Freshmen

Welcome to college! This year will be filled with many new experiences and a lot of firsts. Your first college lecture, your first roommate, your first college party, your first college final exam and maybe your first time living on your own, cooking your own meals and doing your own laundry.

All these firsts can be overwhelming and maybe even terrifying, so this year you should focus on getting adjusted to college life – figuring out where things are on campus, how to live on your own and how to study.

Your freshman year sets the tone for how the rest of your college career will go. The longer it takes you to get used to college life, the harder it will be. Focus on meeting new people, finding extracurricular activities you enjoy and getting good grades.

Freshman year is probably going to be filled with the easiest classes you will take here, so make sure you don’t ignore your studies while you’re getting adjusted.

Sophomores

By your second year, you’re used to where most things are on campus and you’ve probably established your close group of friends. Sophomore year is the hardest year for a lot of students – you’ve figured out how to pass your 100 level classes so you might think you have your school work figured out. Don’t get too comfortable. Your first year, you could probably get away with skipping class regularly and not doing the readings, but classes will get harder this year, so make sure you stay on top of your studies and go to class every once in a while.

Just like freshman year, you should continue to explore extracurricular activities and trying new things – take a class or two because you’re interested in the subject, not because it’s a required class. Who knows? You might love it so much you decide to change your major.

Juniors

You’re now upperclassmen! For many of you, junior year is the year that you turn 21, so for many of you this can turn into your party year. You’re finally able to hit the Welch bars on the weekends and Wednesday dollars and Thursday mug nights.

Enjoy it! You’re only 21 once and there’s only about a month that you’re able to get free drinks by telling strangers that “it’s my birthday!” and get away with it.

But between that partying, make sure you’re also studying. I know, I sound like your parents, but it’s important. For some majors, internships are required to graduate and you don’t want to be the person sending out their less-than-impressive resumes three months after everyone else because you were too hungover to volunteer or join campus organizations.

Seniors

You’re about nine months away from the “real world” so it’s time to start learning how to “adult”. I know that’s terrifying but it’s not that bad as long as you know exactly what you want to do with your life, have a job lined up and know how you’ll be supporting yourself in less than a year. No? Well, good luck.

Kidding.

Kinda.

As much as you’re freaking out about how you need to have your life together in nine months, also remember that you only have nine months of college life left.

In nine months, it won’t be nearly as acceptable to spend your weekends tailgating, dartying and only eating take out.

So live it up! But make sure you do enough school work to make it to graduation – or don’t – there’s nothing wrong with a victory lap!