What All College Freshmen Should Know

Being a freshman in college can be intimidating and overwhelming if you aren’t prepared the way you should be. You not only have to be concerned about what to bring to school, but also what you need to expect to experience.

To help prepare freshmen for life on a college campus, we spoke to Bluefield University upperclassmen and alumni who have already dealt with the anxiety of being a freshman. They shared a lot of great advice about what to bring and what to expect during the first year of the college experience.

BU senior Jewels Gray admitted there was a lot he wasn’t prepared for when he came to college, from the expectations in the classroom to time management, to the freedom given to college students.

“The most important thing I think freshmen should know is that they are now responsible for their own life decisions once they become college students,” Gray said. “What you bring with you, whether you go to class, weights, or do your homework is up to no one but yourself at this point.”

For an 18-year-old, responsibility can be a foreign language. Having to maintain your own schedule, manage your own money, ask for help on your own, and show up to class every day is a bit more challenging when it becomes a choice. The freedom of having the ability to choose what you do or don’t do is a blessing, but maybe a curse for some freshmen coming to college.

Recent BU graduate Daniel Mullins said it’s important for freshmen to familiarize themselves with the BU website and the academic catalog to ensure they are on track to graduate on time, view the academic calendar to keep track of advising sessions and other important dates, discover student organizations that plan extracurricular activities and events, sign up for time-sensitive notification systems like BU’s RamAlert, find out about scholarship and grant awards, and explore internship and work-study opportunities.

“Coming into college, I wish I would’ve known more about campus life,” said Mullins, who transferred to BU after attending community college. “Prior to attending the Connection Fair at the beginning of my second and final year at Bluefield University, I didn’t know much about what happened outside of the classroom.”

Mullins also encouraged freshmen to view college as more than just academics and earning a degree.

“College is not only a time to increase your knowledge and develop your skills; it is also a time to build lasting friendships and make a lot of memories,” he said, “which is done by getting involved with student organizations and participating in on-campus events.”

Senior Jaxon Bast agreed, stressing, as well, the value of getting involved and attending events on campus.

“(College events are) not as lame as the high school ones,” he said.

Bast also shared a second important thing that he thought freshmen should know when entering college.

“You’re not as smart as you think you are,” Bast said. “And, it’s okay to make mistakes. Just learn from them.”

In addition to advice for freshmen from BU upperclassmen, an article from Grace College on the “Top 10 Tips for College Freshmen” gives added guidance. The article encourages freshmen to “be comfortable on your own.” As a college freshman, you’re about to meet a lot of new people from different places, cultures, and experiences. Trapping yourself in your own box not only ruins the social experience that comes with college, but can also limit you from getting the help you need to succeed.

The article also challenges freshmen to “practice good habits” and to “know that you are allowed to ask for help.” These two tips are important for a young freshman to know. Good habits aren’t easy to create, and they take consistency to do so. Good habits to build are doing homework on time, brushing your teeth when you wake up, getting enough sleep, attending classes (along with practice and training sessions for athletes), and proofreading your work. These alone will set you ahead of a large percentage of college freshmen.

Lastly, knowing when to ask for help is crucial. When you are struggling in a class it’s important you learn how to ask for help. The professor’s sole job as a teacher is to help the students understand what they are teaching. If you remain silent and refuse to ask for help, they will often assume you know the information being taught to you, and if this isn’t the case, you’re only jeopardizing your grades and your future. This applies to anything in life, not just the classroom.

Check out more from the Grace College list of “Top 10 Tips for College Freshmen.”