Dear baby freshmen,
I know starting college can be a stressful and exciting time; there’s so much information coming at you, and you’re constantly meeting new people. And in case you were wondering, your doe-eyed expressions make you stick out like a sore thumbs, but for the most part, that’s OK. We’ve all been freshmen and in that position. It’s usually endearing. However, there are few things you guys do that you’ve got to stop. Now, I want to be clear- not all freshmen do these things, but some of you do, and it’s got to end. I’m really not trying to be mean; think of me as your annoying-right-now big sister, but who you’ll think gave you great advice a few months from now. Because next fall when this happens again you’ll be like, “Oh hell no, I’m glad I at least only did these things for a few weeks. Thanks goodness that random but awesome girl from Alligator Blogs told me to stop doing those things.”
1. Going everywhere with at least ten other people. It’s good to be social and meet new people, but I promise you- nothing violent will happen to you if you have lunch, go to the gym or library by yourself. Your giant packs not only block walkways, you’re incredibly loud and obnoxious EVERYWHERE you go. And by always “studying” with friends, you’re just hurting yourself. Say hello to your first C’s. Trust me; I had friends freshman year who always had to study with other people, and their grades suffered.
2. Trying to be cool by breaking the rules. OK, in high school, the “rule-breakers” may have been cool, but this is UF, people: We’re all smart and working towards great things. Rule-breakers are nothing but annoying and stupid. I was on the bus, and this girl sat on the box that says “NO SITTING” like she was the princess of UF and the high school bad boy rolled into one. Stupid. Just stop.
3. Talking about how much they skip class. Alright, once again, this is UF. We’re all smart and motivated, so cutting class doesn’t make you cool; it just shows everyone that you don’t mind skipping classes you’re paying a lot of money for. Now, of course, everyone does miss class sometimes, but it’s not something to brag about. Stop trying to be cool, and get the most out of your education.
4. Smoking in your residence hall. So, I haven’t heard of freshmen doing that this year, but my floor in Broward freshman year was teeming with smokers, so I feel it’s safe to say this is still happening. I’m honestly not here to judge you; smoking weed is part of the college experience for some students. But doing it in your residence hall is just stupid. It’s so not worth getting kicked out of college and possibly ruining the rest of your life for. Do it somewhere else.
5. Fearing your professors and not feeling like you can stand up to them. Kids, this is college; if you don’t agree with your professor on a topic, you’re more than welcome to politely disagree. As long as you’re respectful, no teacher should ever get mad at you for this. In fact, she or he will probably admire you for it. Getting admired by your professors? Awesome.
6. Sucking up to your professors in all the wrong ways. As much as I hate to admit it, sucking up to people is a part of life. And sucking up to professors is crucial in college; it can open internship and job doors. You can get great letters of recommendation for it. But you don’t do it by having no backbone; simply agreeing with your professors all the time and trying to be nice will not impress them or make they want to help you. Instead, go to office hours (I know you’ve heard that about 3,258,932,698,736,109,165 times by now, but it’s true.) and engage your professors. Ask interesting questions in office hours and in class. Ask them about their professional experiences. If you’re majoring in something like engineering, nursing and journalism, your professors have probably had a ton of in-field experience and will be great additions to your network. Show that you’re excited to start gaining your own in-field experience and offer new and creative perspectives on your subject matter.
7. Acting more drunk than you actually are purposely. You’re going to have nights where you’re a bumbling drunken idiot because you drank wayyyy too much. (Don’t worry; it happens to everyone, and honestly, no one will probably judge you.) But the nights when you’re actually not that drunk; don’t purposely act like you are. It just makes you seem stupid, and those are the times people will judge you.
8. Run into cars on your bicycles. I’m really sad that I have to say this one, but I do because this actually happened. I was walking out of a class the second week of school when I overheard a girl on her phone say in an annoyed voice, “You’re never going to guess what happened to me on the way to class.” So, of course, at this point, I had to continue eavesdropping. And you know what she said, “Some stupid freshmen girl ran into my car on campus on her bike.” Damage to her car and a police report were involved. You really don’t want to be known as “the stupid freshman that ran into a car while biking.” Remember: Bikers have to follow all of the road rules.
