The first day back to school brings with it either excitement or dread for most students. For me, it is mostly dread as I question what will go wrong this year. Most first days, I find myself 30 minutes late, locking my keys in my already running car or dumping hot coffee on my white pants while digging through my bag trying to find a pen.
But yesterday I was too busy thinking that this will be my last first day for a few years to notice the minor inconveniences that usually plague my first days of school. Senior year of college brings up so many different emotions: Am I really going to graduate on time? What am I going to do in the likely event that I will not find a job?
It is almost enough to make you want to be a freshman again — almost. At the beginning of the year, freshmen are inundated with advice from parents, siblings and faculty trying to help ease the change that goes with leaving home, but I find they often leave out a few key pieces of information. Here is my list of what I wish someone would have told me:
• Get involved the first year. I know everyone says this, but that is because it is true. Whether it is because students are too busy with classes or just more nervous to stretch out of their comfort zones, it is usually more difficult to get involved after freshman year. On that note, I encourage new students to get involved not only in clubs associated with their studies, but fun clubs as well. If you think salsa club looks interesting, check it out.
• When in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Wyoming, buy a pair of jeans and cowboy boots and learn how to dance.
• Similarly, this is Laramie, Wyoming. From the end of October and often until June, it is cold and there is ice on the sidewalks even when they have been plowed. Be prepared to slip a few times. Dress appropriately. Buy a parka to fend off the cold and do not wear flip-flops in January.
• Stay on track to graduate, but don’t be afraid to take more obscure classes. After the first two years, when pressure to graduate begins building, it is more difficult to take those purely fun classes. Besides, students often discover a new passion in college and it is easier to change majors before junior year.
• It is possible to get tired of Panda. Plan accordingly.
• Save some of those generals for much needed breaks junior and senior years. In the final years of school, students take the same types of classes all day. It is nice to have a few classes that require a little less work and use a different part of the brain.
• Respect everyone’s right to free speech and to worship as they please. Yes, including the flying spaghetti monster. Do not start an argument with the union evangelist. Also, do not lie and talk about going to church every Sunday if it is not true — he knows many of the pastors in Laramie.
• The classroom building is attached to other buildings. Walking too far in a straight line could put you lost in a science building. Additionally, there are tunnels underneath the university. They become apparent during the winter when the heat melts the snow on the sidewalks. Unfortunately, most of them are closed.
• Keep old friends, but understand that college is a growing experience. Students who stick with the same clique they had in high school are not going to grow as much as they could. Students should try to be multi-dimensional and surround themselves with different people who bring out their best. Sometimes that means spending a little less time with friends from back home.
• Do not park without a permit and do not let the meter run over. Even for ten minutes. Do not get mad at the Transportation and Parking Services workers. They are just doing their job.
• Finally, keep an open mind. College is a time for people to figure out who they want to be and what they want to do. Everyone is different and nobody learns anything by judging those around them.
