For our Back-to-School advice this year, we thought we’d do something we haven’t done before and address each of the classes separately. To all – Welcome to Sam Houston. Whether it’s your first year or last, we hope it goes well for you.
Freshmen – Don’t panic. Almost everyone on this campus, from the professors to the staff to the students who bump into you every day, have been a freshman in college before. We get it; you’re lost, you’re stressed and you want to know where the best parties are because you’ve heard a few things about Thursday nights in this college town. Take it one day at a time, ask questions even if you think you don’t need to and don’t be afraid to look dumb once in a while. As a college freshman, it’s almost inevitable.
Sophomores – You made it through your first year. Congratulations are in order, especially if you made it through with a GPA over 2.5. Now comes the hard part: Keeping it together. During their second year of college, a lot of people think it’s cool to not show up to class a lot, smart off to professors and maintain the pretense that they know what they’re doing. And granted, you might have a few things figured out, but instead of acting like it, try to maintain the humility you discovered your freshman year. You’ll get a lot of respect – from classmates and professors alike – if you put forth effort even if you don’t feel like it.
Juniors – A lot of people say you’re going into the hardest year of your college experience. Across the board, whether it’s during the first or second semester, students start to get a little fed up with going through the motions this year, especially if a job is thrown into the mix. If it’ll help, start thinking about what you’re going to do once you’ve finished your degree. Have you enjoyed school well enough to want to pursue a master’s, or are you counting the days until you can start life in the “real world?” Either way, you’re getting close. Maybe. Hang in there.
Seniors – You know the drill, you know most of your professors already and you’re friends with a few people on campus you can talk to if necessary. A lot of seniors get caught uttering the phrase, “Look, all I want to do is pass this class, get my degree and get out of here.” Use the lessons from the time you’ve spent already here to get through what could be the last year of your college career gracefully: “Take it one day at a time, put forth effort even if you don’t feel like it and hang in there.”