The 2008 Freshman Survival Guide
25 Things Every College Freshman Should Know Before Classes Start
21. Food—Finding the Balance
Doritos is NOT a food group. Everyone is afraid of the Freshman 15 — the infamous fattening up that happens to so many new college students—but many people have trouble avoiding it. Most of us are used to having our mom set a plate in front of us with a pretty balanced meal—something meaty/protein, something green, something starchy. When you head into the dining hall the first time you may be dazzled by the array of choices, but make sure that what ends up on your plate has some balance to it. And just because you can have ice cream with every meal doesn’t mean you should! Try not to skip meals; you can end up overeating at the next meal or just wolfing down a bag of chips (or three) back in the dorm because you’ve gotten so hungry. Drink water, not soda. You can easily pack on a few pounds in your first semester by adding two or three cans of soda to your daily food intake. This also applies to other canned beverages. They don’t call it a beer gut for nuthin‘!
The other extreme: Eating disorders—In this new high-pressure environment some people respond by controlling the one thing they feel they can: what they eat. You probably already know if this is a danger for you. The people who would normally help you keep an eye on your eating problems are also the people who would help you deal with the stress that causes them…and they’re not here! AHHHH! But fear not! You can hook up with some help at the counseling center—a number of colleges now have eating disorder support groups that meet right on campus—find yourself a supportive friend (or two) that you feel you can share your struggles with, and stay accountable to friends or family from back home who can encourage and support you. Watching your weight can become a dangerous obsession that will distract you from your goals just as surely as any other addiction! If you’ve never had problems with dieting, binge eating or weight obsession before but you find yourself distracted by calorie counting, controlling your weight, or are afraid to eat—talk to someone! National Eating Disorders Association offers help and resources.
Arizona State University
Exercise: most people belittle exercise, saying that it’s not important for their academic advancement. They are simply wrong. Not only is exercise a healthy way to relieve stress, you will have more energy and a more positive attitude in general the more in shape you are. Whether it’s walking, running, dancing, biking, tennis, ping pong, yoga or whatever, find something physical that you enjoy doing, and do it regularly.22. Are You Earning Your BA or Your IM?
Whatever your game system, favorite online RPG, or electronic distraction is, be careful! That harmless looking little XBOX can be your education’s worst nightmare. It should stay in the closet and only come out on weekends after your paper is written! Anything addictive or familiar right now is going to be more attractive than going to class and getting your work done. TV, Facebook, blogging, You Tube, downloading music, IM-ing or just surfing can all be nice stress busters but it’s a slippery slope. You start out just finding a little comfort or harmless distraction and before you know it you’ve stayed up all night, not written your paper and missed a couple classes because you were up too late! Self-discipline is a bigger challenge for some of us than others but one of the biggest tasks in life is setting your own limits. If you’re struggling, give yourself an Internet, television, or Wii “allowance” each day and stick to it. Nobody can multi-task! All it does is slow you down and keep you up later. When you’re doing homework, put up your away message and silence your cell phone. Don’t let anything or any one steal your study time. Chat or text for 15 minutes and then get off IM and get your work done! Afterwards you can stay up and chat without the worry of the unfinished work hanging over you.
I think one of the biggest lessons that you need to learn when you head of to college is moderation. I don’t mean that you can’t do this or that, but that you shouldn’t spend all your time with your books or your friends. Go out. Try a little bit of everything your first few weeks. You’ll never know who you’ll meet or what you be able to do if you don’t leave your comfort zone and try something new
And while we’re talking about the Internet… here’s a hint! Online porn and poker are a bad idea! 2008 Class President Greg Hogan robbed a bank to pay off his online gambling debts! Hopefully you won’t go to such extremes but because you’re in a strange place with new people (and suddenly without the people and habits that would set external limits on you) anything addictive can be a danger zone. Porn and online gambling, besides their general unsavory nature, are both extraordinarily addictive and the Internet gives us unprecedented access. Don’t get sucked in! Quit. If you find you can’t quit, even when you know you should, there’s lots of help available. For trouble with gambling check your status with these 20 questions. Check out BustedHalo.com’s® series on online porn addiction.
23. All Work and No Friends
One of the biggest challenges is worrying about all these new issues at the same time you’re building a new support network. Make sure you take time to tend to your relationships—the old ones and the new ones. Parents can be one of your most important supports right now. Take time with new friends to really get to know each other and keep in touch with friends from back home. When the chips are down and you need some encouragement to keep moving forward you’ll be glad you did. Even if you haven’t been great about keeping in touch, an old friend or mentor is usually thrilled to hear from you, even if it’s just so you can whine for a little while. Don’t let guilt or worry about work to be done keep you from tending these life-sustaining relationships!
Dr. Kadison adds —You have to make your own decisions about when to talk to your parents and how much to tell them about your life. But when making that decision remember that being an independent adult doesn’t mean going it alone. Part of being mature is learning when to share problems and concerns and when to ask for help. Even if your parents can’t understand exactly what you’re going through, their love goes a long way — what they don’t get, they’ll usually try to understand and work with you to get through it.
24. Don’t Be Afraid, Be Smart!
There’s a lot to think about, it’s true, and a lot to be cautious about, but this is also the opportunity of a lifetime. You will probably make some of the best friends of your life, you will probably fall in love, you will probably grow more and learn more and discover more about yourself than you ever thought possible. You don’t have to be afraid, just be aware! Like a mountain climber, you’ve got all your safety equipment. You know the safety rules. You’ve been preparing for this climb for a long time. Everyone who knows you is hoping for your success. Keep your eye on the summit and don’t be afraid!
InterVarsity Chaplain Scott Young— We’re such a career-crazed kind of training program these days in college, so a reminder that you’re here to learn how to learn. You get to learn for your entire life and you’ve got a concentrated period of time around a bunch of learners that know how to learn so…learn how to learn.
RA Zahrah Ektefaei, Fordham, advises— College is a time to grow and to learn what it means to be a better person in the world. Like all learning experiences, you will mess up along the way and other times you’ll do great things. The bottom line is, be smart, be safe, and be true to who you are. Just because you aren’t living at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use those good moral values your family raised you with.
25. And Did I Mention… Go to Class!
We encourage people to print out and distribute a condensed, one-page pdf version of the 2008 Freshman Survival Guide.
Have printed it out an stuck it on my daughter’s desk :) All great advice.
Wow! A great bit of advice. I am what they call a “super-senior”. I graduated high school in 2003 and this is the start of my fifth year in college. I will graduate this December with 4 and a half years of college under my belt. It took me so long because I took a year off to volunteer at our Diocescan Mission, an orphanage, in Peru. Parents should use the “send to a friend” link above to email this to their young adult children who are in college, no matter what year along the path. And campus ministers should print the printable version above. If had this kind of information and had used it as a freshman the college experience might have had a few less bumps in it for me. Nontheless, college has been great and I have learned for the bumps so I must say that all is truly well that ends well.
Nora,
Simply outstanding. May I be so bold as to make the following suggestion? Get more testimonials like the 2 above, as well as the 2 comments and add that as a compendium to your book.
Is there going to be a 2009 Survival Guide? Is it going to be soon? (Classes are starting in just a few short weeks!)
Yes, Cathy…this year’s guide will be out tomorrow…FYI: we are deep into the final days of working on the first Freshman Survival Guide Book that will be out in April 2010, so this year’s guide will be an update of what’s going on as well as the one sheet to give away…
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