8 Things My First Semester of College Taught Me

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! I moved back to college last Wednesday, and while I had a great winter break, I’m definitely glad to be back. I had classes last Thursday and Friday, but this week feels like the kickoff of the semester. As I’ve been preparing for my second semester, I’ve been reflecting on some of the things I learned during my first semester. So, here’s 8 things my first semester of college taught me.

1. I was way more homesick than I thought I would be.

One of the first challenges I encountered after moving to college last August was homesickness. Leading up to move-in day, I hadn’t really been experiencing any homesickness, so I figured I was off the hook. Boy, was I wrong about that. The first couple of weeks, I was super homesick. At first, I felt like I didn’t have any friends at school and like everyone at home was moving on without me. This led me to feel pretty lonely at first. Plus, since I wasn’t expecting to feel homesick at all, it made it worse.

But I made it through the homesickness, and now I’m really happy where I am. The biggest thing about experiencing homesickness is to find ways to work through it. For me, that meant calling my parents almost every night for a while, talking to my siblings at least once a week, and setting up times to call my friends from home. I made a point to try to be involved in my loved ones’ daily lives, even though I was far away.

Also, getting out of my comfort zone, spending time with people at college, and going to as many activities as I could was really helpful to me. Part of feeling homesick for me was feeling a lack of connection with the people around me, which is to be expected when you’re all complete strangers who are now living, eating, and learning together. And while it took me a while to find my friends, it was really fun getting to know so many new people, and I still talk to people I met, even if we’re not best friends.

2. Putting yourself out there can be really hard.

This is another lesson I learned very quickly. I’ve always struggled with getting out of my comfort zone, especially when it involves other people and fear of judgement. But getting out of your comfort zone is a huge part of college, and it gets easier every time you do it. While it can be hard to get out there and talk to new people, it’s so valuable, and 99% of the time, everyone else is feeling the same way you are.

Start by putting yourself out there is small ways, like going to the orientation events. Even if you’re not really feeling it, the orientation events are designed to help you meet people. Of course, if you really need a break, don’t be afraid to take one. The first few weeks of college can be super overwhelming, so balancing rest with putting yourself out there is super important.

3. Balancing my time was easier and harder than I anticipated.

One of the things I was most excited for about college was being able to have more independence and freedom. In high school, I was super active in extracurricular activities, so there were some days I’d get to school at 7am and not leave until 10pm. I also frequently had activities on Saturdays, so even weekends were cut short. While I really enjoyed my extracurriculars, I was really excited to have more free time in college.

However, I also expected to have to balance my time, and that it would be pretty difficult, especially at first. Interestingly enough, this was both easier and harder than expected. Between work study, classes, and the clubs that I’m a part of, I have set times that I am busy. This makes time blocking way easier and makes me more productive. But, when I have bigger blocks of free times, it’s harder for me to stay focused. Because there is so much to do on and around campus, sometimes it can be hard to know when I really need to get work done instead of doing something fun or hanging out with friends.

4. Making friends was harder than expected.

This was probably the hardest lesson to learn on this list. Going into college, I expected that I would find my friends right away. I had built it up in my head that college would be where I belonged, after feeling somewhat out-of-place throughout most of high school. To my initial disappointment, I didn’t make close friends right away in college. It actually took until mid-October before I started hanging out with my friend group, and it was almost November before I really felt like part of the group.

This definitely contributed to the homesickness I had when I first moved to college. I have a really great group of friends at home, and since we didn’t really all become friends until my senior year, it made it hard to leave and to not be with them every day. Then, it seemed like other people were finding their groups in a way that I didn’t find until October. And that’s not to say that I didn’t talk to people or didn’t enjoy spending time with people I met, I just didn’t find my group right away.

Now, I’m definitely glad for how things worked out, and I spent a lot of winter break spending time with my home friends and being excited to get back to see my college friends for second semester. And while I’m definitely going to miss my friends at home, I don’t feel as insecure about leaving again. When I first moved to college, I was really scared about our friendship not lasting. Now I know that it will, and that I can stay in touch with them and that our friendship will always be there, even if we’re not together.

5. The number of opportunities can be overwhelming.

I honestly wasn’t really expecting to learn this lesson when I moved to college. But it became apparent pretty quickly. There are so many classes, clubs, majors, events, etc. that you can get decision fatigue if you’re not careful. For me, the lesson that I had to learn was getting over my FOMO and focusing on what I really wanted to do.

While I’m still figuring this one out, I’ve definitely gotten better at it. I think it will get easier as I keep getting close to what I want to major in and finding my true interests. And while I don’t think I’ll ever completely narrow it down, I think it will be easier to do what I want and to leave what I’m not interested in.

6. Asking for help is important, and easier than you might think.

In high school, I struggled with asking for help, especially when it came to homework. But in college, it’s super important to ask for help, and it’s way easier than I expected. Nearly all of my classes have preceptors (kind of like a TA-tutor combination) or tutors. Our preceptors and tutors are students who have taken the class before and who can help with assignments and papers. I found it easy to ask them for help, and they often had office hours that you could show up to and ask questions.

Professors are also really easy to ask for help. I go to a small college, so I don’t have any huge classes, which makes it easier. All my professors know my name, grade my work, and really take an interest in getting to know their students. (Quick tip: one of the best things I did when the semester started was go to my professors’ office hours to introduce myself and get to know them a little better one-on-one!) In short, asking for help is so necessary, and it’s not as scary as you might think.

7. It can be hard to get off-campus.

This maybe isn’t a universal challenge, but my college is located near two major metropolitan areas. Additionally, first-years aren’t allowed to have a car. I expected that I would get off-campus more than I did in my first semester. And actually, this was probably a good thing for me. And it’s not to say that I never got off-campus. I found a ton of fun activities to do with friends, and I’m really glad that we have access to public transportation, which makes it much easier.

One of my goals for second semester is to get off-campus and explore the Twin Cities more. I’ve written down a list of activities and places I want to visit. This goes hand in hand with one of my New Year’s goals, which is to do more things on my own and to push myself out of my comfort zone. For more on my New Year’s goals and my vision board, check out this post!

8. The first semester went by so fast.

Finally, the first semester went by so fast! I’m not really sure why I didn’t expect this more, but it was a little surprising when all of a sudden it was December, and everyone was getting ready to go home for break. I’ve been pretty aware of how short of a time college is going to be, but it still took me by surprise how quickly the semester went by.

I think this lesson is really valuable though, because it definitely has taught me to stay in the moment and to savor the time that I have in this stage of my life. And while it is kind of sad how fast the time is going, I’m also really grateful for my first semester, and I’m so excited to continue on my college journey.

Wrap Up

Well, those are the 8 things my first semester of college taught me! While there are many more things that I learned in my first semester, these are some of the biggest, and most unexpected lessons I learned. I’m so excited to start the second semester, and I can’t wait to take you all along on the journey!

Let me know in the comments what you learned in your first semester of college that surprised you. As always, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next week!