A Senior’s Advice to Incoming Freshmen
By Abby Cope, Features Editor
As I enter my senior year, I am flooded with memories and reminders of a distant but all-too-recent era: freshman year. A tumultuous time filled with new beginnings and new faces, it can feel both exciting and fearful. A life you had grown so accustomed to is now replaced with adulthood and a new sense of individuality.
Receiving notifications that say “Three years ago today” on my phone as I sit in my senior apartment makes me feel more reminiscent of my once-dreaded freshman dorm. It felt as though time dragged on throughout the introductory classes and obligatory dining hall discussions, but as I fell into a routine, the clock sped up. They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” but I didn’t realize just how fast it would.
As days I once thought would never come are quickly approaching and passing, I realize just how precious these four years of college are. Though I may not have all the right answers or the best advice every time, I do know three things for certain: reach out, try everything, and never underestimate anyone.
Reaching out to new people can be scary. At the legally adult yet still very young age of 18, you go from being at the top of the high school food chain to suddenly finding yourself at the bottom of the bowl in an entirely new school of fish. Something it took me far too long to realize is that everyone, yes everyone, is nervous. Everyone is going through the same emotions you are; some are just better at hiding it. No matter where you fall on the Myers-Briggs personality test, putting yourself out there can feel like putting yourself on a pedestal of vulnerability. And it is. But no one ever made any changes while staying inside their comfort zone. A simple “Hey” in the laundry room or asking your new neighbors to come over for a movie night could change the entire course of those first few months of school. All freshmen have one thing in common: a yearning to fit in and find their people.
No matter if it’s a big group dinner or just some one-on-one time with a new classmate, reaching out could be the change you need to make your big fishbowl feel just a little bit smaller.
Try everything. It’s said to us time and time again as we go into college, but it’s for good reason. Coming to a new place is a chance to try new experiences, especially in college where there are so many opportunities for students. When you only get four years to try all the amazing experiences the University of Alabama has to offer, there truly is no better time than the present. UA programs constantly offer amazing activities for freshmen, as well as ones open to all grades. There are also more than 600 different clubs at the Capstone, which means more than 600 opportunities for you to find a new passion or hobby. No matter your interests or your grade, college is the perfect place to find a new passion and discover more about yourself in the process.
Never underestimate yourself or others. It can be easy to compare ourselves to others at such a young and vulnerable age, and hard to remember our inner capabilities. Trying out for new clubs can be intimidating, especially when you take on the mindset of how others may outperform you. Reaching out to professors can be hard when your mind is set that they’ll see you as a struggling student. But this is so far from the case. We view ourselves through a much more scrutinized lens than others, one that isn’t as forgiving as the way we view those around us. Our peers are there to motivate and uplift us, to help us better ourselves. I was truly terrified to join Run UA, as all I thought about was how much faster other students may be. But the second I let those fears go, I realized that they may be faster, but they don’t necessarily see me as slower. They see me as a fellow runner, all the same. Our professors are there to assist us on our academic journeys; their job is to help us succeed. The second we stop viewing ourselves and others as “out to get us” or “not doing well enough,” that’s the second we start truly becoming the best versions of ourselves. Stepping foot on the path to real self-improvement and our fullest potential.
With only two semesters left in my college career, I truly am embracing the overused “soak up every last minute” mantra. Sure, it feels corny, but it is true. And it shouldn’t take until your senior year to recognize that. So, reach out to the girl down the hall that you thought seemed nice. Email your professor that you’d be interested in meeting with them to go over a lesson again. Try out for that club or that team because you only get so many opportunities to do. The University of Alabama has so much to offer — and so do you. Every person here has an amazing story and even more amazing capabilities. It’s scary to be vulnerable, but it’s even scarier to look back and wish you’d done things differently.
