Congratulations, you’re about to start your college career at Washington University in St. Louis. You must be a smart kid. Don’t worry, you’ll forget that by the time you leave. No, the classes aren’t impossible. You might have to work a little harder, but you’ll still do well academically if that’s important to you. When you get to campus and you move into your dorms and your parents leave, look around. Every other kid here is about as smart as you. Maybe not in the same ways-maybe he’s a harder worker, maybe she has no common sense. But, everyone here is pretty intelligent. So, what does that make you?
Many of you have built your identities around being intelligent students with decent study skills. Over the next four years, you’re going to get the opportunity to discover other things about yourself. They might be extensions of what you already know-that you’re a jock, an actor, a charmer, a writer, a researcher, a politician. But for a great many of you, you’re going to discover new parts of your personality in this environment. So what can you do to make sure you get the most out of your college experience?
1) Take some risks. Now, I’m not saying you should make clearly idiotic mistakes: drinking copious amounts of alcohol with people you don’t know; trying to seduce your RA; not only skipping class, but also not copying notes, going to your professors’ office hours or doing any homework. But, try out for a play, even if you don’t know how. Talk to strangers. Flirt with that cute guy in Intro to Psych. Wash. U. may not be a huge school, but there are more than enough people and activities to fill your next four years, if you put yourself out there.
2) Go to Cornerstone. Suck it up; everyone goes at least once. If you are having trouble in a class, or if you anticipate having any trouble in a class, the mentoring, group study, or Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) sessions they have at Cornerstone will be invaluable. If you do really well in the class, sign up to be a mentor. Not only is it one of the best paying jobs on campus, it looks great on a resume. They also offer different seminars about time management and note taking, and while you might be scoffing to yourself-“Excuse me, I know how to take notes”- there will be many more activities pressing on your time now, and you might be inclined to cut academic corners.
3) Watch what you eat and go to the gym. If you go to the dining services’ Web site, you can look up the nutritional information of everything you eat. Those chicken tenders that you’re going to order at least twice a week? That’s right, they’ve got 800+ calories and hundreds of percentage points of your daily fat intake. You’ve heard about the Freshman 15. Go to the gym-even if you’ve never been inside a gym before. I promise, you’ll feel better afterward. Especially in the winter, when you unexpectedly find yourself with SAD.
4) A bit of practical advice: don’t buy extra meal points. At the end of the year, half your floor will have way too many, and you can mooch off them.
5) Schedule an appointment at the Career Center. You might not want to think about it yet, but you’ll have to leave Wash. U. in another four years, and you won’t want to go home and eat ramen in the basement.
6) The most important thing to remember as an incoming freshman? DON’T OVERLOAD YOURSELF. It’s a common impulse-you’ve been an overachiever your entire life, and you’re excited to have found so many activities and people to be passionate about. The thing is, semesters get harder as time goes on. What you think you’re juggling fine in September will start to bear down in late October, and come finals will be a crushing weight. Add on Murphy’s Law, and you will be more prone to getting the flu/panic attacks/hospitalized for some random reason. Schedule time to relax.
That’s it. Don’t come in with too many preconceptions about what you will find in college. Some of your expectations will come true, but you might be surprised with what sticks to you the most when you leave. The students and faculty here have been truly remarkable these last four years-don’t mess it up for us alums. Have fun, and good luck.
Pamela Ju graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 2008 and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].