Advice for incoming honors freshman

In honor of the end of the year, I’m assembling some advice for incoming freshman– things I wish I had known when I was a freshman. If you have other items or suggestions, please add them in the comments! I think I might publish a pamphlet or something, and hand it out next Fall…

Advice for incoming honors freshman:

Don’t take bullshit classes!
You should NEVER have to waste your time with a class. Never. There are lots of rules and regulations (see: CORE 2.0) about what you DO and DON’T need to take. Your major likely has lots of pre-requisites. But what most students don’t realize is that the university system exists to facilitate your education, not to encumber it with requirements and regulations. Within your major, 100-level “required” courses can be ignored entirely, so long as there’s an upper-division course that covers some of the same ground. Check with an adviser about this, of course, but don’t waste your time!

In terms of CORE, if there’s a 101 that looks interesting, that you actually feel will be worth your time, by all means. But otherwise, do yourself a favor, and take a more challenging course to fulfill the same requirement. That’ll do a lot more toward the end of making you “well rounded.” Yeah, Chem 141 was hard, but I’m totally glad that I took it, rather than wasting my time with chem 121. No, I’ll never actually USE that information, but I’m glad I know a little about Chemistry. Not a lot, but enough to kinda follow what people talk about. If I end up in one of “those” conversations, it’s gratifying. Your time and money is valuable. Don’t waste it!

Loose your virginity. Keep your 4.0.
There are some things in life that once you lose, you can never back again. It’s gone forever. Your GPA is one of those things. Once it’s gone, you can never have a four-point-oh again. You’ll never have a chance at being one of those two-dozen people who graduate every year with a perfect record. Realistically, you may not graduate with that four-point, but there’s NO sense in wasting that opportunity while taking 100-level intro courses. Save your GPA for that special class– something like Math 361, or O-Chem.

You can get into any class you want. Even if it’s full. Even if it has pre-reqs.
If you want to get into a class that’s full, here’s the formula: show up to class every day for the first week. Sit in the front row. Be attentive. Participate. Hopefully, by the 3rd or 4th class, the professor will have noticed you– maybe even knows your name. That’s when you approach your prof with your add slip. You’ll get it signed every time.

If there’s a class you want to take that has a pre-req, or Junior Standing requirement, just email the prof ahead of time, tell her/him why you think you’re qualified for the class. If you don’t actually need the pre-req, nine times out of ten the prof will give you the go-ahead, and you can register for the class anyway. Don’t waste your time with courses you’re not going to learn from, just for the sake of fulfilling a pre-requisite.

Get a fake ID. If drinking’s your thing, that is.
Twenty-one is bullshit. If you’re smart enough to beat the system, though, no worries. I picked up a fake my freshman year, and used it until I was 21. Talk about money well spent. Having access to alcohol, when you want access, is incredibly gratifying. It’s also a great way to acrue favors, when all your friends are 18.

Check out ASMSU.
You owe it to yourself to at least get an idea of what the organization is, and what it does. Attend a couple meetings on a Thursday night. 6:00 p.m., sharp. Sub 271. You don’t have to become a senator to capitalize on some of ASMSU’s under-published services, such as access to a licensed attorney, for $7/hour, or access to rental snow-shoes for $5 a day.

Obviously, getting involved on campus is a good plan– good for the resume, great for meeting people. ASMSU is a great place to start.

Hike in the Fall.
Bozeman’s weather in September is AWESOME. Get out and enjoy it. Even when things warm up in the spring, the trails will largely be clogged with snow, so get out and do Hylight, Sacajawea, etc. in the fall, while the weather is wonderful.

Get to know “that one guy” with lots of music.
One of the coolest things about college is meeting people from all sorts of different backgrounds, with awesome experiences, etc. Find that person on your hall, or in your T&C class, what-ev, with great taste in music, movies, books. Ask her/him for recommendations, to hook you up with MP3s. Believe me, that person would love to share the love. And you’ll get so much out of it. Exposure to new bands, genres, etc.

Use advisers.
Your professors know a LOT about college. And what’s beyond college. More than that, they love helping students. So take advantage of that! Find a professor you like, make an appointment, and go in and chat with him/her about your college expectations, what you like/don’t like, etc. Odds are, a good “adviser” will open up your world to a whole slew of options and opportunities that you had no idea were available. If you have a question about your classes, your career, etc, find someone and ask. They love to help. Additionally, you’ll start cultivating relationships that will last you through college, can provide letters of reference, etc. Every question you have can be answered. You just have to ask.

The long and short of it is: make your first year exactly what you want it to be. Don’t bother with classes that aren’t going to be a valuable use of your time. Meet people. Find out what’s available on campus. Do things you want to do. Have some wild experiences. Let yourself go. Have a good time. Study hard. Play hard.