3 | 15 Things I Wish I Knew Before the First Term at College
Monday, September 28, 2015
I just finished my first term of college and I want to give you some advice on.. Well... Basically college. Because, oh my goodness, the last week of the first term was terrible. I was sitting there sobbing like every other day, all upset and just regretting so much. Haha! So I'm going to tell you the things that I wish I did differently and things that a freshmen should know, because honestly, this will help you.
So for 1. You're going to lose touch with the people that you used to be friends with. Whether it be friendship made the year before, or even in the first term of college, or maybe the ones made in your senior year of high school. Either way, some people are going to fall on the face of the earth, they're not going to greet you happy birthday on your birthday on Facebook which is normally a courtesy of some sort. But some of them are just not going to be there anymore. But it's ok, you're going to make new friends.
2. Your plans are going to change. So whether you decide to be a lawyer, a doctor, or a zookeeper. There's no way of knowing that you'll end up in that path in the end. But it's ok. It's not the end of the world if you decide to change your major.
3. Go to class. Class is different in high school than it is in college. Go to class, it'll help you alot.
4. Make sure to eat. Whether you're having a really bad day, or you're not feeling very well. You'd want to make sure you have food because the saddest part is when you're block mate is eating and you're just like "Can I have j-just one... please". Also, because of all the assignments, you might forget to eat. And that's a bad thing.
5. Be social, be outgoing, make friends. Everyone is on the same boat as you, and honestly, if you were a really shy person in high school, no one's going to know. So go out there and make friends because the reality is, you're going to have a ton of acquaintances but only few real friends. So make sure you go out and fish for acquaintances and hopefully you can delve in to those relationships and actually have real, and good friends.
6. Join clubs or organizations. Do things outside of your comfort zone. Your school (APC) has so much to offer and so many people don't take on all the opportunities that are there, so be on the look out. Look for them and maybe you'll have much more fun in college than you thought you could.
7. Somebody is going to get mad at you. There is going to be drama. The thing where people say that you don't have any drama in your college and that it's so much better than high school. College is going to be great. It's going to be amazing and better than compared to what you did in high school. College(especially in APC) is a blast! But there is going to be drama. Don't be mistaken that there won't be. There is. Try to avoid it as much as you can.
8. You don't have to be best friends with everyone. Anyone you meet doesn't mean that you have to go tell them everything about yourself.
9. Take tons of pictures. You're going to regret it when you only have a couple of pictures on your phone and half of them are when everyone looks like they're not themselves. And the other half is when people are doing embarrassing faces. You're definitely going to be like "where are all the nice, pretty pictures? Did we not look good at anytime during the term?"
10. Answer your parents' texts and calls. They worry. A lot. And if you don't answer. Bad things will happen.
11. All-nighters happen. You're going to deal with them a lot. Especially during the finals week, or as they call it, the "Hell Week". Just realize that around 12 a.m you feel like a superhero and you're like "I can do this!" But at around 3 a.m you're just sleeping on your notebook and waking up at 6 a.m when your alarm's buzzing. The struggle. It's real.
12. Stay on top of things and be organized. You're a grown up. Your mom shouldn't be there to tell you stuff like "Do your homework. Study for the test." It should all be up to you. Be responsible.
13. If something makes you unhappy, get rid of it. This is not high school where you're going to spend the next 4 years with them. As I've said before, your friends change year to year. If you don't like somebody, you don't have to deal with them. Just don't make attempts to make them angry. As cliche as it may sound, be kind. You can never go wrong with kindness. But as I've said, you don't have to force yourself to speak with people who you think are beneath you.
14. Relax and go with the flow. But don't over do it. Believe me, it's a mistake many freshmen make and that's usually the reason why they fail their subjects. They forget about school and all they do is hangout with other students and cut class. It's not worth it. You can relax without jeopardizing your grades and studies.
And the last thing..
15. Don't drink. You don't have to drink to have fun. It's definitely not a requirement. I went out with my friends a lot of times and I was not drinking. It was fabulous. You get to watch all the crazy people. You have to be the mother/father and take care of your crazy friends. Go out on malls and have fun. Just don't do it every weekend or multiple times in a weekend. It's college and there's few people to stop you. But try to stop yourself. Consider the pros and the cons.
And there you go. Also, take note that I didn't experience everything that I said in this list. Some of them are based on what I see from other students.
5 comments
Hi mil!! Your advice help me a lot in my college life. Now i know how to balance things and to stay positive every time. :)
ReplyDeleteI really agree with this especially with the number 1. Before I graduate high school, me and my batch agreed to stay in touch even if we're in college and we have new sets of friends.But it didn't happen the way we actually planned. Everyone has their own lives and everyone has different schedules. I just recently realized that it's such a waste of time to feel bad about the situation. Even if I tried telling them stories on what happened in school and with my new friends, they wouldn't be able to really understand it.. I am pretty sure that they will think it's a waste of them to hear stories about people they don't know and they don't care about. I feel the same way every time my high school classmate tells stories about her batch. I honestly couldn't care less about them. I am usually busy and that's the time where she would tell stories I don't care about. When I told her that I was busy, which she didn't believed me and she started sulking.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, when I entered college I stopped caring about the things that doesn't concern me at all. It makes life way easier.
Hi mil! I like your blog! :) When I'm about to open this blog, "15 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE THE FIRST TERM AT COLLEGE" caught my attention. Because yea, I feel you men haha. Those struggle last 1st term that I don't want to happen again. But I know its part of our "hell college life" haha. So thanks for these things that really enlighten my mind in order to have a good college experience, I mean good grades in college. All the love x :)
ReplyDeleteYour blog was very interesting and your advice because it's really trueeeee.:)
ReplyDeleteIntersting ! What a nice :)
ReplyDelete