Moving from the top of the food chain to the bottom is never easy.

When freshmen come to college, they’re faced with challenges of all kinds pertaining to their academics, social life and living experiences. They’re encouraged to join clubs, create study groups in their classes, and sit with new people in the dining hall in order to get to know everybody in their dorm.

But sometimes it’s not your actions that matter most; usually, it’s your mindset. Sure, attending the involvement fair is always a great thing, but if you don’t sign up for any of the clubs or organizations, it’s as if you never even went.

 Magazine journalism professor Harriet Brown, who leads a freshmen peer group in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, encourages new students to take chances and say “yes” to the unexpected and unpredictable opportunities that college offers.

“Your first impulse might be to say no sometimes, and of course, there will be times when you can’t take on anything else,” she said in an email. “But say ‘yes’ as much as possible.”

As a freshman, living in a dorm presents the best scenario for making friends. These are the people you’ll spend a lot of your time with, whether it’s doing homework at the lounge or attending games at the Carrier Dome.

Lindsey Moskowitz, a peer adviser and ambassador in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said that a common misconception among freshmen is that their roommate will be their new best friend on campus. This expectation, she added, might even be the cause of roommate relationships turning sour.

In the event of having an incompatible roommate, the senior industrial and interaction design major advises freshmen to remain tolerant and establish rules and guidelines.

“Some people have never shared a room with anyone else before, and it’s an experience for people to learn and figure out,” Moskowitz said. “It’s about really knowing your own personal habits and minimizing anything that might come off as irritating.”

Moskowitz added that she wishes she had spent more time outside of her room and getting off campus during her first year at SU. Many freshmen don’t know about the Connective Corridor or the buses that takes students to the mall during the weekends, she said, and being familiar with ways to get off campus can help make them feel less isolated and more social.

Newhouse peer advisor Alessandra Sandhaus encouraged freshmen to spend time with the other people on their floor, who will be some of their closest friends on campus for the first several weeks. Many hilarious memories can be made even from just the first week on campus, she said.

Sandhaus, a sophomore television, radio and film major, also advised against trying hard to force relationships and instead just spend time with the people on your floor in order to let things happen their own way.

“Some kids you can just tell don’t want that, and in that case it’s best to leave them alone and do their thing,” Sandhaus said. “It’s nothing personal, so just let them do their own thing.”

Sandhaus added that freshmen shouldn’t let feelings of nervousness and worry cloud the excitement that they feel about starting college, keeping in mind that everyone else is just as nervous as they are.

“I don’t care how cool some people act like they are, because moving to college is a big thing,” she said. “Use those nerves to your benefit and remind yourself to take it easy because you’re not the only one feeling that way.”

Published on August 20, 2014 at 12:00 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu