After the stress of first-year move-in day come the questions: Should you have dinner at Pilot House or Commons? Will your friends from orientation stay with you forever? How much purple pride is too much for a Friday-night soccer game?
Facing uncertainty as a first-year student is inevitable, and no amount of college day-in-the-life vlogs can prepare you for what’s to come. Still, the best college advice comes from those who understand the first-year experience.
To help ease the transition, campus members spoke in person and emailed advice for first-year students to The Beacon. The following suggestions come from all over the university, as well as from myself as a third-year UP student, to help you navigate your first year of college.
Take your time finding your people
What comforted me through an uncertain first year at UP was knowing that I still had three years left to find where I’d belong.
College is one of the last times you’ll find making friends easy. After graduating, the moments where you’re surrounded by as many people with similar lifestyles and interests become fewer. But don’t rush the college-friendship-making process.
Embrace the awkwardness of making friends. Go to club events alone, and be open to meeting people there. Ask people from class to grab lunch at the Commons. If your peers decline your invitations, get comfortable with rejection. Even if the friends you do make don’t become your best friends forever, at least you’ll have explored the kinds of friends you want and the kind of friend you want to be.
Do the “scary thing”
When you start college, you’re going to be faced with a million “scary things.” You’ll be scared to eat at Commons, go to Pilots After Dark and speak up in English 112.
But doing things which initially scare you is necessary for growth.
Think about your first time doing anything. When I first learned to drive, I was horrified at even the thought of the freeway. Yet, I survived driving on I-5. The experience turned out to be simple, and when I turned back onto the main road, driving down a normal street became easier than ever.
You can’t grow without pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, just like driving won’t get any easier without first braving the unfamiliar roads.
The best place to cry on campus
Your college years are all about building relationships, doing scary things and ultimately, dealing with the hardships that come with adulthood.
So, never hold back your tears.
For those living in the dorms, a good cry is usually scheduled whenever your roommate has class.
The best — and most private — places to cry on campus include: the dorm showers, the benches behind Swindells Hall, Dundon Berchtold’s restrooms after 8 p.m. and the Health and Counseling Center.
Say “yes”
Associated Students of the University of Portland (ASUP) President Aidan Sanchez wants to welcome new students to the Bluff by sharing his experience with utilizing campus resources and making friends.
“Put yourself out there,” Sanchez said. “This may be intimidating, but the great thing about being new to college is the uncertainty. You have no idea what you are doing, and that is okay, because no one else knows what they are doing either! Sign up for that club, join that email list, say yes when your dorm neighbor or roommate asks you to go to the Commons or the P House for a meal. You never know what can happen simply by saying ‘yes.’”
Utilize the library
“This is YOUR library,” Interim Dean and Head of Collection Services Christina Prucha said. “You belong here, and we’re here to support you. So settle into that favorite chair, booth, or study room, and if you have a question or need help, just ask. That’s why we’re here. We want to see you succeed.”
Build your support systems
“Get involved,” Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Marija Kovacevic Hobbs said. “Join clubs or organizations, play intramural sports, and simply open the door to your room and get to know your hallmates! All these things help us make friends, build a network, and enrich the college experience.”
UP alum and admissions counselor Kaylan Tate also says that support systems are important to your growth in college.
“Don’t hesitate to reach out,” Tate said. “There are plenty of resources and offices on campus here to support you. Whether you’re struggling in a class, have questions about dorm life, or want to get involved somewhere but don’t know where to start, UP has your back. Hall Directors, professors, academic support staff, administrators, alumni, and other members of the Pilot community are always happy to help out!”
Communicate with your roommates
“Thoroughly and honestly fill out your roommate agreement and discuss it with your roommate as your [number one] priority,” Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tshombé Brown said. “Revisit it at least one more time each term. Ask your HD, AHD, or RA for this if they don't require it. They should require it!”
According to Brown, you should be reaching out to professors early in the semester. He also finds it helpful to set goals for yourself, like making it to one hall event each week, or meeting a new person for the first thirty days of school.
Additionally, Brown says that being your authentic self is an important part of being a student.
“Bring all of your diversity. Be boldly you. We want and need you to be boldly self-expressed.”
Trust that you’ll be OK
“You've done this before — had a new beginning, built a new routine, ventured forth to find new friends and face uncertain challenges,” Co-director of the Garaventa Center Fr. Peter Walsh said. “Maybe not at the same scale as this, but you've prepared for this moment in so many ways. Trust yourself and what your experience teaches you. Let yourself laugh at the times you show up to the wrong classroom, can't remember what DB or ASUP mean, or wake up your roommate (or get woken up by them). Give yourself the grace to make the most of the awkward, playful times of starting a new adventure. Discover all the gifts God has given you — especially hope.”
Have fun in your residence hall
“Our biggest piece of advice is to get involved with your residence hall — attend the events, interact with your hall staff, meet your neighbors and have fun,” Residence Life Student Assistant Taylor Schindler said. “Our staff is amazing at planning events to cultivate a community within our residence halls so that you can really feel at home! The goal of these events is to get to know you, allow you a space to feel safe, ask questions, and just have fun making friends and a new home here at UP!”
Go to the activities fair
“Go to the activities fair and find one thing that [you] would enjoy doing outside of [your] classwork, where [you] can meet people and explore something new or continue a hobby or a passion,” Director of Student Activities Jeromy Koffler said.
Don’t stress if you need help
“It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out,” Interim Director of Student Wellness Erin Currie said. “No one here expects you to. So, it’s okay to ask for help or advice when you don’t have what you need. Life has always had a new challenge around the corner for me and I’ve been most successful in meeting them when I put my ego aside and [ask] my colleagues, family, friends, and local experts for their wisdom. UP has so many resources and services to support students, so please, ask for help.”
Organize your to-do list
“You must use a tool to organize yourself,” Assistant Director for First Year Experience Brenagh Sanford said. “You cannot keep everything in your head. There's too much to keep, to remember, [...] and there is so much information and exciting knowledge that [you’re] going to learn in class. No one should be wasting brain space on trying to remember assignments, or when their class is, or any sort of human existing adulting tasks like [doing] laundry.”
Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis is the Living Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at kuroiwal26@up.edu.
