August 2017

I want to start off by saying that I don’t regret a single part of my undergraduate experience, because each one of those experiences led me to where I am today. Actually, one thing I will take back. I should have dumped my loser high school boyfriend the moment he tried to convince me he “needed to focus on himself.” But besides that, totally sticking by all the stupid decisions I made! Freshmen year is this awesome experience that everyone likes to glamorize. Yeah moving away from home is fun and you get to meet all thees new people, but there are also parts that no one warns you about. Probably because RA’s are under contract to not talk about stuff like this, even though it’s a total disservice to those of us who come in green eyed and ready to mess up. Below you’ll find the 10 mistakes I made my freshmen year in college, ranging from those that cost me money I still owe to this day to the type I like to tell stories about at parties today. Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Long story short I had just had my heart broken for the first time and I was on the rebound. So, I kinda, sorta, maybe dated a drug dealer. That wasn’t the worst part. Our break up was terrible and I had to face him every day of freshmen year. Was it the end of the world? No. But it could have been avoided. Remember that drug dealer? Yeah I slept with him. Having to pass someone you dated was one thing, bringing by your new boyfriend to meet your door mates, including the guy who once saw you naked is another. There’s so many boys in college, steer clear of the ones you share an address with.

Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute

When registering for my first semester of classes no one told me anything besides the types of prerequisites expected of everyone. Do your research first so you don’t end up taking the most difficult classes your first semester. You wanna give yourself time to get used to your new life and schedule.

5. Didn’t join any campus organizations.

My secret goal freshmen year was to one day run for student body president. It never happened. I got caught up in doing the basic freshmen year things that made me reluctant to branch past my friensd for the first year. Don’t do the same, join a group, make friends outside your roommates and remember that your first year sets the precedent for your college experience. If you were thinking about buying your textbooks from the bookstore then think again. With websites like Amazon and Chegg, there’s no reason you need to pay full price for books. And for those of you who are serious about saving money each semester, check out my post on how to never spend a dime on college textbooks.

Related Post: How to Never Pay for College Textbooks Again

7. Didn’t take advantage of all the free events.

For some dumb reason I didn’t attend the homecoming events my freshmen year of college! Sure it didn’t completely ruin my life, but you wanna soak up those moments while you still can. Nowadays I pay to get in everywhere, some places wont even give me the student discount! Attend everything you can, while you can!

8. Continued to date my high school not-so-sweetheart.

Unfortunately I didn’t have many good friends during high school, at least not the kind that could tell me what a loser my boyfriend was. If you’re in an on and off relationship like I was, do yourself one big favor and cut ties. I know it’s hard, but trust me, after a few weeks you’ll feel so much better. 
Junior and senior year I studied abroad and in our nation’s capitol, where I now live(!), but I so wish I would have become part of the study abroad community starting my freshmen year. The people you meet there are unlike any other group on campus, plus there’s the benefit about learning about studying abroad sooner rather than later.

Related Post:10 Reasons You Should Study Abroad While in College

I’m gonna admit it, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I filed my FAFSA or accepted my grants and loans. If you’re feeling the same way talk to a guidance counselor, reach out to the financial advisers in your new school or simply talk to other people who have been through this before.

Did you make any embarrassing mistakes your freshmen year of college? Please tell me I’m not the only one who ended my first year with a few unnecessary experiences!

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I want to start off by saying that I don’t regret a single part of my undergraduate experience, because each one of those experiences led me to where I am today. Actually, one thing I will take back. I should have dumped my loser high school boyfriend the moment he tried to convince me he “needed to focus on himself.” But besides that, totally sticking by all the stupid decisions I made! Freshmen year is this awesome experience that everyone likes to glamorize. Yeah moving away from home is fun and you get to meet all thees new people, but there are also parts that no one warns you about. Probably because RA’s are under contract to not talk about stuff like this, even though it’s a total disservice to those of us who come in green eyed and ready to mess up. Below you’ll find the 10 mistakes I made my freshmen year in college, ranging from those that cost me money I still owe to this day to the type I like to tell stories about at parties today. Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Long story short I had just had my heart broken for the first time and I was on the rebound. So, I kinda, sorta, maybe dated a drug dealer. That wasn’t the worst part. Our break up was terrible and I had to face him every day of freshmen year. Was it the end of the world? No. But it could have been avoided. Remember that drug dealer? Yeah I slept with him. Having to pass someone you dated was one thing, bringing by your new boyfriend to meet your door mates, including the guy who once saw you naked is another. There’s so many boys in college, steer clear of the ones you share an address with.

Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute

When registering for my first semester of classes no one told me anything besides the types of prerequisites expected of everyone. Do your research first so you don’t end up taking the most difficult classes your first semester. You wanna give yourself time to get used to your new life and schedule.

5. Didn’t join any campus organizations.

My secret goal freshmen year was to one day run for student body president. It never happened. I got caught up in doing the basic freshmen year things that made me reluctant to branch past my friensd for the first year. Don’t do the same, join a group, make friends outside your roommates and remember that your first year sets the precedent for your college experience. If you were thinking about buying your textbooks from the bookstore then think again. With websites like Amazon and Chegg, there’s no reason you need to pay full price for books. And for those of you who are serious about saving money each semester, check out my post on how to never spend a dime on college textbooks.

Related Post: How to Never Pay for College Textbooks Again

7. Didn’t take advantage of all the free events.

For some dumb reason I didn’t attend the homecoming events my freshmen year of college! Sure it didn’t completely ruin my life, but you wanna soak up those moments while you still can. Nowadays I pay to get in everywhere, some places wont even give me the student discount! Attend everything you can, while you can!

8. Continued to date my high school not-so-sweetheart.

Unfortunately I didn’t have many good friends during high school, at least not the kind that could tell me what a loser my boyfriend was. If you’re in an on and off relationship like I was, do yourself one big favor and cut ties. I know it’s hard, but trust me, after a few weeks you’ll feel so much better. 
Junior and senior year I studied abroad and in our nation’s capitol, where I now live(!), but I so wish I would have become part of the study abroad community starting my freshmen year. The people you meet there are unlike any other group on campus, plus there’s the benefit about learning about studying abroad sooner rather than later.

Related Post:10 Reasons You Should Study Abroad While in College

I’m gonna admit it, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I filed my FAFSA or accepted my grants and loans. If you’re feeling the same way talk to a guidance counselor, reach out to the financial advisers in your new school or simply talk to other people who have been through this before.

Did you make any embarrassing mistakes your freshmen year of college? Please tell me I’m not the only one who ended my first year with a few unnecessary experiences!

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It’s absolutely crazy to me that I was a freshmen in college six years ago, because honestly, I remember packing up the truck and driving to my university like it was yesterday. If you’re anything like me, you like to know what’s going to happen in any given situation. Meaning you want to know how to deal with balancing your coursework before you’ve even registered, tips for making friends before meeting your dorm roommate, and how to balance all the responsibilities that come with doing well in school and having a social life. Weeks before I left for school I spent hours researching everything I could think of. Due to not being able to find answers to everything I was wondering about, I eventually started writing for various collegiate websites to help anxious and excited incoming freshmen like myself. Whether you’re an incoming freshmen or close to the end of your first year of college, below are the twenty pieces of advice I wish someone had told me during my first year of college.

Related Post: How to Make Up for a Semester of Bad Grades

1. Don’t bring everything you own with you. It clutters your already small dorm room and doesn’t leave you space for all the free stuff you’ll pick up at events.

2. Room with a complete stranger, for an automatic friend and a chance to save your friendships.

3. Always dorm if you have the option! Yes it will cost you way more money in the end but it’s fun to share the experience with people who are in your same position. 

4. Join a club, any club, but just join one. Eventually you will move out of the dorms and half of those friendships will end naturally. Friends from orgs are easier to connect with.

5. Don’t ever buy a book from the bookstore. Check it out at the library, Amazon, Chegg, Barnes and Noble, or buy an older edition. I saved thousands buy never buying a book new.

6. Sit closer to the front. Pretty sure studies shows sitting close will help you earn a better grade, probably because it’s so hard to get away with being on your phone.

