Me and my friend :)
I found that genetics was the most surprising course and I would encourage them to take some harder, higher level courses earlier on. We talked about the ethics of things like GMOs and CRISPR which has helped me get more invested in my academic pursuits. I think it's worthwhile to put the time and effort into courses that you really enjoy so you can get as much as possible out of them. Another thing I would encourage is taking GenEds that are interesting to you. I took a history course that was pretty hard but talked about pirates and challenged me to explore subjects outside of my major. I think that the greatest obstacle to developing relationships with faculty members is trying to make connections in such large classes. I would recommend going to office hours to get help and trying to participate in outside activities that they are involved in.
My relationships with my friends have really made the adjustment to college life infinitely easier. They have been so incredibly supportive with all of my struggles and help me maintain a positive outlook on life even when I’m feeling down. I met most of my friends by chance, excluding my roommate, but I am so grateful to them and really enjoy hanging out with them. I think one of the greatest obstacles is just being nervous to talk to new people. Not everyone I met has become my best friend per say, but the people I’m close with now are so important to me. We’ve gone to several places off and on campus together and have really enjoyed my time with them. I the trips to DC were definitely a good experience since it gave me a better understanding of the metro and was able to navigate it with my friends. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone is nervous to talk to other people but getting to know them is worthwhile. I have a collection of very positive memories to look back on from freshman year and I’m excited to hang out with them again next year. I would encourage incoming freshmen to go outside of their comfort zone during orientation and in the school year. Talking and establishing a good relationship with your roommate makes adjusting easier and having an open mind allows you to make more friends.
I wasn’t prepared to miss home as much as I did. I would try to lower your expectations of college since it won’t end up as picturesque as you imagine but it’s definitely a worthwhile experience. I do recommend keeping an open mind, though. I was also very unprepared for the difference in grading. In my organic chemistry class a 41% was considered a passing grade. Consistently getting Ds or Fs and being ok with it is definitely really different from how it was in high school but is sort of nice. I think I was also pretty unprepared for having such big classes and the teaching style of some professors. Some have been really engaging lecturers while others are definitely more focused on their research which is understandable.