10 Things I Would Tell My Freshman Year Self

After completing 3 years of college and entering my senior year, there are so many things that I wish I knew during my freshman year. If I could go back and tell my freshman year-self 10 things, these are what they would be.  

10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

 Entering college for the first time can be scary. It is probably the first time you are truly on your own, and it can be hard to handle at first. Between balancing classes, friends, and finding your way around, it is an adjustment. Your classes will most likely be more difficult than in high school, and it can be a little overwhelming. Don’t forget that there are so many people here to help you if you struggle with classes, or if you just need a friend to talk to. This is what your mentors and envoys are for! There are also so many resources if you struggle in classes, like tutors, office hours, and asking your TA’s for help too. During freshman year, I was sometimes afraid to ask for help since I felt like I should be able to handle it alone. No one expects you to be able to completely on your own right away, so use your resources! 

9. Call your family.

 Remember, they are going to miss you just like you miss them! I would sometimes get distracted with all of my responsibilities and not call my parents as much as I should have. Don’t forget to call them every once in a while, especially if you are stressed out. Just a quick phone call home will make you feel so much better, and your family will appreciate it too!

8. Make meaningful connections with professors.

 It is so important to build a meaningful relationship with at least one (try for more!) faculty member or professor. They will be so helpful for school and career related advice, and it is nice to just have a more experienced person to talk to. You will also need a letter of recommendation at some point in your college career, so having that relationship is so beneficial. Start early, and build at least one relationship early on in college, so that connection can build over your years in school.

7. You don’t have to get a 4.0.

 Coming into engineering, you are all smart. And you are all capable of succeeding more than you can imagine. However, college is more difficult than high school. I entered in freshman year thinking I would receive the same grades that I got all throughout high school. While some students do get 4.0’s , you don’t have to be perfect. You may struggle in a class and get a C and that’s okay. As long as you can learn from any mistakes you might have made and try your best, it’s okay not to get straight A’s. It took me a while to realize this, and it’s something I wish I would have accepted earlier on in college.

6. Don’t think you have to study 24/7.

 Take time to have some fun as a break. If you have multiple big exams coming up, you obviously need to put the time in to study and learn the material. But if a friend wants to get lunch for a half-hour, take that time as a break. There were so many times where I passed up watching a quick show with my roommate or grabbing dinner as a study break since I thought I needed study or do homework any free moment that I had. Looking back, I wish I had taken that time to grab lunch with my friends, since a break can really help you re-focus.

5. Meet as many new people as you can.

 There are so many incredible people at Penn State. Get to know as many as you can. You will learn so much from the amazing people here and the stories that they have to tell. For me, I came into college with a lot of high school friends. It took me a little while to feel comfortable enough to branch out, but once I did, I wish I had done it sooner. While my high school friends are still some of my best friends, I was so happy that I formed new groups of friends through classes or other organizations. With 40,000 other students at Penn State, you are bound to meet incredible people, so take advantage of that early on.  

4. Voice your appreciation for people.

 This is something I started doing recently, and I am so happy I did. If someone impacts your life, tell them. If you are appreciative of something they did, go and tell them in person. It may seem simple and obvious, but there were so many times that I didn’t take the time to go and thank the person and have a conversation with them about why I was appreciative of what they did. Whether it was giving you an opportunity or giving you a piece of advice, take the time out of your day to go and personally talk to that person, don’t just send an email. It will not only probably make their day, but it will inspire you to go out and impact someone’s life as well. This is one of the top things I wish I had done all throughout college, instead of just recently.

3. Take every opportunity that comes your way.

 You will have numerous opportunities to do so many things that you can’t even imagine in college, and you should take them. Whether they might scare you, or you might think that you might fail, try it anyway. It is better to fail at something than not try at all. Again, my freshman year I was so worried about adjusting (and definitely take some time to do that) but maybe after a few months, start trying new things that come your way!

2. Get out of your comfort zone.

 This goes along with #3, but get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Do things that scare you, and you will learn so much about yourself and what you’re capable of. This is something I didn’t do as much of my freshman year, and I think it could’ve opened up so many more opportunities right off the bat if I would have stepped out of my comfort zone. In the past two years that I have been doing things that scare me, I have grown so much as a person. For example, I have always been scared of public speaking; it made me really nervous and it was something I struggled with. At the end of my sophomore year, I signed up and was accepted into Engineering Ambassadors, where we give tours and presentations to teach middle and high school students about engineering (aka, a lot of public speaking). I’ve improved so much with talking in front of crowds and voicing my opinion. That wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t take that first step and do something out of comfort zone.

1. You can do it all.

 When you are at the point that you’re entering your senior year of college and you look back at the person you were freshman year, you will be amazed at how much you’ve grown. You can get the internship you want, you can get involved in anything you can imagine, you can succeed in school, and you can build long-lasting friendships. The experiences that you will have over the next four or five years are incredible, if you just know that you can handle it, even when it might seem like you can’t.   The number one thing I would tell my freshman year-self is that you can truly do it all.

Christina Cianciarulo is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and is the Lead Rover for WEPO'16!