When The Leaven went looking for some good advice for college freshmen, five campus ministers at KU’s St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center came to our rescue. For their top five tips to incoming freshmen for a successful school year, read on!
1. Put yourself out there
By Aidan Setter
Advancement Officer
When I was in college, I had a professor tell our class to spend time getting involved with a variety of things during our freshman year and then, down the road, pick a couple of different things to become really involved with. It is important to meet people, but it is more important to form deeper bonds with a few people rather than to know everyone at a surface level.
My main involvement at KU was with the St. Lawrence Center, my fraternity and working various jobs for KU athletics. This helped me form solid relationships with different people in different settings.
I also encourage you to seek out opportunities to meet people in a job field you may be pursuing. It can be intimidating, but it is important to realize that the person was once a freshman in college as well! People love to help the next generation, and it says a lot when you seek advice from someone in the position you one day hope to be in.
You may even learn that you aren’t as interested in a particular career as you previously thought. This is a good thing!
2. You have a whole campus full of people who want to help you succeed
By Drew Kanne
New Student Director
Starting out in college can be overwhelming, and it is easy to feel that, for better or worse, you’re on your own! My advice for new college students would be to remember that there is a whole campus full of faculty, staff and other students who want to help you survive and thrive throughout your college experience.
Whether you are looking for help adjusting to a college workload through academic advisers, for a chance to blow off steam through an intramural at the rec center, or if you’re looking for good friends and good conversations at the St. Lawrence Center (shameless plug, I know), there are so many resources available to remind you that you don’t have to do this on your own!
I know that the first month of school can feel overwhelming, especially as you are adjusting to life on campus, but I would encourage you to stretch yourself just a little bit and familiarize yourself with some of these resources outside of class.
So many departments, clubs and student organizations are putting on some event during the first few weeks of school (cough cough, Meat & Greet on Aug. 25 after 5 p.m. Mass, cough cough), and most of them offer free food or swag (cough cough, good barbecue and an awesome T-shirt).
So even if it’s not a group that you end up having a long-term relationship with throughout your time at KU, you can at least extend your laundry by another day with a new T-shirt in your closet.
3. Take the time and effort to find good friends, not just convenient ones
By Nick Labrie
Director of Missionary Discipleship
Most freshmen come to campus eager to make friends quickly. No one wants to feel alone on a huge campus. I get the sentiment, but I’ve also had tons of students tell me they wish they had taken the time to find the right friend group from the start.
It may take more time to seek out friendships with people that you can have real conversations with and share the same desires for life with, but it beats having spent two years investing in shallow friendships and having to start over later.
What do you love to do? What’s important to you? What do you value? Where would people who share these interests gather?
Make time to go there and find your people. Check out student clubs and organizations and make time to invest there from the start.
It’s OK to say “no” to a dorm gathering so you can meet up with the running club (or whatever your thing is).
It’s commonly said that you will become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Find the people you actually want to be like.
4. Attend Mass and visit the Catholic campus center
By Stacy Cretors
Director of Ministry and Mission
Stepping into Mass for the first time on your own in a new place can seem daunting, but the sooner you take that step, the sooner it will start to feel like home.
Each year, I hear from students how easy it is to find friends to attend Mass with on Sundays. All it takes is the courage to mention it to your new roommates, friends on your floor, or your sorority/fraternity brothers and sisters.
I promise you’ll be surprised by how many other Catholics there are who are looking to find someone to go to Mass with, too!
Additionally, visiting your campus ministry within the first few weeks is one of the best decisions you can make. Getting to know what it offers and how you can get involved will provide a solid foundation for your college journey.
A simple way to start is by showing up and asking the first person you see — who looks like a regular — for a tour. I guarantee they’ll be excited you’re there! You’ll also meet some awesome people and feel much more comfortable showing up in the future.
5. Talk to God
By Alli Petty
Good Co Campus Minister
There are a lot of big decisions to make at the end of the next four years when you graduate. Where will I work? Where will I live? Do I want to marry this person? Where should I apply for grad school?
Our culture’s perspective is that you’re on your own and need to answer life’s big questions for yourself. The Christian perspective is that you are never alone, and there is a God that you can talk to — and he actually talks back. He’s a merciful God who has an amazing plan for your life, and he wants to tell you about it and help you actualize it.
Get to know him in prayer NOW. Don’t wait until the second semester of senior year. If you don’t know how to pray, find the Newman Center or Bible study on your campus. If you know how to pray and talk to the Lord consistently, everything else will fall into place.
I loved this article about a great start to college and shared it on Facebook, where hopefully some of my friends with college freshmen in their family can pass it along. I am going to include a copy of the article in high school graduation cards in the future! Thanks for the good advice from campus ministers.