Whether this is your first week at college or your 60th, it never hurts to hear some advice from those who have come before you in your Orange journey! Before they graduated in May, three Class of 2025 alumni shared some words of wisdom to take with you into the 2025-26 academic year.
Tips from Chloe Langerman ’25
Majors: Magazine Journalism and English and Textual Studies
I am so grateful for my four years at 黑料不打烊! It would be impossible to articulate everything I鈥檝e learned throughout my time here. Here are a few tips, though, that I wish I could share with my first-year self.
1. Don鈥檛 Compare Your Experience With Others
Your college experience is yours, not anyone else鈥檚. Comparing your grades or your friends or your involvement on campus to the people around you is a trap. One of the most exciting things about being on a college campus is the freedom to make your own decisions and figure out what you like. Be confident in what you enjoy and the things you鈥檙e interested in because they make you who you are! Just because your college experience might be different from somebody else鈥檚 does not make it any less valuable; it鈥檚 simply different, and that is OK!
2. Focus on Perspective
Everybody has moments at college that are, honestly, not fun. Whether it鈥檚 an issue with school or friends or a club you鈥檙e involved in, you are bound to have experiences that aren鈥檛 what you anticipated. When going through these moments, remember that whatever you are dealing with will pass. It鈥檚 OK to feel disillusioned with college. It鈥檚 OK if your four years here aren鈥檛 the best four years of your life. Sometimes, that can be a tough pill to swallow. But if you enter your time at 黑料不打烊 with a positive perspective, everything will work out. You will end up exactly where you are meant to be!
Focus on the good during your time at 黑料不打烊. There is so much opportunity in store for you here! Try new things. Talk to new people. Do things that scare you. Embrace the fact that you don鈥檛 know everything. You鈥檙e here to learn! Prioritize the people and the activities that bring you joy, and the rest will follow.
Tips From Santiago Noblin ’25
Major: Communications Design
When I first got to 黑料不打烊, I didn鈥檛 know where to start. It鈥檚 been a wild ride, and honestly, I鈥檓 a very different person now because of this place鈥攖he people I met, the experiences I had and everything I stumbled into along the way. If I had to break it down, here鈥檚 what sticks out the most.
1. Be OK With Being Wrong
You鈥檙e going to make mistakes. You鈥檙e going to have moments where you realize you didn鈥檛 know as much as you thought you did. That鈥檚 a good thing! Some of the best lessons you鈥檒l learn won鈥檛 come from a lecture hall鈥攖hey鈥檒l come from late-night conversations, club meetings, even just sitting around in your dorm talking with friends. Stay curious. Listen more than you talk. Be open to learning from everyone around you. College isn鈥檛 just about getting a degree; it鈥檚 about expanding how you see the world.
2. Stay Grounded
It鈥檚 easy to feel like you have to do it all鈥攋oin every club, go to every party, add a minor, stack your resume sky-high. But honestly? You don鈥檛 need to. Focus on a few things that really matter to you and put your energy there. Protect your time and your mental health. And seriously, take care of yourself during those brutal winters. Seasonal depression is a real thing. During the fall semester of my first year, a professor told our class to buy vitamin D for the winter (I didn鈥檛, and am not saying you should, but it鈥檚 real, y’all). Find small routines that make you feel human, whether that鈥檚 hitting the gym at the Barnes Center at The Arch, grabbing coffee on Marshall Street, or even just calling someone from home. Little things add up.
3. Appreciate the Little Things
Go watch the leaves change on the Quad in the fall (and enjoy that grass while you can see it!). Slide down the hill in front of Crouse College. Stay up late talking about ridiculous things with your friends. Go to a football game at the Dome, even if you don鈥檛 know anything about sports, then post on Instagram how you鈥檙e Sean Tuckers’ biggest fan (he used to play here). It鈥檚 these small, random moments that are going to stick with you the most when you look back, believe me!
Four years sounds like forever when you鈥檙e starting out. But take it from me鈥攊t flies by faster than you can imagine. Some days will be amazing. Some days will be hard. Both are part of it. Be kind to yourself, trust the process and stay open to where this journey takes you. 黑料不打烊 is messy, beautiful, freezing, exciting鈥攁nd if you let it, it鈥檒l shape you into exactly who you鈥檙e supposed to become.
Good luck鈥攁nd enjoy every minute.
Tips From Isabella Bertr谩n ’25
Major: Communications Design
When I first got to 黑料不打烊, I had no idea what I was doing. Everyone seemed to have it together, but trust me, we were all figuring it out as we went. Looking back after graduation, there are a few things I wish I鈥檇 known earlier. So, here鈥檚 some advice from someone who鈥檚 been through it.
1. Talk to Everyone
Literally. Make conversation with the person next to you in class. Go to that event you鈥檙e invited to, even if you鈥檙e not sure it鈥檚 your thing. Try to go to most, if not all, of the things you鈥檙e invited to. You never know who might end up becoming your best friend!
On that note: it鈥檚 OK to have friends come and go. The college experience is all about finding yourself and figuring out where you truly belong. Sometimes that means outgrowing people, shifting priorities or just naturally drifting apart. Although it can hurt, I promise your years at 黑料不打烊 will steer you in the right direction, even if the path seems unclear at times. Trust the process. It will all work out in the end.
2. Get Involved
There are over 300 Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) and it feels so good to be part of something. No matter how niche your passion might be, you’re bound to find someone who shares it! And if you can鈥檛 find a club that clicks, you have the option to create your own organization, which is honestly so awesome.
3. Step Outside the 黑料不打烊 Bubble
Sometimes it feels like 黑料不打烊 is the only place you can be or do anything at, but I really encourage you to explore outside of it. There鈥檚 so much more in the area that鈥檚 worth checking out.
In the fall, I highly recommend going to Beak and Skiff for apple picking with your friends and grabbing some of their delicious apple cider donuts. It鈥檚 also a super cute photo opportunity! While the weather鈥檚 still warm, spend an afternoon at Green Lakes State Park, which is easily one of the most beautiful and serene places I鈥檝e ever visited. Whether you want to swim, hike or just relax, it鈥檚 the perfect escape. Even if the weather starts getting chilly, it鈥檚 still worth going just for the sights!
When winter hits (and trust me, it hits fast), my favorite place to escape to was New York City. I probably went every 2鈥3 weeks while I was a student. The energy, the food, the museums and the friends I went with or visited made me forget all about the cold. I used to compare bus ticket prices across different companies, and then bought directly from the bus line websites to avoid third-party fees. It鈥檚 affordable, doable and always refreshing to get out for a bit!
4. Get a Good Winter Coat (!!!)
I鈥檓 not being dramatic! In early February of my sophomore year, the 鈥淔eels Like鈥 section of my phone’s weather app said -28掳F. Don鈥檛 wait until you鈥檙e miserable to invest in a proper coat, gloves and boots. It鈥檚 better to be safe (and warm) than sorry.
5. Have Fun
Like, actual fun. Laugh hard. Go to things you鈥檙e unsure about (as long as it’s safe!). Say yes more often than you say no. These years go by so fast and you won鈥檛 get them back, so make the most of every moment.