Brittany Westerberg

Every year, freshmen students flood SDSU. Many think they are prepared for anything that is thrown at them. Others cry and call home at least every other day because of how homesick they feel. Some go home at least every other weekend to see their families and either get more stuff from home or simply to eat good home cooking.

The truth is, whether or not you were successful in high school has little, if anything, to do with how successful you will be in college. Most high schools do practically nothing to prepare you for college. Here is some advice from some experienced collegiates who have been through their freshman year and survived.

The first few weeks on campus are extremely important for every collegiate, so you should stay on campus for at least the first couple weeks. If you go home too soon, it will take longer for you to adjust to college life.

To combat any homesickness you might feel, join a club or visit with other people on your floor. Many of your fellow residence hall peers are going through the same things you are, and the sophomores on your floor can help by giving you advice about what food is good on campus.

On a side note, while living in the dorms (as almost all freshman have to), remember to lock your doors. A friend of mine fell asleep on her couch once while watching South Park and woke up to a half-naked guy urinating in her garbage can.

As for the classes, get to know your syllabus. In high school, they probably held your hand and kept reminding you that you had a test next week or a project due on Oct. 21. In college, most of the time the professor will hand you the syllabus at the beginning of the semester and expect you to keep up with everything that’s due on your own. This means that you need to get organized. Buy a planner, a large wall calendar, whatever it takes to keep you on task and prepared for everything.

Not only should you keep organized, but you should also go to class. Skipping your 8 a.m. lecture on a Friday because you were out partying too hard the night before may sound like a good plan, but in the long run you could be missing something very important. Many professors test mostly off their notes, which means that by missing that class period, you may have missed some vital information that might not be in your book but will probably be on the test.

“Remember you’re at college to get an education for a better job in the future,” Ryon Berry, a senior horticulture major here at SDSU, said. “Don’t get so caught up in having fun right now that you screw up your opportunity to succeed.” But don’t forget to have some fun, either. Remember, everything in moderation. Work hard so you can play hard.

One final note: when you go off to college, you leave behind the stigma that tends to follow you when you grew up in a high school and everyone had known you since elementary school. At college, you can be whoever you want to be, but at the same time, “Stay true to your heart,” Laura Sunde, my next-door neighbor my freshman year and a junior animal science major, said. “Do not forget who you are or where you come from. People want to know who you are!”

So be who you are, have a good time and get what you came to college to get-the full college experience.

#1.883006:313289181.jpg:westerberg,brittany.jpg:Brittany Westerberg, West River: