Many of you may have grown up in Alabama and always wanted to go to Auburn. Many of you did not and just so happened to end up here. No matter how you got here, you’re here now and about to embark on a new journey. As someone who has a whopping one year of college under their belt, I feel that it’s most fitting for me to write advice for the entire freshman class.
The first tip I want to give you all is simple. Go to class. I wouldn’t repeat it if I didn’t think that it was so useful. As things heat up, and more responsibilities pile on your plate, it can be easy to skip the hour-long lecture in the Haley Center. However, I promise you, life will be so much easier if you just go to class and take it seriously. Stay off your phone and try to stay engaged in the lecture no matter how boring it might be.
Also, stay productive. It can get easy to become disenchanted with the whole college experience if all you do is go to class and go back home. Join a student organization. Do something that you’re passionate about. For the first time in many of your lives, you have the freedom to explore whatever niche interest you may have. Auburn has a club for just about everything from art, to debate, to even fencing. Pick something and go to a few meetings; if you don’t like it you can just drop it. No one will force you to show up.
Greek Life is also a thing and is probably one of the fastest ways to find a group during your freshman year. It also isn’t for everybody. As someone who decided not to rush a fraternity I can tell you that the world keeps spinning and that I still found friends at Auburn quickly.
One of the easiest ways that I made friends this year was going to the First 56 events put on by UPC. There will be hundreds of other freshmen who also are hoping to meet new people. Just go up to someone and say hello, compliment their shoes or their hair. Also be okay with the fact that you will not mesh with everyone and not everyone will like you. It’s okay to let some people miss out on you. It will be okay, and you will still have a good freshman year. I wish all of you the best.
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