Taylor's Five First Year Tips

When you get to Penn State in the fall, you are going to be overwhelmed with everything. I know I was. Being away from home, eating in the dining hall, taking many classes, and having tons of free time are all things that pop up on you in college. Since I was just a freshman last year, I have a couple words of wisdom for you.

1. Join at least one engineering club and one club just for you. I am involved in WEP, SWE and NSBE on campus. I love these engineering organizations. It is fun to be around academically likeminded people. Sometimes, you will find that it is nice to get away from engineering though. One of the non-engineering things I do is the Vegetarian Advisory Board, which helps to pick some of the vegetarian food choices in the dining halls. Since I love to cook and bake, this is something that makes me happy because it allows me to have a say in what I am eating for dinner.
2. Put yourself out there as much as possible. I am usually an introverted person. When I got to college, I made sure to meet as many people as I could even though that was not my comfort zone. Even if you talk to someone once over your college career, that can be the stepping stone to something big. A friend of mine always tells me “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” So, take the shot and make a new friend or talk to someone new. I promise you wont regret it. As a freshman, I went to the career fair. Most freshmen on campus do not go. Most of the girls in WEP do and this is awesome! At first, it is nerve-wracking because these people are professionals in the workplace. After a company or two, I got my nervousness out and really was able to feel comfortable when talking to recruiters. Surprisingly, I even got an interview with NavSea afterward. All this took was a little preparation and a pep talk from my WEPO mentor Maria.
3. Use your WEPO Mentor! Your mentor is there for you to answer weird Penn State questions, to help you understand all the new programs you use or even just to chat when you need an unbiased opinion. My mentor Maria is the greatest. I may not talk to her all the time but when I needed some help with E-design, reviewing my resume or had some questions about the career fair, she is there. Maria helps me to make better decisions by telling me how she would handle a situation or how other people she knows handled it. Use the network of people that you build your freshman year. People are always willing to help you if you express a need for help.
4. Buy a planner and write everything down, even if you think you will remember everything. Honestly, you will have so many things to keep track of that they will not all fit in your head. Writing down anything important makes your life easier at school. You will always have a reference for where to be for a class or when you need to do something for a club. My planner is my best friend. I color-code by class and section each day off and making a to-do list, a should-be-done list and events for the day list. This helped me to be super organized and less stressed all year long. I remember once that I had four big things to do in one day all over campus and I needed to bring certain things with me. I was stressed out of my mind. My planner saved me being unprepared, lost and frazzled.
5. Make time for yourself as well. Making all these new friends is awesome! Joining new clubs and study groups, playing intramural sports and traveling is fun too. With all the going on, sometimes you forget that you need time for yourself too. Take time out to paint your nails, read a book, sit outside and enjoy the sun, just something that makes you happy. If you forget about yourself, it will make you even more stressed. Every Sunday, I paint my nails and read on my Nook until they dry. Then, I go back to doing schoolwork. That small amount of time makes me happy and keeps me from going insane from schoolwork.

Those are my main tips that helped me get though my first year of college. It blows by so quickly. Remember that college is your time to try anything you want to and learn all that you can. Take advantage of that in your freshman year. 

Taylor Lacey is a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering. This summer she is interning with GE Transportation in Erie, PA. She is a rover for WEPO 2012.