9 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Freshman Year At Pace University (PLV)

College is one of the biggest changes you’ll go through. And it comes at such a perfect yet hard time. It’s a time of self-discovery, self-expression, self- acceptance, but don’t forget it’s still College and you’re there to do College. So here’s a message for you, before you become a Freshman at Pace.

1. Be Yourself

And take as long as you need to figure that out. That includes changing your major, minor, friends, and self. There are so many resources you shouldn’t be afraid to use; Career Services, the counseling center, etc. These are super helpful when it comes to being yourself, they’re like an extra push to get the most out of College.

Being a Freshman at Pace is a time for finding yourself, so use any means possible to find the most comfortable and authentic version of yourself.

2. Clubs are Cool

Not the ones that make you dance until your toes are broken, but the student-run organizations that make you part of a community. They keep you from ever feeling lonely or bored. Clubs like Pride at Pace, ASU and OLAS put on huge and super fun events. Meet people, win prizes, and get free food, what else could you ask for?

3. Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

When it comes to making friends you need to be able to take and leave. You figure out who you really are in college, and that means it okay to leave certain people behind. You’re not the same person you were in high school, this means the way you feel about people and things from then will change. Especially if those people and things didn’t change and mature with you.

If you leave these things behind it creates more room for the stuff you really connect with. Sadly, this means you have to interact with new people, and sometimes initiate these interactions. Scary, but you’ll need this social skill for networking eventually.

4. Time Management is Key

Things can get out of hand, really quickly. For some people, keeping a daily planner is easy, for others, it’s an undoable task. But, you need to do it! This is one of the most important tips I wish I knew before I became a Freshman at Pace.

Utilize the calendar on your phone, your wall or a tiny one in your pocket, just use it! We juggle six classes, maybe a job, family and friend events, and maybe an internship, you can’t expect yourself to remember all these dates in your head. Write them down, this way you never miss anything.

5. Sleep is Not For The Weak

Prioritize yourself! Don’t let your friends/events withhold you from getting what you need. You can’t prosper in college if you make something as important as sleep the last priority. And yes, 8 hours of sleep is a top priority. So make sure you get those hours in any way possible.

And with that being said…

6. You Don’t Always Need To Go Out

Yes, Paulies is fun, yes staying in your friends’ room until 3am is even better. But, if you don’t want to, then don’t. Listen to your body and your head, there’s no shame in taking a break.

As a Freshman at Pace, fun activities are super exciting, and you don’t want to miss out on one, who knows what you might miss out on! But, as hard as it is to step away from that social setting we worked so hard to create, just remind yourself it’ll be there tomorrow. Use these fun nights as part of a reward system, it’ll help you get more stuff done quicker.

7. You Don’t Only Need To Do Work/Be Busy

Just because you feel like you’re being unproductive, doesn’t mean you really are. We get so used to doing work constantly, that when we finally have a little break, we check blackboard a million times to see what we’re missing. Usually, there’s nothing missing, it’s just time for a well-deserved break.

However, you take a break and de-stress, make sure you do it, and do it daily. If you really feel anxious about having downtime, you need to re-think how much of a workload you can actually handle.

8. Housing is Hard

Don’t get used to Alumni (PLV). As a freshman at Pace, you get to live in a Top Choice building, Alumni. But, when Sophomore year rolls around, you will most likely live in Martin or North. While some people are perfectly happy with these choices, communal bathrooms and being further away from everything than anyone is a deal-breaker for most. And if living on top of Perk or next to the biggest parking lots doesn’t fix that, there are other options.

Become part of a residency to assure a spot in either Elm or Alumni. These residencies usually require an extra class or two, but for some people, Elm and Alumni are worth it.

Keeping your GPA up is also how most people get into the dorm building they want. GPA gets students priority housing.

9. You Still Have Time

You’re still a Freshman! There is time to find an internship, a job, your major, your minor, a friend group, yourself. It will come to you. The most important thing is not to force it. Not to value the opinion of others over yours. With that being said though, it is important to hear about yourself from an outside perspective, because in some cases, it can put a lot of things in perspective.

College is not easy, and freshman year is going to be scary. For most people, they are going to be by themselves for the first time, you can only learn and grow from here. Take college day by day and stay aware of your mental health and the more important things that college brings.