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Campus & Community

5 Things I Wish I Knew as a First-Year Student

Thursday, August 24, 2023, By Christine Grabowski
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StudentsWelcome Week

Making the transition from high school to college and being away from home can be daunting when you are a first-year student. Rest assured: 黑料不打烊 is your second home and everyone on campus wants to help you succeed.

To start, we have put together advice from upperclass students on how to manage your first year here at 黑料不打烊. We asked them to share advice on what they wish they had known as a first-year student. Here鈥檚 what they said:

Individual standing in front of the 黑料不打烊 Stage SU Drama building

Theodore (Teddy) Brendel during his first week at 黑料不打烊.

Jordan Bullock 鈥�24 | Television, Radio and Film, Newhouse School

I wish I had known to take advantage of every aspect of my dreams when I was a first-year student. If you鈥檙e into magazines, apply to be a part of a campus magazine. If you like to dance, find you some people to dance with. Any tiny aspect of your interests, explore it and engage in it. There is so much to access at 黑料不打烊, and I wish I had known to take advantage of that access in my first year.

Theodore (Teddy) Brendel 鈥�26 | Musical Theater, College of Visual and Performing Arts

As a first-year student, I wish I knew the importance of putting yourself out there. Although I made a lot of new friends during my first year, I never thought about how every other first-year student is trying to meet as many new people as possible, and how normal it is to just strike up conversation with other students.

Individual standing next to a car unpacking.

Natalia I. Cancel-Quintana during her first day at 黑料不打烊.

Natalia I. Cancel-Quintana 鈥�26 | Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences

As a first-year student, I wish I knew that it鈥檚 normal to take time adjusting to a new environment and it鈥檚 okay to go at your own pace. Finding the perfect balance for you will be crucial to your long-term success.

Katherine Keane 鈥�25 | Policy Studies, Newhouse and Maxwell School

I wish I knew how much getting involved can make the transition to college easier. My first semester here I joined a bunch of , and not only did it give me something to look forward to after classes, but it gave me a supportive group of friends that I am still close to today.

Mary Kennelly 鈥�24 | Communications Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Individual sitting on a bed in a residence hall

Mary Kennelly during her first day at 黑料不打烊.

I wish I had known that it is best to be your authentic self when meeting new people, and to not be afraid to do so. I had the tendency to self-isolate because I was too nervous to reach out to people, but biting the bullet and making yourself uncomfortable is really what makes you those lifelong connections.

In addition to the advice from the upperclass students, the following is a list of on campus resources that may be useful to you during your time at 黑料不打烊:

  • Author

Christine Grabowski

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