The past year for me, as a sophomore, has been a complete whirlwind but in a good way. The one thing I cherish from my freshman year is all the life lessons I experienced and learned over the year.
Lesson 1: Doing your work is the key to success.
Applying yourself and doing your work will help you succeed in college. In high school, I slacked off. I never completed my work on time or studied for tests. Starting my freshman year at Longwood was a slap in the face. If you stick to your schedule, do your work on time, stay organized, study for every test and most importantly, have faith in yourself, your classes will be a breeze, and you'll have time for relaxation.
Lesson 2: Use your resources.
If you want to do well, take advantage of the resources offered to you at school, in particular the library and your professors. Take the time to get to know them. It can make the class more enjoyable, and it'll make asking questions easier. Going to the library can seem tedious, but it is a great place to complete work in silence or work on a group project where great minds think alike.
Lesson 3: Give yourself time.
It’s okay to be unsure of what you want to do with your life. I had no clue coming into college what I wanted to do with my life and that scared me, especially because a lot of my friends were so confident about their majors. Now looking back, a good portion of those friends have changed their major multiple times. It’s okay not to know for a while because all good things take time. Taking a variety of classes can be very helpful in finding what you want to do with your life and what major to decide on. When you find the major you love and that you are passionate about, you are going to be glad you gave yourself the time to explore.
Lesson 4: Friends come and go.
You will meet some amazing people that will change your life, but there will be a few you don’t click with. That’s okay too. I was terrified of the idea of losing all my high school friends from home. I thought I wasn't ready. When those first couple of school breaks come around, you start to realize you don’t have as much in common as you used to with some of your high school friends. Sometimes, we grow out of each other. Going to college and making new friends was the reason I wanted to skip the first day of New Lancer Days. Do yourself a favor and attend all the activities. You'll be glad you went, just like I was. I met one of my best friends that day and became close with a ton of people on my dorm floor. You will find people who make you feel good about yourself and that will be there for you in times of need.
Lesson 5: Love thyself.
The most important lesson I learned was loving yourself for who you are and not for who your significant other or friends want you to be. After realizing this, I became a more positive and happy person, which made my freshman year great. Some of these things I wished I knew before starting my freshman year, so I hope this will give some insight on things you might experience throughout your freshman year. Don’t take this year for granted because it was one of the best years of my life, and I’m sure it will be one of yours too.
Buckle up because life’s a roller coaster, and it’s not stopping any time soon.
