This past weekend, I (Colleen) came across an article in Northern Virginia Magazine entitled 19 Tips Every [College] Freshman Should Know. I very much agreed with most of them* and thought we could do our own spin-off for this week’s mid-week blog post!

*While I do not agree with all of them, I vehemently disagree with #13. Study abroad is fantastic but by all means, do NOT take out a loan to do it!!!

If you do opt out of studying abroad, you can still get a mini-abroad experience by visiting friends! I studied abroad in the UK but here I am meeting up with my friend in Paris during his study abroad in Padova! A year earlier I visited other friends in Madrid during their summer study abroad, and we went to Amsterdam together too. So much fun!

Academic Tips

Go to class (Colleen)

There’s a reason why this piece of advice made the number one slot both here and in Northern Virginia Magazine’s article. It is so, so, so much easier to do well in college if you go to class. Ironically, this is also the tip that most students have trouble fully understanding before they get to college - from a high school student’s perspective, of course you’d go to class. Is that even an option?

Well, the reality is that when you get to college, skipping class may be more of an option than you realize. This is especially the case if you attend a mid-sized or larger school; my own school had about 5500 undergrads when I attended and I would say that approximately half of my professors did not take attendance. It’s so easy to rationalize skipping when the professor just reads off slides that are available online, but the reality is that you will miss information that’s not on the slides. Not to mention, are you actually going to review those slides the same day you missed class, or will you be cramming in several weeks’ worth of them the night before the exam?

My best advice would be to never miss a single one if you can help it, because it becomes like a gateway drug of sorts. You skip one at the beginning of the semester and you realize how nice it was to be able to sleep in. Then you start missing one each week. Then two. Then the next thing you know, it’s final exam time and you haven’t been to class since mid-terms. I see this all the time with our students - it’s so easy to fall into a spiral from which you can’t easily extricate yourself. So GO TO CLASS!

Ask for help (Shannon)

Many college students do not even begin to scratch the surface of all of the incredible resources available on campus! You can likely get a tutor in any subject, work on organization, meet with an academic advisor, attend extra study sessions, go to professor’s office hours… the list is truly endless, but these extra opportunities are only available to students who seek them out.

Make sure you don’t miss the career center, either - this isn’t obvious for most freshmen. They have exceptional resources, but again, they won’t (typically) come looking for you if you don’t proactively make an appointment - which I recommend doing during your first semester on campus.

Their career specialists can help you put together a four year plan to employment (or grad school) broken down into chunks, semester by semester. Remember: just like all four years of high school are important for college admissions, all four years of college are important for the job search or graduate school admissions. The students who have strong grades from the beginning and meaningful internships each summer are much more likely to be happy about their choices post-graduation.

I think that many students who were very successful in high school feel awkward and embarrassed when it comes to asking for help in college, but truthfully, those resources are there for a reason! You are making a BIG academic and social transition, so don’t be afraid to ask for what you need on campus.

Map it out (Tyler)

During your first couple days, take the time to walk around the campus! Not only will it help you to know where all of your classes are, but you will also feel more comfortable if you know the lay of the land. Plus, you may run into other curious students!

Tyler’s parents helping him move into his new campus home!

Social Tips

Do live on campus, don’t live with a friend (Colleen)

Northern Virginia Magazine noted (and I absolutely, 100% agree) that it’s so much better to live on campus than off during your freshman year. Typically we don’t see students opting out of that because most are very excited about living on campus!

What we DO see is that a number choose to room with friends from high school, summer camp, etc. Particularly with girls, this rarely ends well. There are exceptions, but our students who are most satisfied with their freshman year residential life experience have typically chosen to live with someone that they did not know before arriving on campus. And definitely don’t be afraid that you won’t be best friends with your roommate! For me personally, my favorite roommates over the years were girls who I enjoyed, but were not in my core social group.

Don’t Worry if You haven’t found “Your People” by Day One (Shannon)

You might get to college and find that your roommate or the person sitting next to you in your freshman seminar is your new best friend. They might be! But I think that freshman year especially, it is easy to feel like everyone on campus is fitting in except for you.

College campuses are diverse places with all different kinds of people, so just because you don’t click with your forever friends right off the bat, don’t give up! Join clubs and take part in extracurricular activities that interest you, put yourself out there by attending social events, and you will find your niche - even if it’s not right away!

[Note from Colleen - you should TOTALLY check out this video that went viral a few years ago! I have sent this to so many kids because I love it!]

LEave YOur Door Open (Tyler)

Yes, literally! Other students who pass by will be able to see that you are open to making friends and talking to others on your hall. If you are feeling bold, you can also just walk around the hall and knock on doors to meet people. Freshman year, everyone is interested in making friends, and they will appreciate your confidence and remember you!

