5 Pieces of Advice I Would Give to My Freshman Self:
By: Sanaa Alam ‘25
As an out-of-state pre-medical student starting at USC, I didn’t know what to expect from my college experience. Would it live up to the hype created by books and movies or would I be faced with the harsh reality of knowing no one in a new city?
I read many of these types of articles when I committed to USC, but honestly, sometimes the best way to learn is by living. While I can reflect on my mistakes now, I know I wouldn’t be able to make these positive changes as a sophomore without having made these mistakes for myself. So, for any incoming freshman, while I’m sharing what I learned now, don’t be afraid to make your own mistakes and learn through your experiences. There’s no right way to do college.
Schedule Enough Time to Study
(especially if you take lab sciences)
In high school, I was able to study for exams the night before major midterms or finals and score well on the test. However, in college, the classes are not as comprehensive as in high school. Lectures cover the core material, but you have to do the work necessary to truly understand the topics on your own. Coming into college, I was so happy that I didn’t have classes from 8 AM to 3 PM like high school, but I quickly realized I needed to accompany the shorter class time with 3-4 hours of studying the material. When I began to review for my first college exam, I was underprepared because I wasn’t constantly reviewing the material as it was being taught. Cramming everything in one night in college is not feasible, especially for introductory lab science courses like CHEM 105/115, BISC 120/220, or BISC 121/221.
Steps to Improve: When I made my schedule sophomore year, I left time to study. One way I did this was stacking my courses so that I have the rest of the day to study. Another way is to schedule breaks throughout the day between classes so that I’m forced to work on campus with fewer distractions.
Utilize Free Time between Classes Efficiently
In high school, if I had a free period between classes, I took time for myself and didn’t use it to study. However, in college I had to change my mindset. Because my schedule was suddenly very different, everytime I wasn’t in class was the equivalent to my after school study time in highschool. Since I didn’t utilize my free time between classes properly freshman year, I found myself cramming multiple assignments late at night, which was completely unnecessary.
Steps to Improve: I created a priority list for the week on Sunday based on work that is already assigned and each night I make a to-do list for the next day, ranking my tasks based on the amount of time it will take me to complete them. After my classes, I see how I’m feeling and how much time I have, and then I’m able to evaluate what work I can get done in that time. This allows me to stay productive and use my time wisely even if I’m tired or only have a limited amount of time. I don’t have to wonder what needs done.
Take Time to get to Know Your Classmates
Having friends I could discuss class assignments with was truly a lifesaver. Late at night, if I didn’t understand something and the deadline was approaching, it was so nice to quickly message a friend for clarification. In my Chemistry and Biology classes, I originally didn’t reach out to many people originally because I was so focused on doing well in the classes academically. However, without peers to lean on for guidance, I found it more isolating and difficult to study for these classes. The next semester, I started talking to more people in my STEM classes, and studying became much better. I could observe what studying techniques worked for my friends and I had their support when it came to working on assignments before finals season.
Steps to improve: At the start of each semester, I try to sit next to new people and strike up a conversation with them. Especially being pre-med at USC, it can be isolating because of all of the studying required to succeed, so I try to find others that are doing similar work so we can spend time together while being productive.
Search for Clubs and Organizations that Allow You to Grow
At the start of my freshman year, I joined the Health Sciences Education Program (HSEP) which helped me get to know other premed students. In my spring semester, I joined more organizations whose goals aligned with mine, but it left me feeling like I wasn’t making meaningful contributions. Moreover, because I was so busy jumping from one club to another, I didn’t get to make many friends in any clubs.
Steps to Improve: Although I had good experiences with clubs on campus, I spread myself too thin and didn’t make many meaningful connections with other club members. As a sophomore, I made it a priority to go to social events and put myself out there so that the connections I made in the club could also grow outside of it.
Find the Best Methods to Take Care of Yourself
When I was a freshman reading these advice articles, I used to skim over the parts about self-care because I felt like I didn’t need it at the time. However, in college you’re left without a support system and are forced to rebuild it. You might spend more time alone than you did in high school. I wasn’t prepared for that. When classes became stressful, I wanted to talk to my friends back home, but all of them were busy, so I felt very isolated. This led to some stressful and lonely nights that could have been avoided if I’d found other methods I could use to relieve stress. Slowly throughout the semester, I found that going on 15 minute walks blasting my favorite music and taking long baths after major exams were small things that boosted my mood.
Steps to Improve: I quickly learned that different situations call for different methods. You won’t know until you try, so don’t close yourself off to possibilities that might help. I’ve been trying new ways to take care of myself this year like prioritizing my sleep schedule and working out more consistently.
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
