At the beginning of this fall semester, I had the exciting opportunity to welcome the incoming freshman as an orientation leader. The whole process was not only fun but super rewarding as I welcomed the new students and showed them how great college can be. For myself, orientation was a long time ago, but for my fellow orientees the feeling of being an incoming students was still a new memory! I thought it would be really interesting to get their relevant perspective of their first few weeks at Nazareth. Freshmen, Taylor, Hayley, Crystal, and Emily candidly shared with me their answers to some open questions. These ladies of varying majors were able to give great insight into the experiences of a New Nazareth Student.
What piece of advice would you give to incoming students?
Taylor: Use your time wisely and go see your professors during their office hours as early as you can. Get involved in clubs that may be outside your major that you may have an interest in. Also, check your email at least 3 times a day!
Haley: Ask as many questions as possible; don’t be afraid to ask.
Emily: Don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask a lot of questions
What has been your favorite part of freshman year so far?
Taylor: My favorite part of freshman year has been meeting new people through different activities I became involved in. For example, meeting many upperclassmen in chamber choir has helped make my transition into college more manageable now that I have many more friends I see around campus. Having familiar faces to see every day made me feel more comfortable, but to get comfortable I had to go outside my comfort zone.”
Haley: Meeting new people has been my favorite part!
Crystal: Meeting a really good group of friends right off the bat.
Emily: Meeting new people.
**read as, you should not at all be worried about making friends in college**
Are there any other comments or concerns that you would like to share about your year so far?
Taylor: Never hold back in asking questions. If professors use a computer program to upload homework, take some time to experiment with it and explore the website. And if you ever feel stressed about anything or just have a simple question, your adviser is always there to point you in the right direction (even through a quick email).
Haley: Time management is important especially in freshman year when everything is new.
Crystal: Expect larger homework loads and reading assignments since classes may be every other day or once a week. And actually read the textbook!
Emily: It’s not as scary as people make it out to be, you are not just a number and the teachers truly care about you as an individual.
Those were all the questions that I asked my orientees. I thought they had some really great and insightful pieces of advice. College can be scary at first but these ladies proved just how rewarding the whole process can be.
Still feeling intimidated about college life? One of our bloggers broke things down further in her post “11 Things That Seem Really Terrifying Before Your Freshman Year of College That Actually Aren’t”.