Transitioning from high school to a university is a huge leap. However not all make the jump. Some fall through the cracks. Others are barely hanging on. Whether someone makes it to the other side or not, all depends on their approach. College is a time full of mysteries, stress, sweat, and tears. But once the jump to the other side is conquered, the feeling of euphoria makes it all worth it in the end. The key for that success is to act on all the advice given. Although these tips may seem disconnected individually, they have the power to make the journey through freshman year run a lot more smoothly when connected together.
The path through college has a similar resemblance to the Greek tragedy “The Myth of Sisyphus”. In the philosophical essay, Sisyphus was condemned to a lifetime of punishment in the underworld. The punishment that the gods chose was cruel and absurd. Sisyphus had to push a big boulder up a mountain, only to have it roll right back down again when reaching the top. He then walks back down the mountain to start all over. This routine repeats itself for eternity. The punishment was created to resemble living a life that had no meaning. However, what is unusual about this myth is Sisyphus’ reaction after the rock rolls back down the mountain. As he walks down the mountain to retrieve the rock, a smile appears on his face as he is overwhelmed in a brief moment of happiness. All his hard work on the way up paid off in bliss.
No one said college was going to be easy. Life throws many curves at us. In order to have a successful first year, we must push a boulder up our own hill. Picture a mountain for each year in college and a boulder as all the struggles, complications, and obstacles that get in the way. The boulder also represents the events, memories, and friendships college will grant. Each year in college is like Sisyphus’ hike up the mountain. Students spend endless nights studying for exams, working on projects, and completing homework assignments. On top of that, they must deal with the complications of the real world and their social life. Whether it is competing in tournaments or participating in performances, students have to push the heavy weight of what needs to be accomplished up their mountain before the first year comes to an end.
Sisyphus reaching the peak resembles a student’s completed year. After all the hard work, they finally made it. But their rock rolls back down, ready to be pushed up again in the awaiting year. As the student walks down the mountain to do it all over as a sophomore, they experience a sense of happiness from their accomplishments. The satisfaction of achieving their goals make the hike up worth it in the end. This cycle continues to repeat itself every year until graduation. But even then, life after college gives us mountains we must conquer. But one must never give up, just like Sisyphus.
Tip 1- Learn how to be independent
What mainly differentiates college from high school is independence. Being a freshmen in college brings on a lot more responsibility. It’s perfectly normal to dread it. After all, students have barely left the nest yet. As a freshman, one must gain the skills to do tasks on their own. Mastering independence is what will make the climb up Sisyphus' mountain a whole lot easier.
No one is there to put food on the table anymore. It is up to the student to cook or go get breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. What were “annoying chores” become routine responsibilities. It is also important to remember that parents will not be there to clean the place up every week. I have visited countless dorms where the bathroom looks as filthy as a trailer park public restroom. Toilets and showers do not magically clean themselves; that is the now the student’s job. Also, teachers are not going to remind students to do their homework. In all honesty, most professors could care less if a student is failing if the student does not show any effort. The trick to success is to use a teacher’s office hours for any questions or struggles. Do not be afraid of the professors, they are only there to help. In fact, taking the time to talk to them on a more personal level about the material will show them that their student truly cares. However, students are not forced to take advantage of office hours; it is merely their own independent decision to do so. Although the transition into adulthood may be intimidating, many kids see living on their own as an opportunity for freedom.
Tip 2- Find a balance between school work and your social life
No parents, no rules, right? Moving to the dorms gives students a taste of freedom. Since the incoming freshmen begin to experience no real authority for the first time, things might get a little out of hand. It is nice to go out with friends and have no curfew or attend parties. But it is extremely important to not let things get too far out of control. The key is moderation. Too much partying can lead to bad grades. And unlike high school, teachers are not going make sure all their students stay on track. The university system does a good job of putting failing students on academic probation. It can get quite expensive for a student to re-pay the costly tuition to re-take a failed course. So make sure to find the right balance of social life and school work. After all, the whole point of college is to do well in school. The better one does in school, the higher they climb. If someone fails out of the university, they never make it to the top of the mountain.
Tip 3- Respect your roommate
From time to time, everyone bumps heads with their roommate. Whether it is fighting over what shows to watch or who stained each other’s clothes, it is important to know how to deal with the situation. No one wants to share a room with another individual if there is awkward tension. One way to prevent future arguments with a roommate is to create a list of things that you both want acknowledged. This could include things such as, not having people over after certain hours or asking permission before borrowing anything. Having a healthy relationship with a roommate is crucial in making freshman year run more smoothly. Lower stress levels help increase school performance. So if there is a conflict between the two, do not just leave things in a bad state. Make things right. As a roommate, it is your job to respect the wishes of the other individual living with you. They will return the favor. Getting along with a roommate is just part of the weight that must be pushed up the mountain.
