3 Tips for Incoming Freshmen

All across the nation, millions of soon-to-be college freshmen are starting to feel the excitement. Twelve years of mandatory hard labor is behind them and they’re finally free. Most will be living on campus, away from their parents’ watchful eyes for probably the first time. They’ve been accepted! The world’s their oyster and they’ve got big plans for their future. These young scholars have every reason and right to be excited. Being accepted into a university is quite an accomplishment, and their next few years at college are sure to be filled with memories and unique experiences to last a lifetime. But college can also be challenging, and there’s a good reason not everyone graduates from college, and very few are able to graduate within four years. Here are three pieces of advice to help ensure that any incoming freshmen has the college experience they’ve dreamed of, and when they graduate, they won’t have to move back in with mom and dad.

1. Have a plan.

Before you ever get to college, you should know what you want to do. I know that teachers, peers, and adults alike may have told you that college is a time for self-discovery: “Find yourself! You won’t know what you want to do until you’ve tried everything!” Absolutely not true. Unless you or your parents have unlimited funds and unlimited time for you to “find yourself” and get in touch with your feelings, that advice can be incredibly expensive. College is a lot of things, but ultimately it’s only a means to an end, that end being the rest of your life. The more time you spend at college trying to figure out your major, your minor, and your identity, the longer you’ll have to stay there, the more useless classes you’ll take, and the more debt you’ll accumulate.

And while we’re on the subject, don’t take useless classes! I’m a third year at Ohio State, graduating this year. My friends always ask me how I was able to do it. Summer classes? Overloading on course hours? Nope, neither. I came in with a few credits from high school, but the truth is, I’ve never taken a useless class. Every class I’ve ever taken has either been a GEC (General Education Curriculum), a class for my major, or a class for my minor. Now, you don’t have to plan out every single class you’re going to take for the next four years before you even get to school. That kind of anal retentiveness rarely attracts friends, plus it probably wouldn’t work anyway. The classes offered at your university and your major requirements will likely change (if only a little) during your college career. But knowing what major you’d like to pursue, or at least the general field you’d like to enter, will save you time and money. One of the biggest reasons students don’t finish in four years is because they’re constantly changing their major. By the time you hit campus, you should know who you are, where your interests lie, and what you’d like to do.

2. Be realistic. 

If you’re a college freshman, you’re probably at least eighteen years old, meaning you’ve spent a lot of time with yourself. You know your strengths and your interests, but more importantly you know your weaknesses. Maybe history was your strong point in high school, but you could never really get the hang of math. Maybe you were the president of the science club, but the thought of writing a poem makes you break out in hives. Regardless, you know you better than anyone. So when you’re deciding your major and career path, be honest with yourself. Just because you love something doesn’t mean you should major in it. You need your degree to be a tool that will give you a competitive advantage in the work force, not a piece of paper declaring your hobbies and interests.

If something interests you, closely examine your talent in that area. If you really enjoy a certain area of academics, great! However, if you’re not particularly talented in that field, or at the very least not talented enough to get hired, try something else. Finally, choosing your major should ideally come after you choose a general career field. Be sure to cater your education for your life after college rather than limit your life in the real world by your interests in academia.

And the most important advice at all…

3. Second chances don’t come cheap (if they come at all).

Your freshman year will be one full of discovery and excitement. But remember that you’re there to get an education, not to become the beer bong champion of your dorm. With the overwhelming amount of freedom that comes with college, it’s easy to get side-tracked, but the fact of the matter is, if your GPA drops, it’s nearly impossible to get it back up. The lower your GPA is after your freshman year, the longer you’ll have to spend at college, re-taking courses, trying to raise your overall GPA with filler classes, and possibly having to change your major. Stay focused! Maybe don’t drink Wednesday through Sunday. Moderation is key, and while having fun at college is essential (and unavoidable), keep your priorities straight and you’ll do fine. Who knows, you might even get out early and save a few thousand dollars.