10 Mistakes I Made As A College Freshman And How To Avoid Them

This post is about the top 10 mistakes I made during my first year of college and how you can avoid them.

It’s crazy to me that my freshman year of college is already over. I learned so much and have a ton to share! I think reflection is a great way to grow as a person and to learn from mistakes.

Hopefully, this post will prevent you from making the same mistakes in the future!

Also, mistakes are not bad at all. Of course, you will make your own. Everyone does, and that’s okay. They help us grow and push us to learn new things. My hope is to just lead you in the right direction with this post and make your freshman year a little easier!

1. I didn’t reach out to as many people as I should have.

My biggest piece of advice for you is to literally just say hi to everyone you see and try to interact with as many people as possible.

The beginning of college is super exciting because everyone is looking for friends so it’s the perfect time to talk to and spend time with new people. I know it may seem weird or awkward but it really isn’t because everyone is looking for friends.

You may find a group of people who you’re most comfortable spending time with which is great but that shouldn’t stop you from branching out and spending time with other people as well.

When I first started college I clang to one group of people which ended up holding me back from meeting more people. This is one of my biggest regrets and once I realized what I was doing I started spending time with different people and made so many more friends!

It’s also important to realize that the friends you make at the beginning of college may change over time and that’s okay!

2. I signed up for too much (literally everything)!

Typically, colleges will have club fairs at the beginning of the year where you can sign up for different clubs/activities that you’re interested in.

My piece of club fair advice is to only write down your email for clubs you’re actually interested in. I wrote my email down for SO many different clubs that I’m not even apart of. I still get emails about the clubs which is crazy and becomes annoying after a while, haha.

Just try your hardest not to spread yourself to thin. If you like staying busy and active, choose a couple of clubs to start with. If you want to join more later and think you can handle it, go for it!

3. Brought way too much!!

Ahhh, if I could time travel back to summer 2019 Emily I would yell at her for packing WAY too much, especially clothes.

Tons of people told me that I shouldn’t pack a lot and I didn’t listen so I don’t blame you if you don’t listen to me either, lol. But I need to tell you, having everything ends up being A LOT more stressful than helpful!

I created the free packing lists below to make college packing SO much easier and less stressful. They are in my free resource library which you can access here.

I also wrote a post on college wardrobe essentials here: College Wardrobe Essentials For 2020!

4. Ordered my textbooks before my classes started.

Another tip I have is to wait to buy/rent your textbooks until after your classes meet for the first time.

Last year I was so worried that if I didn’t buy my textbooks before my classes started I would be the only student without them. I promise a lot of students wait to buy their textbooks and it’s completely acceptable.

It’s a good idea to wait because sometimes professors change the material needed for their classes. It is the worst feeling (and a big waste of money) to buy a book and then find out that you don’t actually need it.

I also recommend renting your textbooks from Chegg or Amazon. I have used both sites to rent books and they have saved me so much money!!

5. Didn’t find my favorite study location soon enough.

Omg, I didn’t realize how important a good study spot was until maybe halfway through my freshman year of college. I promise that finding a spot where you work best is a total game-changer and will make you a lot more productive!

I don’t know about you, but I work so much more productively in some locations than others. My favorite places to study became a local coffee shop and the silent floor of the library.

I definitely recommend trying to find a spot where you are the most productive. I promise it will help you get so much more work done!

6. Tried to “skim” my textbooks for some classes.

The problem with freshman year is that usually, you have to take a lot of general education classes. You end up taking classes to fill requirements instead of actually being interested in the topics.

For me, this was most prominent in my Anthropology course. Don’t get me wrong the class was interesting and I absolutely loved my professor but that didn’t mean I loved reading the textbook, haha.

I tried to skim chapters of the textbook at the beginning of the course and always knew enough about the topic for our class periods but when it came time for the first test it was so difficult!

Even though college tests and quizzes can be HARD, they are totally manageable and much easier if you actually read.

After the first test, I decided to read the chapters assigned completely and take detailed notes. My grades on quizzes and tests dramatically increased after that!

7. I totally stopped looking for scholarships.

Don’t stop scholarship searching!!

Leading up to my college acceptances, I was always searching for scholarships, applying, etc. Once I was accepted and chose my school, I kinda forgot about them which is so bad.

It wasn’t until the end of freshman year that I applied for a couple more through my school and actually won one! If I hadn’t applied that would have been money lost.

Keep searching and applying for scholarships! You never know when you’ll win.

Check out this free scholarship planner and tracker in my free resource library!

8. Didn’t exercise enough.

I’m not a very athletic person but I was always active in high school because I swam year-round. College was weird for me because I was no longer exercising as much as I had in the past.

I’m one of those people who needs someone else forcing me to exercise like a coach or trainer. I am terrible at motivating myself because I really just don’t enjoy exercise lol.

Because of this, I didn’t exercise nearly as much as I should have. Try your best to get a little bit of exercise every week. The freshman 15 can happen especially, with that unlimited food plan that most freshmen have, haha!

Maybe you can find a gym buddy, go on a walk or run with a friend, join a sports club, etc. If you’re like me and can’t motivate yourself to exercise, find someone who will motivate you.

9. Didn’t sleep enough.

Getting enough sleep is so important and I definitely did not realize how essential it was freshman year of college.

Studies show that most teenagers need 9 and ½ hours of sleep to function best.

The best way to make sure you’re consistently getting enough sleep is to create a bedtime for yourself (during the school week) that you stick to.

I always feel so much better and more productive when I actually get enough sleep and I’m sure you will too!

10. Didn’t always write down all syllabus dates in my planner.

On the first day of classes, your professors will give you a syllabus for their class. The syllabus will literally have all of the homework, assignments, quizzes, and tests mapped out for the whole semester.

I know syllabus’ can be pretty intimidating at first but it is also nice to know exactly when all of your work is due. I have found the best way to stay on top of my assignments is to write down important syllabus dates in my planner.

However, sometimes I would be lazy and not write them all down which is a major college no no. There are too many dates to remember on your own which is why you need to write them all down.

This will ensure that you don’t forget about any important assignments.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that we can both learn from my mistakes. Of course, we will make more mistakes in the school year to come but that is okay because mistakes help us grow! Mistakes do not define us, it is what we learn from them that does. 🙂

I am wishing you tons of luck in the upcoming school year. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I’m only an email away at emily@positivityispretty.com

Related Popular Posts!

10 THINGS THAT WILL TOTALLY SHOCK YOU ABOUT FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE!

17 THINGS I REGRET NOT BRINGING WITH ME TO COLLEGE

30 COLLEGE FRESHMAN TIPS: THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW!