Your freshman year of high school and college aren’t that different

The truth behind being a ‘freshman’

I can remember my first day of high school. It was super scary and intimidating. There was freedom that came with being able to be anywhere in the morning before school started, but how overwhelming it was because I didn’t know where to go.

No freshmen knew the rooms yet or the people and we definitely didn’t know the cool kids or where they hung out. I remember timing my arrival perfectly to be there at the same moment as my best friend so we could do it together. It was intimidating taking classes with upperclassmen because they were so cool and they had everything figured out.

Of course, I thought I did too, back in my middle school days, standing by my locker with the mini rug and disco ball in it. High school was supposed to be easy. My friends were supposed to always be my friends, I was supposed to fall in love right away, and drive a super cool car. Everything was going to change, for the better — then I got to high school and realized change was the only thing I could be certain of.

I look back on my freshman year of high school, how I felt and what I learned, and realized my freshman year of college wasn’t that different. When I arrived at the University of Tennessee I had some pretty high expectations; some were met and others weren’t. I was still scared and nervous on the first day and I still didn’t know my way around. I hoped I would continue to keep in touch with my friends back home, but I knew I would have to make new ones. I knew who I thought “the cool kids” were, and I thought I knew who I was.

Your freshman year in high school and freshman year in college aren’t that different. You may be a little more mature in college, but it’s a time of learning the new rules of the game. In eighth grade we knew how to manipulate teachers, how the dances worked, what makeup to wear, and what the sport teams were like. What else could life teach you?

For four years we tried to learn the rules of the “high school game.” You learn about dates, driving, getting good grades by cramming, the ACT/SAT, parties, social life, sports, politics, everything real life. After high school, we thought we finally had it all figured it all out again. We knew about life and what to expect. But life will throw you curveballs and you have to learn how to hit home runs.

Freshman year of college will teach you life has more in store for you that you didn’t even know was missing. We learned how much coffee it takes to pull an all nighter, how many nights a week our bodies can take going out, who our real friends are, how to paint a cooler, how to talk to professors in office hours, how to use Google docs and GroupMe’s. We learned everyone is just trying to figure this thing out together, and people aren’t as scary as they seem.

Freshman years of both high school and college are all about adjusting to change. Redefining yourself if you’re not pleased, and refining yourself if you are. It can be a great time to try and experience new things, if you let it. You can sit in your comfort zone and be scared, or you can enjoy all that freshman year has to offer. Never will people be so willing to excuse your mistakes or allow you to try whatever you want.

So if you’re an eighth grader reading this, high school isn’t so bad. You’ll especially be fine if you’re reading an article for college age students already. If you’re a high school senior remember: College can be really difficult with all the change, the harder classes, the freedom, but just remember you’ve done it all once before. You can do it again.

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