How NOT to look new to campus

As new students are filtering through campus this year, it can be certain that among all of the hustle and bustle they will notice a sea of red lanyards worn around the necks of students typically carrying maps of campus.

These students, as upperclassmen will most likely point out, are freshmen.

After unpacking their cars, meeting up with new roommates and saying goodbye to their crying mothers, freshmen make their way into IU campus activities, classes and culture. 

This can be a hectic time in the life of a freshman. Most have never cooked their own meals, lived on their own or found themselves alone in a crowd of more than 30,000 peers.

Every upperclassman at IU dealt with these issues at some point in their college experience. Some provide much needed advice for the incoming freshmen looking to start their new Hoosier lives.

Soak it in
You should try new activities, and don’t keep a closed mind. College is an opportunity for a new start. You can be anyone you want to be, and you can do different things than you did in high school.

Junior Jason Garcia said when he came to IU, he was amazed at the activities the school offered.

“There is a lot of stuff here that usually wouldn’t have been offered to you in high school,” Garcia said. “I would definitely tell freshmen never to keep a closed mind, and to take advantage of what Indiana has to offer.”

Be social
As you leave your high school, you remember the good times you had with the friends you made in your hometowns. However, coming to college provides you with the opportunity to meet new people and make new memories. Do what you can to meet new people. Who knows, maybe the friends forged here will become lifelong companions.

Junior Zachary Williams said it is important to use the dorm experience to meet new people.

“Just go down your dorm hallway and introduce yourself,” Williams said. “Even if you’re not so social, it is very easy to make friends because so many people are trying to do the same.”

Don’t forget, this is school
Remember, college is meant to be as much a learning experience as it is a social experience. Spend just as much time studying as you do having a good time, and your experience will be great.

Sophomore Courtney Burroughs said that the sooner you realize you’re here to get good grades, the better off you will be.

“I spent my first semester not in the library and my second semester in the library, and I realized that I did a lot better in my classes,” Burroughs said. “I had a different mindset that I wasn’t here just to socialize.”

Senior April Kline said the main problem she faced as a freshman was procrastination.
“Don’t procrastinate and don’t party too much because it will just ruin your GPA,” she said.

Just Remember
Freshman year can be difficult with tougher classes and adjusting to the college life.  However, according to Burroughs, it can all seem easier by just blending in with the rest of the college population.

“Just blend in. Don’t look so overwhelmed by everything,” Burroughs said. “Everything is going to be OK.”