With it being back to school time, I was thinking about my first weeks as a college student, how much I didn't know, and "What I Wish I had known as a Freshman." The What I Wish I'd known was a topic I discussed with company reps over my years at Virginia Tech. We ended up doing a panel for students on just that topic, but that's a post for another day.
When I think about my first days in college now, I have the benefit of hindsight and knowing it all turned out okay, but I can still feel what I felt as a 17 year old, first generation college student. I felt lost, confused, and stupid. What advice would I give to that incredibly shy, 17 year old girl and to any other student starting or returning to college?
What I Wish I Had Known as a Freshman:
1) You're not the only one feeling lost and confused, but it can certainly feel like it. I had a major case of Imposter Syndrome long before I ever heard that terminology.
- I didn't know exactly what credit hours were and what they meant. In all fairness, though, credit hours as a music major were similar to "Whose Line is it Anyway" because the work is never-ending and the credit hours don't matter.
- I didn't know that I'd have to audition at the beginning of the fall semester for placement into an ensemble. I didn't know that many of the other majors didn't take auditioning seriously and didn't spend hours practicing a piece to demonstrate their skills.
- I didn't know how or where to buy textbooks, or to crack them open to see if someone else had gone to town with a highlighter before I bought one.
My advice: ask for help. You might find that others are thinking and wondering the exact same things as you are.
2) Walking your schedule before the first day? Do it. There are lots of ways to get around a campus. Do you have two classes that are on the opposite sides of campus, that only The Flash could make in 10 or 15 minutes? Do you have a class in an offsite building? Is your class in an old building with weird and hard-to-find stairways and classroom layouts? Does your classroom building share a name with another building that is on the other side of campus?
See what transportation services are available on your campus. Bus? Campus Circulator? A tram system (Personal Rapid Transit)? Bikes or Scooters for rent?
3) Take those "ratemyteachers.com" sites with a grain of salt. People have different learning styles. Faculty have different teaching styles. You will have great teachers and some that are not so great, just like K-12. Give those "tough teachers" a chance. You might find that their teaching and your learning style are a perfect fit.
4) Get to know your teacher and TA's. If you're reading this, you might not be old enough to remember the old Maytag repairman commercials. The joke: Maytag appliances are so reliable, the repairman gets lonely. Ha! Get to know the people teaching and assisting your class. And if your faculty member makes a Maytag repairman joke, you'll be in on the joke!
But seriously, you may need a letter of reference somewhere down the road. Your faculty members need to remember you to write a letter; give them a good reason to remember you.
5) Yes, there are large classes, but if you sit in the front, you'll never know. There are pluses and minuses to taking small and large classes. You might end up in a small class because there is only one faculty member that can teach that particular topic and they've been teaching it the same way for 40 years. Or you take a large class, with 2000+ students, and discover one of the best teachers around. (Google The Plaid Avenger, if you're curious.)
6) Get to know your advisor. They are there to provide you with advice and guidance. If you can't figure out who to ask, start with your advisor.
7) It's your chance to learn new things, try new courses. I don't know about you, but Underwater Basket-weaving sounds pretty cool. Look for classes in topics that you've never had the chance to study. Look for special topic courses, for courses taught by experts in their field, and for courses taught by creative people who are on the cutting edge of their field. (If you don't know who these people are, ask your advisor.)
8) Get practical experience in your field. Can you get an internship? Can you work part-time? Can you volunteer? Make sure you really want to do what you think you do. You'd be surprised by how many people end up in a totally different career than what they'd planned in college.
9) Start a resume and keep it updated as you go. Don't know how to start a resume? See #10...
10) Did you know there are places on the campus that are just for supporting students? 😀 Writing Center, Career Services, Tutoring, Services for Students with Disabilities. You are paying for your college experience, you should get the most out of it.
11) Have honest conversations with your parents, guardians, grandparents, or whomever is paying your tuition. Tuition is only going to get more expensive. If someone is paying your tuition, you should be honest with them about your progress. Maybe you're not ready for college. Maybe you'd like to do something else. The sooner you realize that, the quicker you can get on the right path for you.
12) As one of our grads said, "Learn to do your laundry." Maybe you'll have the pleasure of seeing football players wearing practice gear that is slightly pink (from washing white pants with maroon shirts). Whether it was a player or someone hired to do it, I'm sure they learned that lesson quickly.
Finally, get to know yourself and what you need. How much sleep do you need to function well? Do you need help in a required subject, that you might have struggled with before? Do you study best alone or in a group? Do you need to run 5 miles before breakfast to feel completely awake and ready to go for the day?
This is your time. Learn. Learn about yourself; learn about others different than you; learn what you need to do to be successful; and above all, learn to be a life long learner.
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