Emily Jenks
—As my freshman year draws to a close, I’ve begun to recognize how much I’ve screwed up.
Hindsight is 20/20, but life is about learning from your mistakes. When we were young, we learned that fire is hot and touching it would hurt. As we age, though, the lessons we learn start to get a little more complex.
MSU is a place for us to make the mistakes that we need to, whether those mistakes are life-altering or just bumps in the road. I bugged a few of my freshman friends to tell me what they’ve learned this year and here’s what they had to say.
1. “Doing things alone is a totally OK thing to do and can be enjoyable sometimes.”
The first few weeks on campus for some are a frenzied race to make as many friends as possible. I couldn’t tell you how many times I went through the whole “What’s your name/year/major?” spiel.
As time goes on, we come to realize that it’s OK to sit alone while eating lunch. We don’t have to surround ourselves with people all the time, and staying home watching Netflix on Friday night is totally acceptable — as long as it isn’t every Friday night.
2. “I need to research my professors before signing up.”
Professors have very different teaching styles. They could teach the exact same content, but having a professor you don’t personally connect with could mean the difference between a 2.0 and a 4.0.
When looking for the best professor, Koofers.com is your best friend. It has a treasure trove of MSU professor and class ratings from real students, and it’s free. Use it well.
3. “Try to get along with your roommates since you live with them and they know where your stuff is.”
This is a personal one. I’ve had a lot of roommate problems. The girls themselves are fine, but the mix of us together has been...interesting. You’re stuck with your roommates all year unless you choose to move out. Life is a lot less stressful when you don’t have to worry about one of them peeing in your shampoo bottle, so I’ve learned to avoid problems with them.
Also on roommates...
4. “Don’t let your roommate cut your hair.”
I’ve seen this unfortunate mistake first-hand, and it’s not pretty. My friend’s roommate asked if she could cut her bangs for her and I’ll just say that she could have done a better job. Doing fun and crazy stuff with your friends is great, but leave the scissors to a licensed cosmetologist.
5. “Procrastination sucks. This is the fifth all-nighter I’ve had to pull.”
This speaks for itself. Studying is a real thing in college, unlike the high schools a lot of us blew through. Procrastination is your enemy, so start studying before 11 p.m. on the night before the exam.
6. “You shouldn’t put a Pop-Tart in the microwave.”
Learning how to feed ourselves, do laundry and clean up is quite a process. Without our parents to match our socks and spoon-feed us lasagna every day, it can be difficult to figure out how to live on your own.
In this example, one of my friends discovered the explosive properties of a S’mores Pop-Tart when heated in a microwave. Rest assured, she won’t be doing that again. This is one small step on her journey to culinary competency.
7. “Drinking nine beers in a two-hour period is a bad idea.”
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Learning your limits is critical for having a positive college experience. Drinking can be fun. Waking up to find yourself hugging a toilet covered in vomit generally is not fun.
8. “Traveling in packs all the time lets everyone knows you’re a freshman.”
There’s nothing that screams “freshman” more than traveling with 20 of your closest friends, especially during tailgates. The beginning of freshman year is a time when talking to everyone and making tons of friends is a great thing to do, but you don’t have to hang out with all of them at once. Overcoming this freshman stereotype is critical.
9. “Don’t hook up with strangers.”
This one is a bit controversial. From the opinion of one of my friends, hooking up with random people in the beginning of the year was a decision that she regrets and it impacts her even now.
Other people, I know, have no problem with no-strings-attached sleepovers, so if that’s your lifestyle, go ahead. But keep in mind that thinking before you act is always a good idea.
10. “Don’t stress out because it always gets better.”
This hits home with me. I’ve always been a worrier. I overthink many of my decisions, even one as simple as what I should get for my Combo-X-Change. College is a petri dish for stress, and if you let it get to you, life’s gonna be miserable. Appreciating the little things, like the fact that we even get to go to college, and taking a few minutes to relax every day have made stress much easier to handle.
Emily Jenks is a State News reporter. Reach her at ejenks@statenews.com.
