One of the greatest academic surprises I encountered this year was my ENST 200 class on soil science. Before taking it, soil was honestly not a subject I had ever really forayed into, and I did not expect it to become one of the most revealing courses I took. I knew soil was important in a general environmental sense, but I had not realized how technical, layered, and deeply complex the field actually is. Learning about soil chemistry, texture, structure, water movement, acidity, salinity, organic matter, microbial life, and nutrient cycling made me realize that soil is not just dirt beneath ecological systems. In many ways, it is the system. It holds evidence of biological, chemical, physical, and environmental processes all interacting at once. What surprised me most was how much interpretation soil science requires. It is not only memorizing terms or identifying soil types; it is learning how to read landscapes, understand environmental histories, and connect small scale properties to larger ecological outcomes. I think incoming students can experience similar surprises by being open to classes that do not immediately sound like their main interest. It is easy to enter college thinking you already know what subjects you care about, but a research university offers so many fields that high school rarely exposes students to in depth. My advice would be to take at least one course each year that feels unfamiliar, especially within your broader academic area. Students should also talk to older students, advisors, and professors about classes that changed how they think, not just classes that are easy or required.
One of the most valuable university opportunities has been developing relationships with faculty. My strongest relationship has actually been with my academic advisor, who also taught a few of my courses. That repeated exposure made it easier to build a genuine connection because she came to know me both as a student in class and as someone navigating my academic path more broadly. I think that relationship has been successful because it formed naturally over time. It was not built from one meeting, but from consistent conversations, questions, and shared academic interests. The greatest obstacle, however, is maintaining those relationships once the built in structure disappears. When you have a professor or advisor in class, there is an automatic reason to see them regularly. But once the semester ends, it becomes your responsibility to keep the connection alive. That can feel intimidating, especially when faculty are busy and you do not want to seem like you are bothering them. Still, I have learned that most faculty are much more open to student connection than students assume. For incoming students, I would recommend starting simply. If there is a faculty member you want to know better, come to them with one or two thoughtful questions about their research, their field, or something you have in common academically. You do not have to force a deep relationship immediately. You just have to begin the conversation and then maintain contact in small, genuine ways. Office hours are one of the easiest ways to do this, but students should not only go when they are struggling. They can also go because they are interested.
Relationships with fellow students have also been essential to adjusting to university life. Freshman year is a major transition, especially because you are moving from the familiarity of family and home into a space where you are expected to be much more independent. Good friendships cushion that transition. Having people to eat with, study with, walk to events with, or simply sit with at the end of a long day makes campus feel less overwhelming and more like a place where you belong. At the same time, one of the biggest obstacles in pursuing peer relationships is learning balance. Being with friends is very fun, especially during freshman year when everyone is trying to create a new life for themselves. But it is also easy to become socially overextended. I think students sometimes feel pressure to always be available, always go out, or always say yes because they do not want to miss anything. Over time, though, everyone needs some time alone to rest, think, and reset. My advice to next year’s freshmen would be to invest in friendships, but not lose track of themselves in the process. Peer connections are most helpful when they make you feel supported, not constantly drained.
Academically, I was least prepared for figuring out how to distribute my studying without becoming overwhelmed. A lot of people tell incoming students that they need to study for every class every single day, and while that advice is well intentioned, it did not work well for me. It made studying feel endless and impossible to maintain. Eventually, I learned that I needed a more flexible system. Instead of trying to do everything every day, I began taking things as they came, prioritizing based on deadlines, difficulty, and how much time I realistically needed to understand the material. For prospective students and incoming freshmen, I would recommend experimenting early with study strategies rather than assuming there is one correct way to be a college student. Some classes need daily review, while others require deeper blocks of focused work before exams, labs, or assignments. The most important thing is to stay aware of what is coming, avoid letting everything pile up, and be honest about what methods actually work for you. College requires discipline, but it also requires adaptability. Learning how to manage your own time is one of the hardest parts of the transition, but it is also one of the most important skills university life teaches.