Move-In Day is Friday, August 21 and there are visible signs on campus. The football and soccer teams have been going through late-summer drills, new faces are searching the bookstore in the Strom Thurmond Center and an occassional embrace between returning students, renews a friendship.
When classes begin bright and early on Monday, August 24, returning students will get in the familiar rhythm of balancing schedules, activities, clubs and social life across campus.
But how will newcomers — incoming freshman and transfers — adjust? Juniors, seniors and CSU alumni surely remember the challenge of living away from home for the first time. For some, it was more difficult than others. Every face is a stranger, every professors voice is new and Norris and Wingo Halls, well, they may as well be in Canada. Everything seems foreign when your a college freshman — at first.
But don’t let it psych you out. Jump in. Ask questions. Get involved. Make friends.
And for returning sophomore, juniors and seniors, help out the rookies. Use this blog. Post a comment and offer suggestions and encouragement.
I had some of the most devastating, depressing times and some of the happiest, euphoric times during freshman year. (It can change over the course of hours.) Through it all, I rarely doubted that it was one of best times of my life. I would never go back to freshman year, yet I look back often and think about how precious it was.
Freshman year is one of those rare times that’s perfect in its imperfections; it’s a sendoff to childhood and also the first hints of adulthood.
College is one of those classic life landmarks. Just breathe, take it all in, and enjoy it as much as possible.
Find a small but tight group of friends you can depend on for social and emotional support. Without establishing clear rules and priorities in college, you’ll slowly see your life falling apart. Believe me, I’ve seen this happen to many students around me. Colleges like to say a lot of stuff like, “College is about new experiences, trying out new things, etc.” While to some extent this is true, college is also finding out and being responsible for what is most important to you and making commitments to yourself, your family, and others around you.
Go to orientation and sign up for clubs that sound interesting, then go to a few of their meetings to find a couple to pursue. This is how you bridge outside of your classes and your floor and set up lasting friend and support groups.
I found freshman year to be grippingly lonely. I recall waking up without knowing what to do with myself. What I would do differently now is stay closer to home, near friends and family.
The most important remainder of your freshman year are your grades. A dismal GPA the first semester or two will drag down the rest of your undergrad GPA, so don’t think that “freshman year does not count.” A three-credit first semester class counts just as much towards computing your overall GPA as a three credt class you take in the last semester of your senior year.
Read the entire handbook early on–this will teach you the rules as well as the types of things you can do, like starting your own club or petitioning to create your own major. Look over the entire course catalog and find out which professors are best. Don’t discount classes you had never considered taking, as you might love them.
If you have an idea of what you want to do after graduation, consider the steps you need to take to achieve it. It’s never too early to go to the Career Planning Office. Don’t forget to forge close relationships with professors (you will likely need recommendations at some point).
The next four years will pass in a blur.
wow, thanks for all the great advice. my daughter is going to CSU this fall, and I am nervous about it. this will be her first time away from home.
The best thing for an incoming freshman is to make friends with upperclassmen. They know what course you should be taking and give insights to professors you should know; some of my favorite classes came for suggestions of upperclassmen. Those first few classes help set the base line for your overall gpa.