Freshmen and seniors: Prepare for your next journey

In the beginning of this story we see two groups that are different in the world of higher education:
One group entering for the first time with high expectations and some anxieties that will hopefully turn to excitement.

The other group is getting ready for the end of this chapter in their lives and are ready to begin the next chapter called “the real world,” that many argue starts when people decide to attend college.

For most, the college freshman’s world begins  right after high school graduation. This process includes tours, filling out applications, applying for scholarships and figuring out what will be their major, among many other things.

When freshmen at FGCU are asked about the advantages of being in college, the most common word heard is “freedom.”

But along with freedom comes another word called “responsibility” which the freshmen interviewed for this story said that they understand well.

The freshman who agreed to be interviewed for this article said  they enjoy the ability to plan their schedule, which they couldn’t do in high school.

One of them said she enjoyed being away from home and doing things for herself.

Freshman enter college searching for an identity in life which they obtain not just through classes but also through internships, living in the dorms and having friendships, which one freshman said is essential to surviving college.

When it comes to seniors, many of them have found their identity during their three or more years of college.

They are anxious and excited to take on the real world with all that they have learned from classes, internships, friendships, successes and failures. As John Mellencamp once said, they give people strength some day.

Like freshmen, seniors are preparing for big changes in their lives as well, from exams and classes to proposals and meetings, from dorm rooms to apartments, from the costs of tuition and books to the costs of rent or mortgage and other bills.

Freshmen and seniors both need some advice on surviving college and entering the real world and thankfully this member of Eagle News is an expert in the advice department.

For the freshman: Treasure your friendships because they will keep you from being cynical and lonely. Select a major you love so much that you’ll forget you are at work and will want to write a great book about your experiences.

Seniors: For those of you without a significant other, don’t be in a rush to get married. Start your career first and discover the world and who you are first, because once you get married and have kids, everything changes —  life will not be just about you.

Don’t let work be your whole life. Your career may lead you to different places, but your friends and family will never change so don’t forget to tell them you love them and spend time with them when you aren’t working.

One more thing for the freshmen and seniors: don’t let failure or people who treat you like dirt break your spirit. It’s very easy to have a chip on your shoulder that is hard to remove, but the best way to deal with difficulties is not to show pain and get up when you fall down.