I’ve been asked to say a few words about the freshman experience, and the last several weeks has, indeed, given me a unique perspective on the subject. Whether you’re having your freshman experience in Vaughn, McKay or the Hyatt, one thing is for certain: You have more free time now than you will ever have for the rest of your life.
If I had as much time to myself now as I did when I was an incoming freshman, I could construct a working model of the space shuttle Columbia made entirely out of popsicle sticks. If I was lucky enough to be over at the Hyatt, you’d better believe that I’d be spending a good deal of time trying to persuade the manager to help me along on my future career as a Las Vegas lounge singer – which, by the way, I am not prepared for by my current course load of English and history classes.
Now, granted, these words are coming from the mouth of a man who somehow managed to join every campus organization that would take him, and some that wouldn’t. I guess if I were less progressive, I, too, may have fallen prey to the possible dangers that plague freshmen, among them: alcoholism, STDs and cell phone use in the computer lab. That having been said, I have not seen the pool or the gym in at least a year, which is, in my opinion, a compelling case for campus non-involvement.
Far be it for me to discourage anyone from participating in our campus’s many fine institutions, such as The Minaret, which has been a paragon of investigative journalism for as long as anyone can remember. Rather than blithely counsel that freshmen should join every club, group, team, council, alien hive mind or secret society that UT students possibly have access to or that all your time out of class should be spent at the pool (there is a core group of die-hard pool enthusiasts who don’t need me to tell them this), let me give you some basic advice:
1) You are going to get bored. Don’t be surprised. This particular bit of advice may not apply to some science majors, whose only opportunity to get bored occurs somewhere in the fifth year of their 16 year UT education.
2) You’re not going to know all your on-campus amusement options. Ask your RA. That’s part of what they’re there for. Incidentally, I consider it a courtesy not to ask Residence Life staff for directions to Ybor- but that’s just me.
3) You’re going to find more than one thing on campus that you want to do. Start with two. I was a copy-editor at The Minaret as a freshman, and now, I’m only two steps away from running the joint. Good organizations with lots of time and effort invested in them have a lot of opportunities, and you may get more out of two than six. Pace yourself.
4) First-semester freshmen can’t alter their schedules. Your first impulse as a second semester freshman will be either a) to drop to twelve credits or b) to try to overload to a number of credits not yet defined outside of theoretical mathematics. Do neither of these things.
5) Remember that there are many more items on the meal plan other than the most convenient ones. If you’re going to indulge in your meal plan, remember that we have a gym.
6) Business majors: take a literature course.
7) Liberal arts majors: Don’t take a business course. The business majors are out to get you.
8) Disregard that last part. But most of all, make good use of the time you have. Learn what you’re capable of and where your limits are. Don’t try to be something you’re not. College is one of the greatest opportunities you’re ever going to get: be sure to enjoy it.