Unlike most of my friends, I chose my college pretty late. How’s that for starting off a freshman advice post? Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life so don’t take it lightly, but don’t over think it either. You should do your research, take a tour, but ultimately – just go with your gut. Before I toured Seattle University, I toured another university out of state that I fell in love with. It was absolutely gorgeous – the architecture, the weather, the people. I initially chose that university because of its reputation. It seemed like a dream for me to even be there, but I loved it. I unofficially sealed the deal by buying one of their over-sized sweatshirts. Then I toured Seattle University and when I first stepped foot on campus, I just knew. It was an awful rainy and cold day, but the question I kept asking myself was “Can I see myself here?” I did. I envisioned future Katie rushing to class on the mall and dining on campus. I saw myself studying in the library for ten minutes until people watching took over and I had to find a new spot staring at a corner for the rest of the evening.
Like every new freshman, I was thrilled to have a fresh start! Entering college is a complete learning experience both in and out of the classroom. You could read all the books in the world to prepare yourself or seek out all the advice from your educated college friends, but what you learn on your own will be the most valuable. You’re going to make mistakes. Awful mistakes. Mistakes that you probably wouldn’t want your parents to know about. And that’s okay. Just remember to not regret any of it unless…
a) you contracted an STD of some sort because you didn’t listen to your friends when they told you that guy/girl was distributing chlamydia and all of the above.
b) you failed your classes because you spent all day in your dorm getting high. Yeah – seriously don’t do that. There’s a time and a place for everything and if you don’t know your limit (for anything) then you’re not gonna make it through college.
Those should be no-brainers though so let’s get to the real advice:
Note: nothing mentioned in this post has ever happened to me unless I stated so.
Read more “Back to School Series Pt. 8”