Freshmen year is hard for so many reasons. It
may seem a little scary right now, but I promise, you’ll make it through in one
piece! The first semester was the hardest for me. That probably sounds a little
weird since all you take first semester are pre-requisite classes (chem, calc,
etc.). Major classes won’t even start until your fourth or fifth semester.
However, even though your classes get harder, you get smarter. You know what
kind of studying works best for you, how to juggle classes, clubs, sleeping/eating,
and a social life, and what you have to do to be successful. I narrowed the
list of things I wish I had known going into freshmen year down to five
important points. Here’s what you need to know!
5. It’s okay to not know.
Not knowing what you want to do with your life isn’t the
best feeling, but it’s not they end of the world! This is the time to change
your mind. Don’t know what kind of engineer you want to be? That’s fine! Switch
around. It seems scary when your future
has no definitive direction, but it will the farther you get into your classes.
The first year of engineering is almost the same for everyone, so you have
plenty of time. If you try one and decide you don’t like it, pick a new one.
You aren’t actually in your major until your fourth semester (after spring
break), so you can switch right up until the last minute. In fact, I know
someone who switched about three weeks into her fourth semester. If you need to
switch, do it. Talk to an advisor. Talk
to someone in your current and prospective majors. Find out what you’ll be
happy doing. Happiness is what’s most important!
So moral of the stoty is it’s
okay if you’re unsure. It may seem scary, but you don’t need to know
everything the second you walk in the door. You have so much time. Use it
wisely.
4. You’re going to
fail. But that’s perfectly fine.
That probably sounded a little harsh, but it’s true. No,
you’re not going to fail out of college. Exams, on the other hand are a
different story. Yeah, it sucks. Yeah, it makes you sick in your stomach the
first time it happens. But you know what? You recover (I swear, I’m living
proof!). You’re probably sitting there thinking, yeah right, that’s not going to happen to me! However, I promise
you, it will happen. When it happened, it hit me like a brick wall. I panicked
about my grades, I thought I was going to fail the class, and I was a nervous
wreck. And then I moved on.
So,
what do you do when you fail? First, relax. Talk to someone who will make you
feel better. Sleep on it. Once you’ve cleared your head, look at your past exam
grades (if it’s the first exam, it’s time to buckle down and hit the books). If
you’ve done pretty well on the last one or two, you should be fine. If not,
talk to your professor. He or she will give you some good advice about how to
study for the next exam and tell you if recovery is possible. Worst comes to worst, you have to drop the
class (which really isn’t that big of a deal). The final step is to move on. It
happened. Dwelling won’t do you any good!
This is coming from someone has failed two count ‘em two finals.
On the flip side, I’ve never failed a class. I swear. You really can recover!
3. Professors are
people, too!
Okay, time to be honest. I STILL have a hard time talking to
some of my professors. Approaching someone who has a master’s degree in this
and a PhD in that and a second PhD in something else is terrifying. However, professors are still people. If you have
a question, GO TO OFFICE HOURS. They get paid to answer your questions! Not
only will your professors get to know you and see that you’re actually trying
to learn the material, but you get to know some pretty cool people that you
wouldn’t otherwise get to talk to.
Here’s another reason: I got
my first real job because of office hours. I went to a lot of office
hours for my math last spring semester of freshmen year and my professor and I
would talk about different things occasionally. One day I mentioned to her that
I love math and was (at the time) considering getting a math minor. The next
time I saw her, she asked me if I wanted to grade for her. That was the best
decision ever. Seriously, I get paid to set my own hours and look at some
homework. It’s a great job and I make a little cash on the side. Now who wouldn’t love that?
Bottom line, talk to
your professors. They know what they’re talking about. Your professors will be more than willing to help
you. Take advantage of that!
2. Plan everything,
then double check yourself.
As soon as you walk in the door, you have to keep on top of your
commitments! From assignments and projects to club meetings, you’re
going to be so busy you won’t have any idea what you need to do when. Keep a
planner. Now, if you’re an over-achiever like me, you can color code it. I make
sure each class has it’s own color, and then everything else (like WEP, SWE,
appointments, etc.) gets a different color as well. That may be a little over
the top for you and that’s fine. Plus, a planner keeps you from overbooking
yourself. If your friend asks to get lunch, you know whether or not you’re
free! I tend to also put really important stuff in my phone and set alerts. If
you have a project that’s worth 50% of your grade due in two weeks, you’re
going to want to remember that. Plan, check, and then check again. I can’t
stress how important that is!
1. When in doubt,
just call your mom.
So, we’re all big kids now. It’s time to be independent. We
have to get our own food, do our own laundry, clean up after ourselves… It’s a
big adjustment for some people. However, just because you’re out on your own
now doesn’t mean you can’t call home. Sometimes, the best stress relief is just
calling home and seeing what’s going on. You’ll find out really soon that Penn
State is it’s own little bubble. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in your
classes and forget that there really is life outside of Penn State. Call home
and see how your family is. I legitimately call my mom everyday. Sometimes you
need the comfort of home, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The most important tip I can give you is to just breathe and
enjoy your freshmen year. It’s going to be stressful, but you’re going to have
more fun than you thought possible. It goes by quickly, so make sure you do it
right!
Kaylyn Hannon is a junior in Bio-Medical Engineering and a Mentor for WEPO'13!
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