With the semester over I was thinking about what I learned, and the classes that I had this semester. As an entering freshman in the McConnell program we are all required to take POLS 299 which is honors into to political science. This is one of the classes that I learned the most in this semester and I think that my fellow freshman scholars would agree with that. From Mexico and Japan to which high schools in Louisville were the best fit for our professor’s children, we had in depth discussions on everything. If you reading this then you have either had the first year interactions with college professors, or you are going to have them soon; Either way I thought a good blog would be to list the top 5 things I learned, and I think the freshman scholars learned this semester. This way everyone can know what being a college freshman is like.
1. Getting out of bed early morning without your mom making you is hard to do. So unless you know that you are a morning person, avoid the 8 A.M. classes your first semester, because you will miss them.
2. Teachers give you a syllabus; therefore, whether they ever decide to teach what is on the syllabus or not, you’re required to know it. So make sure you stay current with your readings, and make sure you understand what you read.
3. The library is a great place to get some quality studying done, unless you have a short attention span. So you should find YOUR best place to study and go there, don’t let library hours become Facebook time.
4. It is important to find a balance between your studies and your social life, the key word being balance. So don’t spend all your time studying, because you’re supposed to be having the time of your life, but don’t have so much fun you end up back at home.
5. The most important thing I figured out was to learn from my mistakes. As a freshman, you’re going to make mistakes… often. You have to understand your lesson, not dwell on it. Lastly, you have to avoid making the same mistakes the next time around.
If you are one of the lucky people who have not had your first semester yet, I hope you can take some of my advice so you will have a smooth transition into college. If not, learn from it and make your remaining semesters the best.
-Evan