Also, talk with your roommate. You two might not click as best friends, but living with someone else all the time can be hard, so being on the same page and getting comfortable with them from the beginning is a lifesaver.

Try not to attach yourself to a significant other (Colleen)

Whether it’s your high school girlfriend who you’re calling every night, or the cute guy to whom you became attached at the hip during orientation, a serious relationship in college often leads to a less enjoyable experience than you might otherwise have had. Sure, there are some exceptions, but these relationships just don’t typically last. Do you want to look back one day and think about how your college years revolved around someone you don’t even talk to anymore? That’s so depressing!

Get out there and have fun, and if you meet the perfect person, keep it light! We aren’t in 1960 anymore and most people do not get married to the person they met in college. If it’s meant to be, they will still be around after graduation!

Luckily, Shannon and her roommate DID click as best friends (bonding over a mutual love of country music) and are still close today!

Campus Opportunities Tips

Consider Going Greek (Colleen)

I realize this sort of borders with social, but joining a sorority was one of the best things I did in college. I was not someone who came from a long line of sorority women, and this was definitely not a given for me the way it is for some other girls. But it was such a wonderful opportunity for me to find my niche and have a smaller group within a larger community. From Thursday nights in the suite watching the OC (may it rest in peace!) to late-night study sessions to crush parties, there was always something going on and a group to do it with.

I didn’t click with every single girl, but the repeated exposure I did have to the same group of faces led to a lot of long-term friendships. Sororities also provide a lot of chances to develop real-world skills - I know it sounds sort of silly but I’m serious! From event planning during recruitment to leadership skills on the exec board, there were so many opportunities to step up and try out something new.

And it really expanded my network! One of the most surprising parts of joining a sorority for me was how grateful I’d be for it AFTER college. When I moved to NYC and knew nobody, I randomly ran into a girl from my chapter in Columbus Circle who also knew nobody. Three years later, we were in each others’ weddings! I have so many stories like this, and met some of my closest friends in both NYC and DC through my sorority affiliation.

Seek Out Mentors (Shannon)

For many of you, you haven’t had to work at building relationships with the adults in your life. Maybe you had a teacher or coach who you grew close with, but it is easy to let these types of mentors disappear from your life when you graduate from high school.

The interesting people that you will meet on campus aren’t only your fellow students - faculty, staff, and coaches have a lot of wisdom to share, but you won’t know unless you seek them out! So make sure that you go to office hours, take the time to chat with professors and advisors, and let them know that their help and guidance is appreciated.

Bonus: having these relationships in college make it much easier if you need to ask for a grad school or job recommendation or connection down the line!

Go to the Club Fair (Tyler)

The club fair, which usually takes place during the first few days of school, can definitely seem intimidating, with representatives from all the different student clubs trying to get you on their sign-up sheets! But it is definitely worth it to attend and sign up for anything that interests you, and then actually check out a meeting! This is a great way to get involved on campus and connect with more people, especially upperclassmen who you may not be running into every day.

So much more!

This isn’t an exhaustive list, by any means, and we could have written a book on the subject (maybe we will!). Here are a few more random tips to consider while starting this journey:

Always look up your professors on ratemyprofessors.com before registering for classes. If they aren’t on there, start googling. Pro tip: you can learn a lot about someone from their twitter feed!
When you have the choice to pick between what appears to be an interesting class or a good professor, pick the professor. A good one will make any class interesting and then you’ll have both!
You didn’t hear it from us, but there are usually ways to get around the “no cars on campus for freshmen” rule if your school has it.
If you do decide to join a sorority, send recommendations to each chapter in advance. You will not regret this, even if your school and the panhellenic council say it’s not necessary. These are not needed for fraternities but a few well-placed phone calls wouldn’t hurt.
Explore the surrounding area - this may be the only time in your life you’ll live in that city and you’ll have so many fun memories of getting off campus and discovering a new place!
Try tons of new things! I had never eaten guacamole before my freshman year, which sounds kind of hard to believe, but it’s true. By the time I graduated I was eating all kinds of unfamiliar foods!
ENJOY! College is amazing. And if you don’t love it, you can transfer!

Attending events freshman year is a great way to bond with new people - Shannon’s friend took this photo at a talk by the Dalai Lama at W&M!

Want to maximize your freshman year?

Whether you’re hoping to play your cards right for a selective undergraduate program like UVA’s McIntire or Batten Schools or W&M’s Mason School; are trying to put together the best possible schedule for yourself; are about to go through fall sorority recruitment and don’t know what to wear or how to prepare (yes, really, this is a thing); or just want to make sure you know all the ins and outs of the school you select, email us to learn more about college experience coaching and how we can help!