Freshman Time Capsule Essay:
Starting off with the courses of the first and second semester of my freshman year of university, several courses have led me to certain revelations.
My biggest revelation came from my ENGL272 (an introductory creative writing course). While talking to most of my peers, it dawned on me that they all were STEM majors. I was surprised. The people I hear talk in my STEM classes always talk down about the humanities. I thought I was rare in liking for creative outlets. So in some way, shape, or form you will find people with common interests. To get a similar experience like this, take fun classes that align with your interests.
In order to make relationships with your professors, I strongly recommend going to their office hours consistently. This is definitely easier in your smaller classes, but it is definitely possible to do this with your larger lecture classes. I was able to consistently meet with my ENGL101 professor every week during the first semester. She’s great. On top of going to office hours for help, you can also meet a bunch of other people.
Dealing with relationships in university is debatably more stressful than the coursework, at least in my opinion. There will be people you love, there will be people you hate, and there will be people you are apathetic towards. My biggest advice for dealing with relationships that bring up obstacles: do not keep someone around just because you were friends with them the first week. If someone is causing you to dread hanging out with them, just do not hang out with them. And if they just so happen to be your roommate, move out as soon as possible. Do not try to make excuses for red flags in roommates.
There is some more specific advice for those who are in more competitive majors, like I am. At least in my Computer Science classes, it is very easy to weed out the people who you definitely do not want to hang around. There will always be people who will act like they are a gift from God. Avoid them. Oftentimes, they are not as smart or as great as they say they are.
My advice for anyone, do not act like this and do not surround yourself with people who act like this. Be around people who can celebrate your accomplishments, even if they are small ones. You can find these people easily by just simply turning to the person next to you and talking. Even in larger classes this is super easy to do. Yes, it may be intimidating the first few times, but it becomes much easier over time. You can meet great people that way. After that, you can meet their friends and befriend them.
In regards to any academic issues in your future, go to office hours. Ask questions. If that is not an option, have some sort of GroupMe or group chat for the class where you can ask questions. For other academic problems I have faced really boils down to adjusting to college. Depending on your major or program, the work is different, but there is a never ending amount of work so you will have to learn how to pace yourself so you do not burn yourself out after a handful of projects and papers.