The path through college has a similar resemblance to the Greek tragedy “The Myth of Sisyphus”. In the philosophical essay, Sisyphus was condemned to a lifetime of punishment in the underworld. The punishment that the gods chose was cruel and absurd. Sisyphus had to push a big boulder up a mountain, only to have it roll right back down again when reaching the top. He then walks back down the mountain to start all over. This routine repeats itself for eternity. The punishment was created to resemble living a life that had no meaning. However, what is unusual about this myth is Sisyphus’ reaction after the rock rolls back down the mountain. As he walks down the mountain to retrieve the rock, a smile appears on his face as he is overwhelmed in a brief moment of happiness. All his hard work on the way up paid off in bliss.
No one said college was going to be easy. Life throws many curves at us. In order to have a successful first year, we must push a boulder up our own hill. Picture a mountain for each year in college and a boulder as all the struggles, complications, and obstacles that get in the way. The boulder also represents the events, memories, and friendships college will grant. Each year in college is like Sisyphus’ hike up the mountain. Students spend endless nights studying for exams, working on projects, and completing homework assignments. On top of that, they must deal with the complications of the real world and their social life. Whether it is competing in tournaments or participating in performances, students have to push the heavy weight of what needs to be accomplished up their mountain before the first year comes to an end.
Sisyphus reaching the peak resembles a student’s completed year. After all the hard work, they finally made it. But their rock rolls back down, ready to be pushed up again in the awaiting year. As the student walks down the mountain to do it all over as a sophomore, they experience a sense of happiness from their accomplishments. The satisfaction of achieving their goals make the hike up worth it in the end. This cycle continues to repeat itself every year until graduation. But even then, life after college gives us mountains we must conquer. But one must never give up, just like Sisyphus.
Tip 1- Learn how to be independent
What mainly differentiates college from high school is independence. Being a freshmen in college brings on a lot more responsibility. It’s perfectly normal to dread it. After all, students have barely left the nest yet. As a freshman, one must gain the skills to do tasks on their own. Mastering independence is what will make the climb up Sisyphus' mountain a whole lot easier.
No one is there to put food on the table anymore. It is up to the student to cook or go get breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. What were “annoying chores” become routine responsibilities. It is also important to remember that parents will not be there to clean the place up every week. I have visited countless dorms where the bathroom looks as filthy as a trailer park public restroom. Toilets and showers do not magically clean themselves; that is the now the student’s job. Also, teachers are not going to remind students to do their homework. In all honesty, most professors could care less if a student is failing if the student does not show any effort. The trick to success is to use a teacher’s office hours for any questions or struggles. Do not be afraid of the professors, they are only there to help. In fact, taking the time to talk to them on a more personal level about the material will show them that their student truly cares. However, students are not forced to take advantage of office hours; it is merely their own independent decision to do so. Although the transition into adulthood may be intimidating, many kids see living on their own as an opportunity for freedom.
Tip 2- Find a balance between school work and your social life
No parents, no rules, right? Moving to the dorms gives students a taste of freedom. Since the incoming freshmen begin to experience no real authority for the first time, things might get a little out of hand. It is nice to go out with friends and have no curfew or attend parties. But it is extremely important to not let things get too far out of control. The key is moderation. Too much partying can lead to bad grades. And unlike high school, teachers are not going make sure all their students stay on track. The university system does a good job of putting failing students on academic probation. It can get quite expensive for a student to re-pay the costly tuition to re-take a failed course. So make sure to find the right balance of social life and school work. After all, the whole point of college is to do well in school. The better one does in school, the higher they climb. If someone fails out of the university, they never make it to the top of the mountain.
Tip 3- Respect your roommate
From time to time, everyone bumps heads with their roommate. Whether it is fighting over what shows to watch or who stained each other’s clothes, it is important to know how to deal with the situation. No one wants to share a room with another individual if there is awkward tension. One way to prevent future arguments with a roommate is to create a list of things that you both want acknowledged. This could include things such as, not having people over after certain hours or asking permission before borrowing anything. Having a healthy relationship with a roommate is crucial in making freshman year run more smoothly. Lower stress levels help increase school performance. So if there is a conflict between the two, do not just leave things in a bad state. Make things right. As a roommate, it is your job to respect the wishes of the other individual living with you. They will return the favor. Getting along with a roommate is just part of the weight that must be pushed up the mountain.
