Tips for SMFA First-Years
To be honest, my first year at SMFA at Tufts was a bumpy road. I laughed a lot, cried a lot, but most importantly, I learned countless important life…
What I Wish I Knew Before College
The transition from high school to college is a major event in your life and it can be exciting, scary, and filled with so many mixed emotions. As a college senior, I began reflecting on things I wish I knew before starting college. So, I wanted to share three things I wish I knew before college in this blog!
1. Being open to exploring other major/career
You may be coming into college with a very detailed four-year plan. I did not have a four-year plan or a very detailed plan, but I definitely had one idea of what I wanted to do. This (I realized later) was mostly due to only being exposed to that one field in high school and I was good at it. However, I quickly learned that it is important to keep your options open. In other words, be open to exploring other majors or careers. I kept taking courses in that one field and I noticed that even though I was doing fine in the classes, I was not interested in the materials. I did not feel inspired or want to do the work. Therefore, I began taking classes in other departments and I was able to find a career through this exploration. I think it is especially important to embrace change and be open in your freshman year. It is very common for people to change majors or directions in their career goals. I changed my major and then added a second one because I was so intrigued by the materials and concepts I was learning in the course. So, don’t feel that you need to decide on a major right away and Tufts asks you to declare your major in your sophomore year so you will have time to explore!
2. Being too ambitious when signing up for classes
This may be more personal, but I know plenty of other people who also felt the same way, so I decided to include this in the list. Course registration can both be exciting and stressful. On one hand, you’re signing up for a new semester and making progress in obtaining your degree. On the other hand, if you don’t get the classes you want can be stressful. During the course registrations, you may be tempted to sign up for more classes than you can handle or sign up for early morning classes. Coming from high school, 8:30am may not seem too bad; however, in college, it is usually good to avoid such early classes because you may be tempted to skip classes or be tardy. Again, it’s a personal choice, but if you aren’t sure, try to opt for classes that you know you will be able to commit to.
3. Have a part-time job!
I actually had two part-time jobs as part of my work-study my freshman year. They were both low-commitment so I was able to juggle my work and other responsibilities pretty well. Having a part-time job can help you build connections whether it is on-campus or off-campus. I personally prefer jobs on-campus because it is logistically easier in terms of the onboarding process and the fact that there’s no transportation time you need to account for. There are so many open part-time positions on campus whether it is academic or non-academic. You can learn something completely new and meet new people on campus!
I hope these three tips can be helpful when you begin college. Ultimately, college is a time to explore and you’ll learn a lot about yourself. So, take advantage by taking a course that seems interesting, working part-time in a place that you thought you’d never work at, and just being open to change of plans along the way. Good luck!
