Hello Folks,
It seems since getting back to school I’ve done quite a few posts on college advice for first years. Well I’m going to try to put it on ice for a little while but before I do, I’m going to give one more piece of advice.
This is for the unhappy ones. Bored, or lonely, or are simply positive they just don’t fit in. You’re ready to transfer. Certain that the problem is the university, and sometimes it is. Often however, (and I’m not bashing you) it’s that you haven’t pushed yourself out to find your niche.
You might be worried about your protecting your scholarship, or not getting caught up in the partying or even overwhelmed by clubs. But listen, I promise you won’t regret it. Go out and find one club to get involved in. One club, or team, or organization.
Devote yourself to it. Get to know the members. Learn something new from them, take on a little responsibility. No growth or good can happen in the comfort zone. Finding a small passion can change your entire outlook on where you are and why. You will be bored if you hang out in your room constantly looking at YouTube videos. You will be lonely if you’re constantly texting friends from home and going to McDonald’s for dinner. You will not fit in if you don’t try.
I promise your university isn’t going to snatch away your scholarship after one semester, and part of college is learning to balance. You can’t learn to balance if all you do is attend class, do homework, sleep and occupy your room. Making friends is great. You might’ve made a few already, but even making friends won’t always make you feel attached to a university. You need to empower yourself, and see yourself grow there. That’s what will make you feel at home, like there you can do anything. The bigger schools are always going to have more parties and bigger sporting events. So while you’re moping about that, remember that at smaller schools you usually have more power as a student and more one on one attention from professors and advisors.
I’m not asking you to go join five clubs, stop doing your homework, bash other schools or to stay all four years at a school you despise. But I do dare you to stay one or two semesters where you truly try to engage in something you might be interested in. You may be surprised at how different things can turn out.
Best of luck,
-E
Related articles
- Lonely in freshers week? You’re not the only one (guardian.co.uk)
- Club Fair Gets Students Involved, Builds Chances of Success (gantdaily.com)
- Freshmen Worries: Find Your Niche (uloop.com)
or high-maintence. Late at night, during those hours they say everything you consume goes straight to your hips, the last thing I ever felt like doing was washing dishes. Furthermore, on a Friday night, when I began my going-out routine, nothing spoiled it faster than dirty towels. Sure laundry has to be done eventually, and dishes… well I learned the hard way RA’s aren’t joking about wash or get tossed. So do yourself a favor and don’t be so skimpy on the bits and pieces. You’ll be thankful junior year when you move into an apartment and have more than one fork.P.s. Do start saving your quarters now…
East Coast Elegance 