Our Advice For College Freshmen 2.0
Image courtesy of The Barbie Diaries
Many of our readers are embarking on a brand new journey for the first time: college. Our staff members, interns, and designers have been there before, so here’s some of our most heartfelt advice on how to have an amazing first year at university!
Approach everything with an open mind! You might find a new interest that ends up being your safe place or new passion!
P.S.: Go to the RA events! They are there to help you and are getting you food and snacks and gifts :) - Riley
Get involved!! Everyone wants to make more friends and it is best to involve yourself in the community <3 Put yourself out there!! - Olivia
Trust your intuition. It’s okay to leave situations that don’t feel the best for you. There are more people to befriend and get to know. Approach everything with curiosity and love! - Jenn
Don’t be shy and make friends everywhere! Everyone is looking to make new friends so don’t be afraid to go up to people and start talking!
P.S.: If you’re living in a dorm try to go to events and hang out in the dorm lobbies! - Nina
Join organizations on campus that you’re interested in!! Literally talk to everyone you can and go out and do fun stuff and as corny as it sounds be yourself so that you meet the right people <3 - Isabelle
Biggest advice is always that you are not“ too cool” for college. Do all the fun dumb shit! - Norah
Get involved in clubs & student leadership opportunities <3 Also maintain and find time for your passion projects <3 - Emma
Don’t get too caught up in your“ college bubble”! You’re an adult now, in the“ real world”, and you’re not chained to the people you see in class everyday! In this day and age it is super easy to meet friends online, at parties, or at community events (ex: a Dreamworldgirl Zine function...), so take advantage of this newfound freedom. Make an effort to socialize with people from different schools and walks of life <3 Your next best friend or next partner might not be at your university, and you’ll never know if you don’t put yourself out there. - Daphne
Take advantage of your university’s resources while you still have access. Get free access to Adobe, free print services, studio access, free art supplies, camera equipment, etc., You can probably rent whatever you need for your personal projects at no extra cost! - Tory
Do what you want to do, not want your friends or family want you to do! Ultimately it is your life and you get to dictate how you live it. Don’t be afraid to take risks and don’t worry about being the best at what you do, just do it with love and passion :) - Liana
Join student orgs but don’t overcommit! Orgs will always be there for you to join, try something different every semester if you want to try/discover new things!! Take advantage of their cool collabs and events :) - Dana
As an RA for freshmen, don’t get too attached to your freshman friend group because college is all about meeting new people and figuring out who you mesh best with. It might not be the first people you meet and that’s okay :) You will find your group eventually! - Rebecca
Don’t overdo it! Its easy to dive into a billion things and it’s fine to be super excited by things but I know a lot of people that got really burnt out trying to do“ everything” for the sake of the experience. - Emilie
