Rachel Farkas

There are few moments more exciting and frightening than beginning college. It’s the end of the comfortable and familiar and a leap into the unknown.

At this great juncture in your life, countless people will attempt to give you clichéd bits of advice about adjusting to college life. These trite tips and tricks may cover the big picture, but they often overlook the little things.

As I enter my senior year, I can tell you that the intricacies of college life are what will take you from surviving your first year to thriving.

There are many little things I wish I had known when I started school. Some things cannot be simply summed up in an article; you have to experience them for yourself. I have, however, figured out four things that can help get your college career off to a great start.

• First, avoid early classes when possible. Anything before 10 a.m. is not advisable. Regardless of how early you woke up in high school, this feat will soon become impossible.

Don’t be ashamed of your newfound inability to rise and shine. If you survived high school, you deserve at least four years of sleeping in late.

College is the one time in life where irregular sleep patterns are accepted and even expected. Once you graduate, you will be rudely thrust into the drudgery of the real world where early mornings will probably become the norm.

So do yourself a favor and cherish the break from reality that college affords you. Skip out on early classes as much as your major allows.

• Second, once you have your schedule properly aligned to your unhealthy sleeping patterns, remember to choose your seat wisely. Few professors have assigned seating arrangements, but there is an unwritten rule in every classroom that after the syllabus week, your seat is permanent.

During the first week of classes, it pays to be 15 minutes early. This allows you to scan the layout of the room, and, after taking in the various characteristics of the class, make an informed decision about where to sit.

Don’t be “that guy” who sits somewhere different every day and throws off the natural order of the room. You will draw the silent ire of the rest of the class for being so seemingly indecisive and incompetent.

Do it right the first time and you won’t reveal yourself as the inexperienced freshmen that you are. Just hope you don’t end up stuck next to that weird smelly kid from your dorm or that girl who never stops talking about her sorority, because after the first week, there’s no going back.

• Third, don’t fall victim to one of the most common freshmen fashion faux pas and take that lanyard off your neck.

Lanyards are one of the most useful and misused pieces of university-related swag you will receive. There are several proper ways to use your lanyard and not one of them is to dangle it from your neck with your keys and student ID attached.

Having your personal belongings connected using a lanyard is perfectly acceptable. Wearing it like a necklace, however, is a clear and embarrassing sign of your naivety. It’s the equivalent of willingly wearing a “Kick Me” sign on your back.

As a freshmen, you’re probably already making a fool of yourself in other ways, so save what’s left of your dignity and keep that thing off your neck.

• Fourth, get involved, but don’t go overboard. One of the most popular and overused pieces of advice is to “get involved,” but hardly anyone tells you how to do it right. The key is quality over quantity.

There are almost endless numbers of clubs and organizations that will interest you. Some will pertain to your major or career path and others will appeal strictly to your personal interests. While you have many options, you don’t have to do it all.

Spend the first month of school going to meetings for different organizations that appeal to you. By the end of the first semester, you should know a few organizations that you would really enjoy.

You have four years to make an impact on both yourself and your college community. Don’t get burned-out dividing your time between 13 groups that will look good on your resume. Devote your time to something worthwhile.

Above all, remember to have fun in everything you do. You’re paying to be there, so why not make the best of it.

Rachel Farkas will be a senior at Clarion University this fall. She is a news intern at the Butler Eagle and Cranberry Eagle this summer.