What will my freshman year of college truly be like?

Some people think it’s 100% horrible the whole way through, some people think it’s 100% amazing the whole way through. Most people land in the middle somewhere. It depends on you, and on your expectations.

You might be homesick, you might have roommate issues, you might be overwhelmed academically, socially, or both. You might be broke, you might gain 20 pounds, you might feel like no one gets you.
Or maybe none of that at all.

If you think it sucks at the beginning, find ways to make it better. Like everything else in life, be smart, be optimistic, and know your support systems and you’ll do fine. :)

Who knows, how wonderful for you, though…mine was amazing

well im 17 and i just asked this question because i have one year of high school left and i just wanted to prepare my mind for whats to come

thanks for the responses.

It will depend on your location, Ability to socialize, desire to do work, finding the ability to juggle study and social life. Its a lot to figure out.

Yes, it will probably start out stressful and then gradually get better.

What ever you do. Don’t drop out in the first 2 months. Give it some time.

thanks for responding…what was everybody elses freshman year like?

Mine was a little difficult. I pretty much felt like I was still in high school, but after I found what I really wanted to do with my time there and walked away from the things and people that did not respect me I really began enjoying it.

I had a fantastic time pretty much right from the start. I never felt homesick, I got to know really lovely people straight away, and generally it was excellent. I had a couple of minor difficulties with a flatmate (but she annoyed a lot of people, so I was never alone in having trouble), but other than that, everything was absolutely wonderful. I loved my first year of university, and every subsequent year – it was an overwhelmingly positive experience for me.

I’ve got friends who had a bit of a harder time in their first year – mainly, they took longer to meet their good friends, so they felt a bit lonely at times, and had to wait a bit longer to bond with someone. I’m only saying this because sometimes it’s comforting to know if it’s not going perfectly that you’re by no means alone – there are many people who take a while to settle in, but I don’t know a single person who didn’t eventually get past the problems of the first year and have a wonderful time.

Have a fantastic time – if I could repeat my whole undergraduate degree experience again, I would! I had an absolute blast, and can’t even put into words how happy I was with it all. The friends I made at university are the best friends I have now.

One piece of advice I’d give you – just be yourself. University is a really great time to grow and figure more out about yourself, and what you like and don’t like. Whilst I thoroughly recommend trying loads of new experiences that are presented to you even if they seem a bit daunting, don’t feel that you have to go along with things you don’t enjoy. There will be so many people just like you, so you will definitely fit in somewhere. For example, I really enjoyed going to the pub for a drink and going to see live music and bands play, but I didn’t really like getting tarted up and going to your stereotypical dance club places. I found that there were many people just like me, so I didn’t have to go clubbing just to fit in. My friends and I did all sorts of brilliant things instead, so don’t feel you have to do things you don’t want to do to fit in socially.

It will be what your life experiences to this point enable. Not to worry, though, good or bad it will be a part of the fabric which makes you a loved person to all you call family, friends, and soul mates. You surely will find those in these years. Never forget them, for if you do, you will have dreams of connecting with them till our last day.

Mine took a lot of adjusting. The first semester was rough, and I really didn’t meet my crowd until the second semester. Once I found my place, though, it was one of the most amazing experiences ever. I’d go back and do it over again instantly.

Someone on my fraternity mailing list asked, if you could either live the rest of your life or go back and relive the four years of college but die afterwards, which would you choose? A good number of us had to stop and think it over. It was that kind of a time for us.

This is a little bit like asking, what will my life be like? All you can learn is what other people may have experienced—no one can tell you what will be going on with you.

Lots of GAY sex!

I think everyone has a different experience, just like most people have said. If you want it to be a good enjoyable one, make sure you know what you want when you get there, stay focused, join groups, clubs, activities that interest you and don’t be afraid.

I think I was lucky that I made friends with girls on the same floor as me since we had a bunch of classes, but that is totally different.
I think college makes or breaks you in the first semester, most of the time everyone is still acting like high school and if you can rise above it and grow up you’ll be better off.

