Advice from a first-year trapped in an upperclassman’s body
Conspiracy theory: sophomore year is a myth. Somewhere out there, Adam Sandler clicks fast forward every September, catapulting hordes of 19-year-olds high off the shock of surviving their first year at college one year into the future.I’ve been told that I’m a junior now (ha), but I swear I just moved in for the first time. Some might call this denial, but I call it perspective. Freshmen, if you’re going to listen to any of the unsolicited advice you’ll get over the course of this year, let it be advice from a junior who thinks like, acts like, and gets mistaken for being one of you. Here are a few tips that I wish I’d gotten when the world still recognized me for what I truly am: a first-year.
- Enjoy your double: Having a single may seem like all that. No roommate to judge you for watching American Idol, peeing every hour of the night, or consuming a dozen cheese sticks daily. But what nobody tells you is how quickly your peaceful 1 p.m. power naps turn into afternoon-long wall-staring sessions and two-day-long hibernation periods. Before you know it, your friends begin to worry. Gail forgets your name. The year ends and the only thing you have to show for it is a deep crater in your mattress.
- Ask before it’s too late: Ask all of your questions and write down the answers. I still don’t know what time Andrews opens, how to spell Barus and Holley (Holly?), or how to get into the building for that matter. I don’t know how to post on Piazza or whether you’re actually supposed to be quiet on the Quiet Green. It’s too late for me now. But you all still have time – educate yourself and your peers before it’s too late.
- Branch out: There will never come another point in your life when you have as much social energy as you do right now (you may already feel it dwindling). Seriously, it’s all downhill from here. So introduce yourself to the cute stranger in the Ratty, smile creepily at a passerby on the street, knock on every door in your unit. In a couple short years, you’ll find that it’s a miracle if you so much as get yourself into the shower in the morning. Now is the time to make and aggressively lock down as many friends as possible.
- Keep your friends close: Junior year arrives and suddenly your aforementioned friends will start jetting off to all ends of the globe. Why they feel the need to get away after two short years of your clinginess will always be a mystery, but now is a good time to begin thinking about abroad-prevention. Start simple. Trick them into signing binding apartment leases, steal their passports – anything it takes to ensure your squad stays intact for as long as possible. No man left behind.
- Live in the moment: This is an obligatory but genuine note to end on. Time flies by in the Brown bubble, so be sure to enjoy every minute of your Rock stack study sessions while also taking the time to wander down the hill (or just out of your room). Make a bucket list and get going on it.