“Try not to snore. It’s really annoying.”
That may be one of the most valuable lessons a student can learn when they embark on their freshman year of college. The end of the school year is closer than you think and for the c lass of 2012, it’s almost time to be freshman again – in college.
On January 9, seven MHS graduates, ranging from the class of 2009 to the class of 2011, came back to the high school to tell the senior class what college is really like.
Lisa Knoph (’11), Brianna Costello (’11), TJ Kelly (’09), Sam Ianzetta (’10), Jason Kammerer (’10), Joe Dito (’11), and Noelle Grande (’11), each shared a little bit of their experience in the very beginning, covering everything from the almighty syllabus to “Jersey Shore Sunday dinner.”
“Whatever you have to do, do it,” SUNY New Paltz freshman Noelle Grande said. “College is about you.”
Whether it be colored and labeled folders, or one big pile of papers, each former MHS student stressed that any college freshman needs to be organized in their individual way.
“Organization is key,” Dickinson College sophomore Sam Ianzetta said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone.”
“And really get to know all of your professors,” Loyola University junior TJ Kelly added. “But that’s also not the same for everyone.”
While each student made sure to emphasize that your professor’s can be your friends, they also made sure to have it be known that professor’s are not like high school teachers.
“They’re not going to give you extra-credit, no matter how much you beg,” Grande said.
“And if the syllabus says there’s a test on a certain date, but you didn’t read the syllabus, that’s not their fault,” SUNY Binghamton freshman Joe Dito said. “You still have to take the test.”
As they moved from topic to topic, one of the most important points that came up was something every student may still be unsure how to do – studying.
“I never studied in high school and I just did well,” Dito said. “That’s why the beginning of this year was rough for me, but I’ve been figuring out how to combine studying with daily activities to make it feel easier.”
“And if you can, find your own study place,” SUNY Binghamton freshman Lisa Knoph added. “Personally, I go study in the laundry room. I wait for my clothes to dry as I read a book, and bam, it’s done.”
Studying may be the key to academically suceeded, and when it came to socially succeeding, the new alumni had the answers.
“You might get your ideal roommate and you might not,” Hobart and William Smith College freshman Brianna Costello said. “It took a while for my roommate and I to really bond, but eventually, everyone just blends in with each other.”
“My roommate turned out to be someone who wasn’t for me,” Syracuse sophomore Jason Kammerer said. “It’s okay, you can change your roommate. And you will make friends.”
Other tips and tricks were to wear a jacket while walking to class (most of the time it’s outside from now on), become an RA to enjoy some financial and campus perks, befriend a tour guide if you’re still taking some last-minute tours, and to remember that whether you do well or not, it’s all you, all the time.
“Have a balanced level of confidence,” Ianzetta said. “It will go a long way, and so will you.”