7. Another thing, actually turn of your phone, or at least put it away. I used to hate classes that had a no electronics rule but in the end, I aced those classes easily because I actually listened the whole time!

Related Post: 10 Stupid Mistakes I Made My First Year of College

8. Go to all the events on campus, no matter how lame you may think they are. You re only a freshmen once and soon your friends will be too busy to go to the on campus concerts. Enjoy it while you can.

9. Don’t be the person that goes home every weekend. Everyone will judge you for it and it will make it that much harder to make friends. Stick it out, if you really need you family, skype them.

10. Dining hall food is awesome because it’s always hot and ready plus you don’t have to do any dishes! But don’t go crazy and start eating ice cream for breakfast, your clothes will thank you.

11. Attend study group invites or review sessions hosted by the professor. If you re gonna be paying for a grade might as well get a good one.

12. Avoid hooking up with someone in your dorm hall. I did, it didn’t work out, and it wasn’t the end of the world or anything. But I could have saved myself the drama had I just not.

13. If you were awarded work study, get a job! Don’t be like me and never get around to it, because getting work study for the next year is hard work!

15. Talk to professors, not about questions or the class, just a normal conversation. If you’re shy try with a TA first. It’s not so hard once you break the horribly cold ice.

16. Get some information on studying abroad. It will make your college experience unlike anyone else’s, it definitely changed my life for the better.

17. Learn to calculate how much you really need to pay for school. The estimated cost of attendance is always ridiculously high. Total up rent, tuition and a few extra hundred for food and books. That’s all you need!

18. Make friend with at least one person in your major department. They will be a lifesaver when you need to borrow a book, missed class or are just confused about graduation requirements.

20. Just have fun. I just graduated this past June and I can honestly still remember shopping for my dorm bedding. It goes by so fast, so enjoy every second of it while you can.

If you’re a college freshmen looking for advice, leave a question in the comments below! Otherwise share a tip you wish you had known your first year of college.

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College internships are absolutely necessary if you want to get a job straight out of college. Instead of taking the year after graduation to gain work experience, you can do so while in school! With so many universities offering internship programs, on campus internships and career fairs regularly, there is no excuse as to why you haven’t found the internship that is right for you.

Prior to your first day, you worry about how to write the best resume possible and researching the location you will be working. It’s not until you begin the work that you realize there is so much more to learn by being an intern besides a organization’s statistics and history. The last semester of my senior year I spent interning with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network as their Military Marketing Intern for sexual assault in the military. The skills and experiences I gained there have been applicable to every job I’ve been hired at since, which is why it is so important to soak in as much as you can in the limited time you have.

The head of your department only has so much work they can delegate to you, which is why you want to market yourself as willing to help anyone who is swamped with whatever project they are working on. As long as you keep your primary tasks a priority, there’s no problem with aiding other coworkers or interns with their assignments. What’s the point of being part of student organizations if you’re not going to use them to your advantage? This is especially true if you hold a leadership position. Being a Psychology and Women’s Studies major meant I took zero classes on social media and marketing, but that didn’t mean I had no idea how to use social media to market a product or organization. Mention the positions you hold and what organizations you are a member of. Just because the time you spend somewhere is unpaid doesn’t make the skills you learned any less valuable. Take time to get to know not only your supervisors, but your fellow interns as well. These are the people that are interested in the same things as you, whether that’s social media management or an organization’s mission statement. Keeping in touch with them after your internship ends is an easy way to network after college, plus, they can also serve as a reference later!

They want you to ask questions.

At the end of my internship my supervisor sat down with me and reviewed my time at the organization. She had nothing but positive things to say, except for one thing, she wanted me to ask more questions! Not because I had done anything wrong, simply because it would have given me an easy way to work with people who I otherwise had no reason to talk to. At the time I thought it was a strange suggestion but it makes sense now. What’s the best way to start a conversation with someone? Ask them a question! So learn from my mistakes and ask all the dumb questions you want, your coworkers want you to be engaged in the work you do! With my first internship taking place my last semester in college, I was hoping I’d somehow figure out my next step in the 4 months I was spending with the organization. Even though I knew grad school was in the future, I was completely confused about when or where to go. My supervisor and friends at work reassured me that they all felt the same way come graduation time, and many didn’t land a job they were passionate about until a few years after. So rest assured, you’re not alone in having no set direction. During college I took zero marketing or communications courses. With two declared majors, I had little space in my schedule for elective courses outside my field, but I didn’t let that stop me from branching out. Don’t be afraid to take the skills you learn outside the classroom and use them towards your advantage when applying for positions. I may not be a marketing major, but being a social media manager for Her Campus gave me the skills necessary to feel confident listing it on my resume.

