Experience
Beginning college life

By Jasir Jawaid

The school year has ended and the students who took their matriculation examinations are looking forward with both anticipation and doubt to entering the college life, starting a whole new topic in their families about which college fits their perfect child. With those deer-caught-in-the-headlights expressions on their faces, they enter the college premises and are easily marked by the 'seniors'. As they wander about and ask for directions, seniors point them in the wrong ones, sending them to the nonexistent 'Third Floor'. The feeling of suddenly being tossed from ruling the school as the senior most students to being at the bottom of the food chain as a freshman can cause discontentment for some. However, I have good news for the upcoming freshmen - there are ways to help you survive the first year of college and allow you to not make the same mistakes most newcomers make.

It's easy to be afraid of college - seniors walking around, owning the place and knowing every single student while you, the freshmen, cower away in the corners, hoping to see at least one person you know. This leads me to my first bit of advice: Stick with your friends. It's easy to be drawn into the 'in' crowd, quickly leaving your friends behind for the much cooler upper classmen. Entering college, you quickly see that the old aged, 'Maturity comes with age', is disproved. Idiots still run around, thinking stupid jokes are hilarious. Don't forget about your true friends - plain and simple.

Also, don't be so quick to fall in 'love'. You were put in a good college to become a better person tomorrow, not so that you can be a 'love guru'. Many freshmen think they are in love immediately when a junior or senior asks them out. Open your eyes and ask yourself: Do I honestly love this person? Can I spend my life with this person? I mean, I've only known him/her for a week, but I think they are the one. Wait...they aren't! I'm tired of surfing MySpace or Flixster and seeing headlines claiming that they had met the one they love with all their heart. A week later, someone else's name is in the spot.

Contrary to popular belief, skipping college does not make you cool. A big NO to that! Most students goof off their freshman year by skipping classes or not turning in their work thinking all the cool kids do it, right? Right and also, all the cool kids will be flipping burgers five years from now. Many bright kids mess up their freshman year thinking they can redeem themselves. But come senior year, they panic trying to graduate on time. Use some common sense and stay in class.

I see wannabe gangs everywhere. Some people think ripping the name of a certain gang on the bathroom walls and trying to be gangsters makes them 'hard'. Don't get caught up in this mess. They can throw you off track and seriously cause you to drop out of college. But where does this put you in 10 years? Dead or poor! It's mainly the freshmen that I see walking around with their bandanas hanging out of their pockets, and wearing one of those things on their hand that people put on their buffalos, so that they can't wander off, because it keeps on making noise. It's not 'awesome' to be in a gang.

There are many things that you should consider before entering the college, but let's not let them be controversial and idiotic things such as what you should wear or if your hairstyle looks nice or not. Don't get caught up in college life, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy at all. Make your parents proud!