Dear Underclassmen,
The other day, I realized that the last class I will have at Villanova is in the same classroom I had my very first college course in. Freshman year, Philosophy 1000, and senior year, Physics of Sports. Both in a small, random room in the Chemical Engineering building that I could not for the life of me find on my first day of freshman year. Crazy, right?
This got me thinking a lot about what I know now that I did not know back then, and this got my friends and me talking about advice we wish we knew throughout the different years of college.
Lucky for you, we came up with a lot of different pieces on how to layer our clothes correctly for Wells Fargo – I mean Xfinity – tailgates, to recognizing that it is okay to not know what you want to do as a freshman, or even as a sophomore, junior or senior.
So, underclassmen, this one is for you. Consider this your “big sister” advice of the week, but remember that these pieces of advice are tips you can carry with you throughout the entirety of your college career and life beyond.
Freshman:
This is not supposed to be easy. If it were, everyone would be here.
Cliche, I know, but it is so true. Freshman year, I remember getting the grade back on my first General Psychology test and sobbing right there in the classroom. I was shocked that the upperclassmen around me were not floored that the class average was in the 70s, and I thought my future was falling apart right in front of me (spoiler alert: it was not). College is designed to be challenging because it forces us to dig deeper and fully understand concepts, not just to memorize them for a test. I might not have done the best in some of my classes, but I have gained undeniable knowledge about topics I would have never explored otherwise.
Please, do not sacrifice warmth for fashion.
The first-ever Wells Fargo game in my freshman year was in torrential downpouring rain. It was horrible. And, a shock to no one, I was not dressed correctly. Since then, I have learned to actually look at the weather app before leaving my room, to invest in boots for the winter, fleece-lined leggings and shirts for underneath my clothes at tailgates and to always have an umbrella available. Am I always the most fashionable? No, but at least I know I am doing what I can to prevent myself from getting hypothermia.
Sophomores:
Yes, you are supposed to be sleeping at night.
My friends and I joke a lot that in my sophomore year, I learned how to run on less than two hours of sleep a night. Yikes. Sophomore year, I have found, is the year when individuals here not only start to get involved, but to take on leadership roles, get even more invested and start to take harder and harder classes, all while trying to still balance their social lives. What gets sacrificed? Their sleep. Listen, I am not perfect. There are still nights when I may have to stay up late to finish an essay, or when I have more club meetings than I can count, but what I no longer will do is wake up after accidentally falling asleep in the reading room, or not see my dorm room for over 36 hours. It is not normal to be sacrificing your health for the Villanova involvement culture. Getting sleep is good for you, and a night’s sleep should not be the same length as a nap.
Value the Quad.
Okay, do not lose me here. I know right now it may feel like you are living in a shoebox, and you may be one second away from yelling at your roommate if they leave one more piece of laundry on the limited floor space you share, but the Quad is a living experience unparalleled by any other on Villanova’s campus. With ideal people-watching views and the quickest commute to get your favorite sandwich from The Exchange, living in the Quad allows you to live within a three-minute radius of all your best friends. This is undoubtedly a unique experience that you may never get again.
Juniors:
It is okay to have FOMO from abroad…and from campus.
With a lot of my friends studying abroad during their junior year, I will admit, I had an intense case of feeling like I made a mistake deciding not to go abroad for an entire semester. I would see videos of them skydiving in Switzerland, going to Oktoberfest in Germany and St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin and reconsider why I was stuck in Villanova, PA. Yet, when I would FaceTime with my friends who were abroad, they would tell me how much they missed the basketball games, the church picnics and the late-night runs. There is going to be F.O.M.O all around, so just try to live in the moment and avoid comparison as much as you can.
Spend time with your seniors.
I knew I would miss my friends in the Class of 2025. For three years, I looked up to them, saw them as some of my best friends on campus, and, quite literally, had an older sister in my big Jane. Then, in theblink of an eye, it was May, and they graduated. Now they live full adult lives and are not around to answer any questions at random times of the day. No matter how much time you spend with your seniors, it will not feel like enough. So, embrace it and remember that even though they may take a little bit longer to respond to your texts, they will still be there for you.
Underclassmen, time goes fast. There have been rough times, fun times, moments that make me want to drop out and moments where I never want to leave. So, do not be discouraged. Instead, take risks, be unapologetically yourself and remember that your experience is for you, no one else.
With love always,
Lauren
