Moving away from home, living in a 9 by 14 room with a stranger and being exposed to new experiences, people and ideas are just a few of the aspects of freshman year that make it guaranteed to be unforgettable.

With graduation quickly approaching, Iowa State seniors reflect back on their freshman year and the experiences that set them up for their years to come.

“Number one, look for all of the clubs that serve food at the meetings,” said Garrett O’Keefe, humorously yet seriously. The senior studying industrial engineering advises that freshmen will appreciate it when they live off campus.

O’Keefe reminisced on some of his favorite memories from freshman year, one of which was being placed in an agriculture living learning community as an engineering major. One of his first memories of freshman year was sitting in a dorm with 11 other kids who lived on the fifth floor of Maple.

“We went around the circle and said something about us and what we were supposed to answer was our name, where we were from and how many acres our farm was back at home,” O’Keefe said. “And I was the only kid that didn’t have at least 750 acres. So when it got to me I was like, ‘My name is Garrett, I’m from the Twin Cities, and I live on a quarter of an acre.’”

O’Keefe started out his college career with a unique culture shock, and continued to learn from the people and opportunities presented to him at Iowa State.

One of Anastasia Frazee’s, a senior in culinary food science-human sciences, favorite things about freshman year came from living in the residence halls. Frazee has had numerous memorable experiences and opportunities throughout her time at Iowa State, such as playing on the club soccer team for three years, being the philanthropy chair of her sorority and studying abroad in Italy. But she said among her favorite was becoming best friends with her random roommate freshman year.

Freshman year can be a trying time, but these seniors used the wisdom they’ve gained over the years to provide some advice for freshmen as they continue their journey as a Cyclone.

If O’Keefe could go back and tell his freshman year self something, he would say to take better advantage of unique things that Iowa State has to offer.

“Freshman year, you’re like ‘Oh, I have four years to do it,’ but then when it gets to your second semester of your senior year, you’re like ‘Oh, shoot I’ve missed out on so much,’” O’Keefe said.

Going on outdoor recreational trips, checking out camping equipment to utilize at Ledges State Park and just hanging out in the hot tub at State Gym are all adventures at Iowa State that O’Keefe says he wishes he would have taken advantage of earlier.

“The big thing that I always tell people is to not be afraid to apply for internships that maybe don’t apply directly to what you want to do with your major, because you never know where those internships are going to take you,” Frazee said.

Her first internship was with a small bakery, because that’s what she thought she wanted to do following college. After learning that there was more she wanted to experience, she took on another internship at a larger pastry kitchen, then finally ended up with an internship at Hormel Foods.

“I would have never expected to be where I am today,” Frazee said. Her varying internships led her to discover product development, which is what she wants to do as a career.

Frazee, O’Keefe, and seniors alike have taken the journey at Iowa State to find themselves, and they all started in the same place: freshmen year. 

“In college you get to be whoever you want to be,” O’Keefe said.

So, take it from seniors themselves, and start striving now to be someone you will be proud of senior year.