Article by Autumn Green

College is the perfect place for taking chances. But someday, you might realize that some of those bold choices were actually rookie mistakes. Even if the new freshmen of 2017-2018 haven’t learned a single thing in any of your classes, chances are you will soon experience the 8 Freshman Mistakes Made in College during your first month.

1. Spending Devastating Amounts of Money on Food Rather than the Things You Need.

Coming to college without a budget set can single handedly be your undoing. It can be tempting to try a bit of everything, especially when you can’t really afford it. What happens when you get sick of eating the same rotation of food the Commons has to offer? Or when you’re still hungry after everything on campus closes? That’s fine, good thing there’s a Pizza Hut around the corner. They do campus delivery? Even better! President of Drury University’s Student Government Association, Dhruv Sitapara, gives a word of advice to future freshmen, “Don’t spend too much money on Dominos and Pickleman’s at night. I spent around $500 a semester”. Eventually all of those nightly food excursions add up, and the end result isn’t pretty. Eating out can be really appealing, but an empty wallet isn’t.

2. Thinking Your Roommate Will Be Your Best Friend For Life

Sharing a room with someone that you’ve never met before can be a terrifying part of coming to college. But what can be even worse is having unrealistic expectations of the relationship that you’ll have with your roommate. Sometimes, it’s better if you don’t decide to be best friends with your roommate or suitemate, but instead concentrate on working out a good schedule for how to keep your room clean and how to survive together. And in the case that you do have issues, your RA or CA is always there to help you.

3. Wearing the Lanyard 24/7

Still wearing that lanyard you got during orientation? Say no more, we spot a freshman. It’s a signature freshmen move, and most students did as well. You’ll never catch an upperclassman wearing their lanyard, so if you want to fit in better, maybe ditch the neck ware sooner than later.

4. Going to Bed Super Late

You’re out from under your parent’s wings and celebrating that you get to go to bed any time you want, right? Think again! You’ve probably, by now, already experienced your first mistake and hopefully you’ll learn from it. Staying up too late destroys your concentration for the rest of your day. When asked if Marquise Jacoby had any mistakes he’d like to share from when he was a freshman, he offered advice on going to bed early, saying, “you can finish your stuff tomorrow.  Especially if you are an athlete just go to bed. Even if you have nothing to do the next day, go to bed, it catches up with you.”

5. Thinking You’ll Never Have To Eat In Your Dorm

Jessica Archuleta-Trujillo has already made many mistakes her freshman year and it’s only her first month. The commons may not sound appealing that night, and you’re already too poor to eat out. Still, you’ve got to eat somehow. Jessica warns her fellow freshmen to, “not forget your plate. Warming up chimichanga in the microwave melts the cup. Also, I only have a spoon because I didn’t bring a fork to my dorm. It’s not even a real spoon. It’s a one third spoon.” Being unprepared for the challenges of dorm life is a staple for freshman year.

6. Buying/Renting Your Books From the Bookstore

There’s always that freshman who pays over $600 at the bookstore. However, if you do your research, you could save a lot of money. Often, there will be a cheaper version of the book on Amazon that you can purchase or even rent. Even the most seasoned freshmen often fall for that classic trick, but you won’t in the spring!

7. Signing up for that 8:00 AM Class

College is not high school. 8:00 AM is earlier than you ever think that it will be and you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

Final Advice

When asked to share personal advice to the freshmen Senior Josselyn Adams said, “when you come here don’t be discouraged. When I came here I wanted to be a pediatrician, then I got to class and everyone was raising their hands like they knew what they were doing and I got discouraged. It made me insecure for a long time.” It’s okay to make these mistakes; we’ve all been there before. The important thing is what you learn from the mistakes you’ve made. “Your freshman won’t be perfect,” said Adams. “But it doesn’t matter because college is about experiences. It’s about getting to know who you are as a person and making the most out of your college life.”. Sitapara said it best, saying, “it’s fine to make mistakes everyone does it.”