What Do You Wish You Had Known Freshman Year?

Remember freshman year? CollegeMagazine.com asked students nationwide to give one juicy piece of advice to the incoming class of 2015. Their advice was honest, helpful and even a little hilarious. CollegeMagazine.com then turned 99 of the quotes into postcards and a video. Click through our slideshow to see their top 10 freshman tips. And for a chance to have your own postcard, tweet your advice to @CollegeMag #WishIHadKnown.

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Comments

[sjz8]

11:30 AM on 08/18/2011

As my botany prof said: Don't let classes get in the way of getting your education!

[Joseph Schmoe]

08:33 PM on 08/14/2011

What Do You Wish You Had Known Freshman Year?
Most people lie on their roommate application because their parents are reading it.
Hoarde quarters. Barter the extras. (Freshmen are too stupid to walk to the bank and exchange bills for coins.)
You're going to miss having a sensible adult occasionally say, "No, you can't do that."
Fat, drunk and stupid is still no way to go through life. (Thanks, Dean Wormer.)
You're supposed to be smarter at the end of the year than you were when you started. About many things.
You went to college to become an individual, to learn to think for yourself, to become educated. Going Greek is the opposite of all that is worthy and ethical. See it for what it is and move on.

[bekaboo212]

12:46 PM on 08/12/2011

Don't limit your options to the two state schools that everyone else goes to. Base your college choice, rather, on the city. If you are a city girl, you will not like living in the country

[TXanimal]

11:55 AM on 08/12/2011

Oh, I forgot one: take advantage of the school's physical fitness resources and try to eat healthy. Go to the gym or join an athletically-oriented organization like the Tae Kwon Do club or the Hiking Club. I was lucky enough to go to a Big XII school with AWESOME fitness resources...and I totally shunned them my freshman year (and gained 20lbs).

[TXanimal]

11:51 AM on 08/12/2011

Join a social or volunteer organization...fraternity/sorority, club, intramural sports, etc. I strongly suggest finding some non-academic club or group to join. Expand your horizons, find ways to give back & get involved in social and volunteer life at your school. They'll also often provide a network of moral and academic support.

Study abroad. Most public universities have bilateral exchange programs that allow you to study abroad for your university's tuition...and many scholarship programs will cover the cost as well. There are also grants and specific scholarships available. Great opportunity to expand your horizons and experience other cultures. Live with locals or other exchange students...and don't just hang out with other Americans.

Go away to school, if at all possible. Nothing prepared me for living on my own better than a semi-controlled environment that was an 18-hour drive from home. Mom couldn't do laundry on the weekends, I couldn't just drive home if I was homesick...I had to deal with life on my own.

[scantron27]

10:44 AM on 08/12/2011

What vague and obvious advice.

Here are my tips:
- Get an internship/part time job.
- Know exactly what you plan to use your major for.
- Study abroad.
- And sign up for activities.

[Konnie]

10:30 AM on 08/12/2011

there is no permanent record.

everyone is so caught up in their own drama, they really don't care about you or yours.

no one will ever remember your most embarrassing moment but you, so you can forget it too.

get a piece of graph paper, color in 85 squares.(your avr life span) now black out the first 14 squares. (that's where you are now). then color in the next 4. (that's high school). see all the rest of the squares. put high school in perspective. read, do your homework, keep your old friends and make some new ones, do what you want, be what you want and get on with the rest of your life.

make a pact with yourself to go to your 50th reunion.by then cliques are gone, the pretty girls are fat old ladies, and the hunky guys are bald and still livin' on that final pass at the football game.........so go and smile to yourself that you used your time well.

[armstrong st]

10:17 AM on 08/12/2011

College is a great experience and it's very much different from highs school. Don't miss an opportunity to go to college.

Steve from www.essaytask.com

[FunctionOfTheCrisp]

08:36 AM on 08/12/2011

I wish I had a freshman year! Sometimes, that is. I had to trade my freshman year for two years of night classes at a community college, in exchange for three years of ROTC scholarship at a private university. When I think about how short those 3 years were, I naturally wish I had the 4th year, but I have to remind myself that I traded my freshman year for three no-cost years.

[Megandale]

07:41 AM on 08/12/2011

I love the picture for this article - that would be my first bit of advice (you don't have to be great friends with your roommate, just respectful of eachother). My second bit of advice would be to take advantage of clubs, organizations, guest speakers, etc, that can enhance your education. Oh, and find a happy medium between academics and socializing...I tended to focus on the latter a bit too much at times.

[Demetrius Bady]

01:53 AM on 08/12/2011

I wish I would have known that it would be over so fast. I would have slowed down and enjoyed college much more. It seems like only yesterday I was in Ann Arbor running across the Diag headed toward the UGLI, or the Graduate Library or the Fishbowl. In reality in less than two years it will be time for my 20th reunion. It's over so fast.

[shelshock22nd]

12:47 AM on 08/12/2011

I'm not done with college yet so I don't quite have the "real world perspective" that some of these recommendations possess, but my advice is don't force yourself to have "the college experience" or let others force you.

A few of the cards can be summed up in a willingness to take risk; joining a club, going to a party, even studying with classmates. But being told that college is the time in your life to challenge yourself doesn’t make it any less intimidating. Not doing everything and saying “no” sometimes is okay too. There is no right way to experience college, as long as you get out of it what you want. If it’s just the degree, that’s okay but college can be something more than that.

I can definitely attest to the last one. I am an upperclassman and would love to help freshmen but I can't put in the time required to join the Orientation teams. A good place to reach out is in classes; even freshmen courses usually have a few juniors and seniors needing credits. Just asking a question doesn’t hurt and you probably won’t see them after that semester anyway (unless it’s a really small college). In my experience, especially in the first weeks of school, people are nice and can very helpful. I count myself as lucky to have received advice when I was a freshman.

[sharmaine73]

12:40 AM on 08/12/2011

That two parts Vodka, one part orange juice in a tumbler sized cup is the wrong juice to alcohol ratio. And consuming alcohol when you have never drank liquor before and wiegh about 100 pounds will lead nowhere good.

[KJLSanDiego]

11:49 PM on 08/11/2011

Balance is important!
Keep up with studies, friends, and making money!

[lenski]

10:45 PM on 08/11/2011

Studied hard, graduated before turning 21, got out into the workforce, and began building up experience on the job. No regrets of any kind.

Advice to young students: What matters is learning how to manage. Your time, your relationships in both nonromantic and in a romantic sense, and manage your effectiveness in learning. Truly successful people spend their lives in a constant state of learning and personal evolution. College is a very good place to begin to develop those skills.