My college career has been anything other than easy and as a freshman, I would have benefited from some advice from an upperclassman. I struggled to figure out registration, housing, advising, and financial aid.
As a senior, my first word of advice to freshmen would be to stay on top of your classes. It is easy to get caught up in new friendships, new found independence from families, and partying. Of course I would recommend new students to be social, but I have known many friends in the past who got too caught up in the social aspects of campus life and did not show up to class, resulting in academic probation and eventually, them dropping out or being expelled. Remaining focused on studies is the main goal of being in college and obtaining a degree, though it is easy to forget that.
My second word of advice is to advocate for yourself and to become comfortable not relying on your parents to do so. I went to a PWI in Texas for my first 2 years of college and as a black female, I was treated horribly by my advisor. He would constantly talk down on me and refuse to help me because I was black. I felt like I had no control over my education anymore because he was the department chair and would take any opportunity to make me feel small, until I finally stood up for myself and reported him to the dean and president. I regret taking so long but after my second year, I transferred to thee Howard University, an HBCU, where I felt students like me would be better represented. That same semester, that advisor from my previous university was terminated because of his misconduct with students of color. It may seem like you are small and cannot do anything for yourself but you are mistaken. If no one ever spoke up there would be no change. Do not ever doubt yourself or your capabilities, even when everyone else does.
My third and final word of advice would be to make sure to remember campus dates and deadlines. When registration rolls back around, you want to be in good academic standing and have no holds on your accounts or balances. With coursework and finals, remembering dates for registration, housing, and fafsa can be difficult but if you forget them, that could be the difference of if you are still a student for the following semester or have a bed to sleep in. Many students as freshmen do not know protocol for making sure fafsa has been done so you can receive the max amount of money for education and housing, so remembering that fafsa opens on Oct 1st every year is an important tip. I wish somebody had explained to me how important these deadlines were. My sophomore and junior year I ended up having to get an apartment off campus because I had not applied for housing soon enough and the campus had no more availability. My freshman and sophomore year I had to pay late fees for my student account because I had not signed up for a payment plan with the bursars office before the deadline. A few semesters I had registered late and was unable to take certain classes because there were completely full. Remembering campus dates and deadlines are extremely important for a successful college experience.
Colleges are a melting pot of diverse people, cultures, and food that make for a great and new experience. But sometimes a clash in cultures take away the beauty of diversity and instead leave a racial gap, like the one I experienced at my first university. I found that transferring and being around other black people kept the same sense of diversity but took away that feeling of otherness. As a freshman, find your people that make you feel comfortable and accept you as you are.
Being in college gives great life skills and lessons on top of the benefits that come with higher education. Graduating college is not only a pivotal step for better opportunity and career options, but it also showcases your individual strengths and motivation as a person. I believe that the opportunity that comes with an education and alumni network is invaluable and graduates should be proud of their work and discipline.
The most important advice I would give my younger self, would be to take my education seriously. When I first came in to college, I did not take my academics seriously and I ended up failing a couple of classes and losing some scholarships. I have learned from those mistakes but my college experience would have been smoother if I had learned that lesson earlier. I would also tell my younger self to apply for more scholarships and grants. It is very important to look into every avenue of tuition aid because it reduces the stress of attending school and it would have helped me keep my full focus on my classes. The last piece of advice I would give to myself as an in coming freshman, would be to communicate more with my professors. Most professors are very helpful and they want to see their students excelling in the classroom. I would advise my younger self to go to office hours and tutoring sessions.
Diversity has affected my college experience by introducing me to different cultures and backgrounds. I have met students and professors from all walks of life. I have had the opportunity to learn about many different cultures, religions and political views. The experience has given me a chance to share my views and beliefs and also learn and understand different points of view. I went to a mostly Asian high school so I had not really been exposed to many different cultures but after attending college it was an extremely eye opening experience and one I will always cherish.
It is important that I graduate college so I can go out into the engineering industry and put my skills and degree to good use. I am an industrial engineering major and my dream is to go into automobile manufacturing. I have been in school for 5 years now and I am excited to be able to make a difference in people's lives. My goal is to create a way to optimize car manufacturing to cut production costs which would also cut consumer cost making cars more affordable. It is also important to me that I graduate so that I can provide for my family and make my dad and myself proud.
