By Justyn Hintze
Unigo Campus Rep at FSU
Aside from knowing things first before attending FSU, there are also worst and best decisions made by some from experience. This may sound bad in my freshman year at FSU but as much as I love her, one of my best decisions my freshman year of college was not living with my best friend. I wasn’t able to hermit up with her—I was forced to meet people and I met so many friends that I am very close with now. I know some girls that did room with their high school best friend, and they either became so attached to each other that they came across as completely involved in themselves, or their extremely different studying habits or little quirks drove them apart.
I should have definitely gotten involved in different clubs and activities earlier in the semester my freshman year at FSU. I knew that I wanted to get involved before I even finished orientation. I even knew which groups intrigued me. I just never took the time or made the effort that was necessary until toward the end of my second semester. I am so happy that I joined the groups now, better late than never, but I would have met so many more people and been a bigger part of the club and all of the activities had I been involved earlier.
If you are an incoming freshman, or already a freshman year at FSU, absolutely get involved, go to your student government office and ask about what campus organizations would fit your interests! Also, live on campus with someone that you do not know. It will be such an experience, whether good or bad, you will get something out of it—I promise. It is more likely that you will meet people, maybe not your room mate but there are so many people who live on campus, you just have to get out there.
Here’s what other students are saying:
Alexa Hosner, sophomore at FSU, said that her worst decision when I was a freshman year at FSU was not living in a dorm. She lived in an apartment by herself and felt like she didn’t meet anyone. Though her best decision was “realizing it’s expected and actually allowed to take time away from school to go out. I was so focused first semester, I drove myself crazy,” she explained.
Samantha McDevitt, sophomore at High Point University, decided that her worst decision was “saving all [her] partying for second semester, [she] should’ve balanced partying throughout both semesters.” Her best decision was “joining Alpha Phi Omega Co-ed Service Fraternity,” she told me, “because [she has] learned a lot through serving other people.
Ashley Ruiz-Margenot, senior at FSU, admitted that her biggest mistake as a freshman year at FSU was some of the guys she went out with. She did tell me, however, that “getting involved in community service and campus activities from the beginning” was her best decision. “I made so many friends and connections that I still have today. I never had to feel alone,” she said.
Kayla Gravatte, sophomore at University of Central Florida, told me that her worst decision her freshman year was partying too much first semester and not realizing how different college is from high school and the best decision she made was actually dropping her sorority.