person." 

"Take risks and step out of your comfort zone because some of my greatest memories from freshman year came from adventures (like buying concert tickets 3 hours before the concert began)."

"Don't worry about making friends! Chasing people isn't worth it, your friends will gravitate to you." 

"Manage your time well, 

but still have fun!" 

"Do the work...If you don't work for what you want, you won't get it."

"Understand that loneliness doesn't mean you don't have friends, it means you are in a time of transition and you have to trust the Lord with where He wants to take you and He wants to show you. Take those lonely moments and give them to Him and He will do great things with them." 

"Find and try as many ministries as you can. Each one brings something different to the table and having a mixture is very valuable." 

"Loneliness is normal and everyone struggles with it, even if they all seem like they're overjoyed and have a million friends. Don't be afraid to be the first person to reach out. Freshman year is a time when everyone struggles and needs loving, godly friends, but most people are too afraid to admit they need people. So skip a step and just go ahead and love people and pursue them and you'll be so thankful later on."

"Stop seeking the approval of others and realize that God has made you who you are so that you can live for Him, not for the acceptance [of] the world."  

I hope some of these snippets of advice were helpful to you! There is loads and loads of more advice that could be given and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! 

Dear incoming freshman, you're gonna do great.

Sincerely, Me