Going to college is an adjustment, and something that different people have different experiences with. I was certainly homesick that first semester (maybe only the first half of the first semester, and then it wore off). What I found difficult were the classes. In high school, I didn’t have to study or put much effort into getting good grades. When I went to college, I had to basically teach myself to study effectively. My grades were a bit lower than I was used to that first semester, but after that it was all uphill. It takes time to settle in, make friends, figure out what you want to do, where you want to spend time—but once you get to that point, it’s so much fun. I loved college! I have a friend who keeps going back to school full time (we’re in our 30’s now) and I’m a little jealous of her.

My first year was, well, awesome, I didn’t get home sick one bit but then thats just me, I will agree with MissAusten the work (depending on your course) will be one hell of a step up, at least it was in my UK Uni…your not taught, its strange you basically teach yourself, which made me wonder why on earth I was paying for it, and I still don’t quite get why either, I thought about quitting but don’t let that thought hang around too long…but yes join everything, learn to cook properly, it took me 3 years lol, and go crazy but don’t forget who you are, I’ve seen some people become people there not under the pressure. By the end of it you will feel ready to go, hell I was, oh and plan every summer away if you can, volunteer abroad, its a holiday and an experience none of your working friends will get! Its about what you learn there but also its about all the free time, so much of it you can really do ANYTHING you desire with it, free time is something of a commodity once its all over…also the grade at the end is only worth so much, you need to become a full person along the way, then every employer will want you, they don’t want computers ;) good luck!!

Thanx for wishin me good luck

Do you have any friends of older siblings currently in their freshman year? Maybe you could go visit them for a weekend and get a really general idea of campus and/or dorm life. The other thing you could do to really see how you’ll experience it is to contact admissions at a school you’re strongly interested in. They can connect you with a student that you can visit, who can give you a behind-the-scenes look.

My older brother and sister already finished college but my cousin is a junior in college. He is going to be a doctor

@TROLL whats with all the gay boy stuff? I seriously dont get it

It’s true, the first year is the worst of the four, five, six etc years. College is the best time of ur life and take advantage of it! Don’t go home every weekend, take ur time (4 yrs isn’t a requirement), and get ur masters.

I agree with everyone that it’s truly an individual experience but it’s also completely about how you see it. One person’s crappy year could’ve been another person’s awesome year.

As a dude finishing my undergrad just about now here’s the only thing to keep in mind: it’s totally what you make it. Seriously if you just really get in there with a good attitude and are willing to get into it then it’ll be awesome.

Specifically:
-Go to anything and everything that interests you, say ‘yes’ to everything at least once, even if you’re not sure of it (within reason), you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You’ll never be so free and have so many opportunities to party and do stuff with people that have so much in common with you. Introduce yourself often, knowing that everyone else is in the same place right now and that it gets harder as people naturally ‘clump up’ in the later years to meet new friends.

-Join school clubs. Yes, some are loser-y but try a few that might interest you. It’s a great way to meet people and even could lead to good resume fodder.

-Be thrifty, even if you have scholarships, loans, or family money. Used textbooks, make your own food, public transpo, etc. Work summer jobs. You’re learning good habits and the payoff is huge when you grad.

-Don’t care too much about grades in your first year but take your education seriously. Plan your courses out, do things you want to do, and keep in mind that you may not care about grad school now, but you will.

-Don’t eat crap, and always hydrate after a night out or you’re going to be pukey pukey the next morning. (Keep a bottle of water near your bed and if you’re going to get wasted just keep that one word in your head… HYDRATE.)

You’re going to have a great time, don’t sweat it!

No one ever told me it would be horrible. I expected a great experience. That’s probably a big part of the reason why I had one. It was every bit as good as high school was bad.

Sure, you have a lot that you have to do, because that’s what you’re there for, but the whole selection and admissions process is geared toward choosing the students who can succeed at the particular institution. Schools do not want students to drop out or flunk out, and they don’t want to give a space to those students instead of the able ones. So if you were chosen, you are probably capable of succeeding there.

Don’t be afraid of anything. There’s no reason. Go ahead, and do your best, and it will be great.

One word of caution. Some students who have been under a lot of parental control go a little nuts the first time they get away from it. Don’t do that. If you’ve learned some independence and self-direction all along the way, you will do fine.