Advice for Incoming College Freshmen
It can be very daunting heading into your first year of college as a freshmen. Depending on what college/university you choose, the campus is a new and sometimes a huge environment. You have new professors (they’re professors now), advisors, clubs, groups, roommates, classmates, and new paths you have to learn to get to your classes. Your classes won’t be in just one building but in many different ones. You’ll also have to find parking if you are a student that will be commuting to campus. Or figure out what bus there is to take. There’s so many new things but luckily you have me. I polled friends and family that went to a college of some sort and asked them a few questions. You’ll learn what college they went to and how they managed. Sit back, relax, and enjoy their advice!
Emily J
1. What college did you attend? University of Michigan - Dearborn
2. What did you love most about your school? It’s a smaller version of Ann Arbor, and of course my sorority.
3. What did you like least? PARKING.
4.. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Get involved. I waited too long to take the plunge.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! It's okay to go in as an undecided major. It's also not a race. Take your time and do well in those classes. Retaking an expensive class sucks. Also again, get involved. (:
Jocelyn R
1. What college did you attend? University of Detroit Mercy
2. What did you love most about your school? That it was pretty small. We only had about 1,200 students living on campus. It was only about a 10 minute walk from one end to the other end of campus so, that was good in the winter.
3. What did you like least? That it was small😂 I did go to visit friends at larger schools (CMU, MSU) but, we didn’t have a football team, tailgates, etc. I really loved visiting those places on the weekends but, it made me appreciate my smaller school for small campus/ class sizes.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Do what is best for you. Don’t be tempted to follow your friends. Like I said, I visited my friends from HS and they visited me (still friends to this day, btw) but, I made other friends too and went to the school that gave me the most opportunity.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Best advice, truly do what is right for you. If a school is a good fit academically, will possibly give you scholarships or aid to attend, do it. You can always visit elsewhere. Most people I know LOVED their experience and definitely made the most of it:)
Carmen G
1. What college did you attend? Eastern Michigan University
2. What did you love most about your school? I loved that it was close to home and the campus is small.
3. What did you like least? I didn't like the lack of parking around campus, the price of parking passes and the price of hourly parking. None of the parking lots were close to classes.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? My advice would be don't get upset or stress not knowing what you want to do your first year in college. If you can help it, those refund checks count towards your loans so don't buy a car unless you need it. Have a good balance of fun and work. Lastly, take some of your general studies classes at a community college then transfer it will save you money.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! My last piece of advice don't sweat or stress remember self care, morning classes may be rough if you aren't a morning person and space your classes out with a break. You will do amazing!! ♡
Ashley R
1. What college did you attend? U of Michigan Dearborn
2. What did you love most about your school? The friends I made, smaller class sizes.
3. What did you like least? Not living away from home/college party experience.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Move away from home and don’t be afraid to try new things.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Save money for after college so you can travel. Don’t be afraid to fail. Learn to balance life and school.
Roy H
1. What college did you attend? The finest school in the world, CMU
2. What did you love most about your school? Making friends and all the new experiences I encountered.
3. What did you like least? It got pretty cold in the winter.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Try anything and everything. Even if you don't know if you'll enjoy it. Try your best to leave with no missed opportunities or regrets.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Use your time in college to learn how to depend on and take care of yourself. Be responsible, but don't forget to have fun.
Evie J
1. What college did you attend? I started out at Madonna University then went to the Disney College Program.
2. What did you love most about your school? I liked the freedom of living away from home but hated working at the Disney parks.
3. What did you like least? The guests were assholes and they pay sucked.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? My advice would be to stay open minded and flexible. It's rough coming out of you parents basement and into the light of independence.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! My other advice would be do everything you can. Go to games, go to clubs, try new food, whatever. You're learning now what is going to define you as a person, not only as a career.
Lynsey M
1. What college did you attend? Lansing Community College
2. What did you love most about your school? Small Class Sizes. They also had a really good program for what I was going for.
3. What did you like least? It was hard for me to connect and make friends.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Don't be afraid to take your time with school and try new things. I tried different majors and took classes (acting,dance) just for fun and to get myself out of my comfort zone.
Christa G
1. What college did you attend? THE Ohio State University :)
2. What did you love most about your school? I loved that it was close to home (about 2 hours) but far enough away that I felt like I "moved away from home". I also loved the diversity and accepting atmosphere it had.
3. What did you like least? The classes were HUGE and I wasn't confident enough to approach my professors, so a lot of them didn't know who I was. (That may be more about me than about the school, tho! LOL)
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Get active in many organizations, meet as many new people as you can, and figure out the person you want to be.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Figure out where your passions intersect with something that pays well! Choose a major that you love and that will pay well.
Anthony W
1. What college did you attend? THE University of Michigan-Dearborn (right Christa?)
2. What did you love most about your school? I loved that it was a mid-sized school. Got to know the administration better because it wasn't so massive.
3. What did you like least? Parking. Oooh girl, I could have slapped someone in that parking lot.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? Go. To. Community. College. First. Four-year programs don't teach special Spanish, Algebra, or Psych, but they'll charge you a special price.
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Did you read #4? Because. Read it. And then read it again. And then do what it says. (You'll literally save thousands of dollars.)
Lynsey S (Me)
1. What college did you attend? Western Michigan University is where I had my fun college experience. GO BRONCOS!!!! (BOOO CMU… no offence to any future Chips but the feud is strong in my bones!!!). I transferred for stupid reasons and ended up graduating from Eastern Michigan University.
2. What did you love most about your school? At Western I loved how big it was. It was so fun to meet new people all the time. Oddly enough, I also saw a lot of the same people all the time. The parties were amazing and going to the sporting events was a lot of fun. There was soooo much to do in Kalamazoo and I miss it all the time. I concentrated on my studies at Eastern so it was much more convenient to have a more compact campus.
3. What did you like least? I was farther from home and friends (which is why I transferred). I’m a close knit friend type of person so it eventually got lonely.
4. If you could give any advice to incoming college freshmen, what would it be? After going through everything I went through, my advice would be to open up to people. Be yourself. You truly find people that are most like you at college if you do the things you’re interested in. Join groups/clubs, talk to people in your classes, explore your campus (I so wish I did this more. Western’s campus is beautiful), try new restaurants, go shopping, and talk to neighbors/dorm mates. It might be uncomfortable in the beginning but you could end up with life long friends, or some really great memories that you can pass on!
5. Include anything else you may find helpful to current seniors/incoming college freshmen!!! Know what you want to do for your future but give yourself some grace. If you have no idea, take gen ed classes and explore different areas. I’ve taken a detour since graduation but am now veering back towards a teaching degree but in special education focused on Autism. Photography will still be in my life as a second career because I can’t imagine my life without it. Just be yourself and learn about yourself!!!
There you have it, folks. You will experience so much in your first year after high school. You are no longer a senior in high school but you are now fresh in this new grown up world. Tough decisions will be made. New choices to be had. But hopefully you have fun and learn about yourself. Some say high school is the best years of your life, but for me it was definitely college. And I feel life others will agree!
And just because :) Click on pic for link to get this awesome decal!!!
