Column by Connor Jaschen, Assistant Features Editor.
Going off to college has been ingrained in America’s youth as “the big step” and rightfully so. It’s the first time most will ever go without their parents, some will go without a great source of income and that social status everyone had been slaving over in high school is wiped clean. Yes, that’s right, your popularity is set back to zero. Let’s just be honest, high school didn’t actually matter as much as you thought it would. Disappointing, huh?
That being said, there are enough lies in the world about college life to confuse even the shrewdest of incoming freshman. So let this be the first place you can look to get a bit of uncensored advice on your first year here at Murray State.
First off, your first two weeks of class really are just syllabus weeks.
Go to every class, meet new people, but don’t take these too seriously. Some of my friendships started from going out every night of my first two weeks and just walking around or hanging out in the quad.
Sure, in the morning I was tired, but our class time was not the most attention-intensive times of the semester, so with any luck you’ll get at least a few weeks into the semester before late nights will start to catch up to you. Use these opportunities wisely.
Go to the University scheduled events. However corny or lame you think they may be, most of them aren’t, and there are literally hundreds of people just like you, searching for their next social group to move into. Not only that, but some of them are downright fun. Sure, you could go party it up, but no party will ever beat the water balloon fight in the stadium, trust me.
Also, make friends with your Great Beginnings Leader. Yeah, them knocking at your door and dragging you out of your bed to do stuff can be annoying, but it’ll usually be worth it. Mostly. Okay, probably. Like a solid six times out of 10.
Just think of your Great Beginnings Leaders as people first and foremost. They want friends just as much as you. If it takes dragging you kicking and screaming onto the Hart lawn to awkwardly play icebreakers with a group of strangers, they’ll do it. Don’t be weird about it – just get it over with and move on with your life.
If nothing else, you and your floormates can bond over hating every bit of it. Believe it or not, they aren’t enjoying it either.
When it comes down to it, whatever you do is probably going to be worth it, as long as you are doing something. Don’t let naps and Netflix be your hobbies and don’t feel obligated to stay in if they are your roommate’s favorite pasttime. Life happens, but you’ll miss a lot of it locked away inside your Residential College.
Have fun with your first few weeks of being a Murray State Racer and remember, your clock is ticking. This won’t last forever so live it up while you have the chance!