Dear future Longhorns

Here’s everything I learned during my first year at UT

Dear Future Longhorn,

Congrats on getting accepted into the University of Texas at Austin! It’s an incredible place to be and to celebrate the start of your college career, I thought it was important to share a valuable lesson I’ve learned during my freshman year here at UT.

It’s not always a Monday

Let me explain.

Mondays are heralded as the worst day of the week and to be upset on a Monday is generally understandable. It marks the end of the weekend and the start of exams, quizzes and all the general work that accompanies being in college.

But sometimes, more often than not actually, you’re going to be fine on a Monday. Nothing about the start of the week is going to trip you up and you’re going to start the week with flying colors. It’s going to be a Wednesday or a Thursday that leaves you stuck. It’s the days that no one warns you about that leave you staring at an assignment wondering if you picked the right major or all-nighters in the PCL but still being confused.

Watch out for those days and when you have them (because everyone does) call your friends. Make sure you have a support network of people that care about you and will always support you. Don’t let the bad days take away from your dreams.

But let’s say your Monday is actually terrible and all the awful things that the name implies. Just remember that not every day will be like that. Your Tuesdays, Wednesdays and all the other days of the week have the potential to be great.

Focus on the good parts of the day and make the best of bad situations. UT campus is home to some really great spots to go when you have a bad day (Check out the light room at the top of the SAC or grab a treat from Moojo’s for those days when you’re feeling low). One bad day should not define your week, much less your college experience.

Some other general pieces of advice are:

Do not stick to only your high school friend circle

Doing this just implies your social abilities peaked at around fifteen. No matter how great your high school best friends are, there’s always room for more friends and new experiences.

Avoid the PCL after midnight

The entire place becomes a center of anxious sleep deprived students, which is a little terrifying and overwhelming.

Keep your room and yourself clean

This is pretty self-explanatory – don’t be gross.

Join student organizations

UT is home to hundreds of amazing student orgs that have incredible people and really help make the transition into college a lot easier. This past semester I played on an Intramural Dodgeball team, despite my lack of athletic ability, and it was a lot of fun. The experience of trying something new is what college is about so take advantage of being at such a diverse university and step out of your comfort zone.

And lastly, enjoy being a Longhorn!

Being at UT is truly a life changing experience so show your school pride and hook ’em!

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