The Perks and Perils of Being a Freshman

Right when you feel cool and grown up after graduating high school, you head to college and realize you're back at the bottom of the food chain. You become the clueless pipsqueak, the underclassmen. You feel short, small and lost in this world of adults that seem to have their lives figured out. You work hard and try your best to figure this whole college thing out. You have to adjust to being away from home, making new friends, cooking your own food, getting along with roommates, studying, having a social life, possibly getting a job, figuring out what you want to major in, the list goes on! Being a freshman can be a fun and exciting experience and also overwhelming. I'm no expert but since I'm in the middle of the second semester of my freshman year, I've decided to compile a list of some perks and perils of being a freshman with the help of my roommates


Perk: You don't need to have it all figured out. You aren't pressured to declare a major right away, you have plenty of time to explore different classes and majors, figure out what you're interested in and what you're not. 

Peril: Aleta said: "Nobody wants to be your friend! They think you're cool until they find out you're a freshman and then they won't talk to you again." Apparently some older people find freshman to be slightly clueless and annoying. We once had some people come over to play games with us, we all tried to be fun and friendly as we could, but one of them refused to interact with us and have fun because we were all freshmen.

Perk: On the flip side, there are also so many amazing people at college and you can make new friends!

With our awesome friend, Maddy!

Perk: Kartika said: "You can do stupid and awkward things and people won't judge you for it because you're a freshman." I guess you could say our awkward encounters are sometimes (imaginatively) followed by a pat on the head and someone saying "It's okay, silly freshman."

Wait...what?

Peril: Aleta pointed out; "You're basically at the bottom of the food chain for everything." When registering for classes you don't get first pick for the classes you want to take and get stuck on the waiting list.

Perk: People understand when you ask for directions and don't know where things are.

Peril: The transition from high school homework to college homework and tests can be overwhelming and stressful at times.

Perk: Hannah said: "It's a new and exciting experience." This is a time in your life that you'll never have again, so embrace the changes, learn to laugh at your silly mistakes and adventures, work hard, stay focused, make new friends, take pictures and just have fun!