5 Lessons I Learned From Freshman Year

This article was written by our Everly Mag Intern, Connor.

It’s no secret that freshman year is a daunting time in anyone’s life. Whether it’s high school or college, freshman year means that you’ll likely be starting at a new school, maybe even with a whole new set of people. Having finished my Freshman year, it was an emotional roller coaster that taught me new things and discoveries about myself. Here are 5 lessons I learned throughout my freshman year.

Be Yourself!

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, the power of individuality cannot be stated enough. Being your genuine self and showing people your interests and personality, especially during ice-breaker activities, will help you find others who click with you in a much faster fashion. For example, if you’re playing two truths and a lie, try and drop in two of the most interesting things about yourself, this will make others want to come up to you and learn more about you!

Don’t Be Afraid to Laugh!

One of my biggest pet peeves with some people in college has been their insistence on taking themselves too seriously. There have been multiple times throughout the year where I wish people were able to laugh at themselves, and laugh with those around them. Looking back on my freshman year I’ve realized that I was drawn to many of my closest friends because of their ability to laugh. I remember meeting one of my best friends in college, and the immediate thing I noticed about them was how much they laughed. It’s a way to enjoy life and not take things too seriously. I’ve noticed that when I act this way, other people who also love to laugh are also drawn to me, and they end up adding to the positivity in my life!

Try New Things!

Whether it’s a new academic subject, extracurricular, or club, trying new things is a great way to put yourself out there! You are guaranteed to meet and spend time with new people. For example, Freshman year of high school I decided to try something new and went out for the musical, and I still think it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only was it the start of a love for performance, but it also introduced me to some of my closest friends I’ve ever had!

Stay Ahead!

I would highly recommend generally staying ahead on schoolwork. I’ve tried to do this in both college and high school, and it’s ben extremely helpful. Typically I’ll set aside a few hours on Sunday to do work that’ll be due in the week, and it always saved me boatloads of stress. This will be something that’s extremely beneficial mentally, as you’ll rarely ever feel worried about school.

Do What You Want!

By this, I don’t mean not doing schoolwork. Instead I mean finding ways to bring what you love and infusing it with school. Do you like photography? Start a photography blog for your school or see if you can work on your school’s social media! Do you enjoy helping others? Create or join your school’s community service club! By doing what you want, whether it currently exists at the school or not, you will inevitably be working with new people, and many of these new people may just end up being life-long friends!

What lessons did you learn from your freshman year? Let us know in the comments below!

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