It’s graduation season. The highly anticipated time when mature college seniors become graduates. Evicted from the shielded safety of a college campus to enter the unknown and terrifying real world, we must all learn how to “adult.” As we leave behind 2 a.m. cups of Easy Mac and approach gradation, seniors gain wisdom. What advice would you give your freshman self?
Try New Things
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“Be more open-minded. To have the chance to try a little bit more. Be more aware and try more things and put yourself out there.” – Skylar Beatus, Penn State Public Relations major
Don’t Party too Hard
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“The point of college is to get a job. Don’t party too much [and] mess up your GPA.” – Emily Bell, University of Texas Mathematics (Actuarial Focus) major
Get Involved from the Get-Go
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“Get involved and stick with things earlier from the beginning. If I had gotten involved earlier, it would have been [a better] network.” – Angelica Bracco, Penn State Labor and Employment Relations and Psychology major
F Is for Friends Who Do Stuff Together
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“[P]articipate in more activities and make more genuine friends. I studied a lot and worked hard, but after class I would go home and sleep instead of doing fun things with friends.” – Kayla DeStefano, Penn State Chinese and Asian Studies major
Don’t Be Fooled by the Freshman 15
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“Get in a habit of working out your freshmen year. The freshmen fifteen is a real thing. Margaritas and natty light have calories.” – Melissa Lundell, University of Florida Business Management major
All or Nothing
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“I would say take advantage of every opportunity thrown at you because you never know who you could meet from it or what doors… could open for you down the road.” – Shannon Rafferty, Penn State History and Political Science major
Find Better Roommates
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“I wouldn’t have lived with my friend from high school [freshman year]. We had more differences than similarities.” – Connor Sease, Penn State Print Journalism major
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
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“A little bit of effort goes a really long way. Stay on top of your mental and physical health. It is easy to fall into bad habits, so don’t let yourself become unhealthy. It will have a negative effect on your grades as well as college experience.” – Beatrice Smith, Penn State PGA Golf Management major
Home Away from Home
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“The advice that I would give would be to immerse yourself as much as you can in whatever you choose to get involved in, because it will help you feel more at home.” – Maddy Wegmann, Penn State Communications, Sciences and Disorders major
Speak Up
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“I think a big one would be not to be afraid [to ask] questions, specifically your professors, TAs, etc. and remember that they are here to help you.” – Louis Witalec, Penn State Aerospace Engineering major
Eventually college has to come to an end—unless you plan on pulling a Van Wilder. Now, as you young and inexperienced underclassmen feel empowered by your keg stand record, take these seniors’ sage advice. To quote the oh-so famous Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”