Words of Warriors Navigating Your Freshman Year

If you’re worried about jumping into the college atmosphere…you’re not alone. Here are a few things I learned from my freshman year that I would have loved to know before I got there.

• It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed the first few weeks or even months. Give it time. I think I was on “turbo mode” for the first good month: I felt like I never stopped moving. But while I acclimated, there was still always time to meet new people, and I found my footing slowly. Sometimes I wanted to pack it up, go home, and take a nap. But hanging in there through the adjustment was by far the best choice I could have made!

• It’s OK if you don’t know what you’re doing with your life or major. You’re gonna meet tons of people. Some are going to be *those* people that just make your college goals feel stupid (“I’m a pre-med bio-chem double major who’s graduating in three years so I can start at Stanford”), and most are going to try to sound like they have some semblance of a plan (confidence is key, right?). That’s what I did. If I had been more open-minded at the beginning of the year, it wouldn’t have taken me until second semester to admit to myself I actually love English and the Bible is the coolest thing on the planet since Jesus. I learned that not having a plan (and admitting it) carries NO SHAME. There are so many people at Westmont (professors and friends and even alumni) who would love to help you discern the path that’s best for you.

⇧ this face is totally chill

• If you feel like you’ve taken on too many units, talk to your academic advisor and your parents, but give it time (this applies to both semesters). I almost dropped a class in the Fall and Spring, and it took me a full month to realize that the workload could be managed. After a few weeks, you begin to find the time in your schedule that you didn’t know you had, and it gets much easier. Trust me.

• Establish weekly contact with old friends or family from the get-go, because it will only get harder. Being overwhelmed is totally normal, but it quickly became my excuse to skip calls with friends and family, and that just made the first few months more difficult. For family calls, I highly recommend establishing a weekly call time. For friends, you have to be a bit more flexible, but also much more intentional. Make a list of friends that you want to keep in touch with, and let them know ahead of time.

• Look good for your picture! The first day of freshman orientation, everyone takes a picture that will be the face of their Westmont career. It goes on your ID, and, most importantly, the student directory. Look good for it! Unlike yearbook pics, these aren’t renewed every year, and are often done inside (the forehead-glare is real, man). So try your best to look your best!

⇧ this should be you on picture day

• If you have a chance, sign up for the TASTE program with the Student Alumni Association. People say that it’s more for upperclassmen who are trying to determine what a real life after Westmont is like (which is true), but I signed up for it accidentally and it really helped me on my journey to choose a major and process what my undergraduate degree means. I would suggest requesting a young alum in an interesting field. This was key for me because the alum I met was able to directly relate to and recall the post-college job search and give me some wonderful advice.

⇧ this is literally everybody, especially in the first few weeks

• A good relationship with your roommate(s) is ALWAYS improved through open, vulnerable communication and a good dose of self-awareness. Being open about what you need and also understanding how you impact others is key. Not every roommate will be responsive, and you will never be wholly self-aware, but the worst thing you can do is try to be a typical “Westmont nice person” and never say anything when you have a preference or a problem. That just leads to passive-aggressivity and bitterness. Being open about personal preferences and also adaptable to the preferences of others is the best way to nip roommate-related tension in the bud.

Overall, my one piece of lifesaving advice would be “give it time.” Everything always seems so difficult, lonely, scary, embarrassing, or problematic in the moment, but a few weeks or months down the road you might have an entirely different perspective. I went into my Westmont experience with a very bad attitude and low expectations (it was my last choice school but ended up being my only choice), and God showed me over the course of the year just exactly how sovereign He is over my life. Had I made my college decision the way I wanted to, I would not have had near the amazing experiences that Westmont gave me. Was it hard? Heck yeah. But God is good, and time heals all sorts of stinky attitudes and rough starts. Have a bomb-diggity first year!