Tip 4- Save money by choosing the appropriate meal plan
Going into college, there are many decisions to make. Even deciding what meal plan to get takes some thought. Since students will be living on their own for the first time, they usually tend to purchase the meal plan with an excess amount of meals to feel secure such as unlimited, or 14 meals a week. But the truth is, both of those plans are a huge financial waste. A person might feel as if they are flushing their money down a toilet. All of the meal plans are priced more than what they are worth. And if a student purchases at least the 14 meals per week (2 meals per day), it is almost guaranteed that a huge portion of their meal swipes will go to waste. No one eats at the dining hall for all of their meals, every single day, for the whole year.On top of the money spent for unused meals, people will go spend their extra cash elsewhere.
Since a meal plan is required for all on campus freshmen, the smart choice would be to purchase the meal plan with the least amount of meals per week (8 meals per week). This is the meal plan I had as a freshmen and even then, I found myself struggling to not let any of my swipes go to waste. A lot of my friends who had the 14 meals per week plan ended up switching to the 8 meals a week plan by the second semester. They were extremely satisfied with the money that they saved and wished they had someone to for-warn them ahead of time. Preparation for college, such as deciding what meal plan to purchase, compares to finding what approach to use in pushing up the rock.
Tip 5- Get involved
The best thing you can do to make your college experience worth while is to get involved. I know It sounds cliche, but it is the ultimate truth. This means joining clubs, sports teams, organizations, projects and more. Campuses offer so many wonderful things, all one has to do is participate. Going into my first year of college I wanted to be a part of something. So I made the decision to rush for a sorority. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We do so many fun activities together from philanthropies to formals. I met some of my best friends through my sorority. I am also a part of ASU's Medallion Scholarship Program. As an organization, we do some incredible things together like volunteer work, banquet dinners, and social events. Looking back at my first year in college, getting involved in the school has created someone of my fondest memories. It is the little things, like joining a club, that can make such a huge difference in how one builds their college experience. Being involved is what makes the walk down the mountain enjoyable.
Going into college, there are many decisions to make. Even deciding what meal plan to get takes some thought. Since students will be living on their own for the first time, they usually tend to purchase the meal plan with an excess amount of meals to feel secure such as unlimited, or 14 meals a week. But the truth is, both of those plans are a huge financial waste. A person might feel as if they are flushing their money down a toilet. All of the meal plans are priced more than what they are worth. And if a student purchases at least the 14 meals per week (2 meals per day), it is almost guaranteed that a huge portion of their meal swipes will go to waste. No one eats at the dining hall for all of their meals, every single day, for the whole year.On top of the money spent for unused meals, people will go spend their extra cash elsewhere.
Since a meal plan is required for all on campus freshmen, the smart choice would be to purchase the meal plan with the least amount of meals per week (8 meals per week). This is the meal plan I had as a freshmen and even then, I found myself struggling to not let any of my swipes go to waste. A lot of my friends who had the 14 meals per week plan ended up switching to the 8 meals a week plan by the second semester. They were extremely satisfied with the money that they saved and wished they had someone to for-warn them ahead of time. Preparation for college, such as deciding what meal plan to purchase, compares to finding what approach to use in pushing up the rock.
Tip 5- Get involved
The best thing you can do to make your college experience worth while is to get involved. I know It sounds cliche, but it is the ultimate truth. This means joining clubs, sports teams, organizations, projects and more. Campuses offer so many wonderful things, all one has to do is participate. Going into my first year of college I wanted to be a part of something. So I made the decision to rush for a sorority. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We do so many fun activities together from philanthropies to formals. I met some of my best friends through my sorority. I am also a part of ASU's Medallion Scholarship Program. As an organization, we do some incredible things together like volunteer work, banquet dinners, and social events. Looking back at my first year in college, getting involved in the school has created someone of my fondest memories. It is the little things, like joining a club, that can make such a huge difference in how one builds their college experience. Being involved is what makes the walk down the mountain enjoyable.
Although college may seem intimidating, one cannot be afraid to make the jump. The only way someone has a 100% chance of falling is if they do not try. Life will always put many obstacles in the way, but it is the student's job to push past them. Sisyphus never gave up climbing his mountain, he kept moving forward. Following these five tips will help students get through the crazy first year of college and move forward. So strive to achieve your best, because the other side awaits.