Don’t compare yourself to other interns.

Remember how I said most people don’t know what they’re doing after college, well, most people dont. Then there’s those lucky few that know exactly what school they’ll be attending or already have an offer from a great job. Don’t worry if your fellow interns have done this sort of thing every single semester and already know the ins and outs on how to use the copy machine. Focus on your own growth and experiences at the company and rest assured that all the extracurriculars in the world won’t automatically land you a job after college.

Stay in touch with people from the office.

While you don’t need to send them holiday cards and email them constantly, staying in touch with past interns and coworkers serves two purposes; expands your professional network and provides you a reference. Once you graduate college no one is going to ask you for your grades, employers are much more interested in people who can vouch for you. Sending a thank you email once an internship has ended and connecting on spaces such as LinkedIn ensures that the people you work with don’t forget who you are without you having to constantly remind them about your time there. One afternoon my supervisor asked me if I wanted to go visit a joint base with her the next day at 7 am, meaning I’d have to face my boss before the sun had risen. I said yes. Not only was the trip much more exciting than any day I spent in the office, from this day forward my boss reached out to me for other opportunities outside the office. Had I said no, who knows what I would have been included in, which is why it is so important you take advantage of all opportunities. Yes, waking up early sucked, but in return I was able to do hands on work for the people I usually just spoke through over email. It’s what you do with that time that determines how valuable your internship is. My tasks as the Military Marketing Intern was to help the Marketing Manager write blog posts to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and fulfill orders for the organization’s promotional merchandise.The thing was, I usually finished all my work before lunch time. This is why I made an effort to reach out to the Social Media Manager to see if she needed help with anything or stopping by the content designers desk to lend a helping hand. Using my free time to network around the office not only helped me form more connections, it prevented me from sitting unproductively at my desk.

Did I completely miss something? Share in the comments below any tips you have on landing the best internship and what you learned from you internship experience!

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College internships are absolutely necessary if you want to get a job straight out of college. Instead of taking the year after graduation to gain work experience, you can do so while in school! With so many universities offering internship programs, on campus internships and career fairs regularly, there is no excuse as to why you haven’t found the internship that is right for you.

Prior to your first day, you worry about how to write the best resume possible and researching the location you will be working. It’s not until you begin the work that you realize there is so much more to learn by being an intern besides a organization’s statistics and history. The last semester of my senior year I spent interning with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network as their Military Marketing Intern for sexual assault in the military. The skills and experiences I gained there have been applicable to every job I’ve been hired at since, which is why it is so important to soak in as much as you can in the limited time you have.

The head of your department only has so much work they can delegate to you, which is why you want to market yourself as willing to help anyone who is swamped with whatever project they are working on. As long as you keep your primary tasks a priority, there’s no problem with aiding other coworkers or interns with their assignments. What’s the point of being part of student organizations if you’re not going to use them to your advantage? This is especially true if you hold a leadership position. Being a Psychology and Women’s Studies major meant I took zero classes on social media and marketing, but that didn’t mean I had no idea how to use social media to market a product or organization. Mention the positions you hold and what organizations you are a member of. Just because the time you spend somewhere is unpaid doesn’t make the skills you learned any less valuable. Take time to get to know not only your supervisors, but your fellow interns as well. These are the people that are interested in the same things as you, whether that’s social media management or an organization’s mission statement. Keeping in touch with them after your internship ends is an easy way to network after college, plus, they can also serve as a reference later!

They want you to ask questions.

At the end of my internship my supervisor sat down with me and reviewed my time at the organization. She had nothing but positive things to say, except for one thing, she wanted me to ask more questions! Not because I had done anything wrong, simply because it would have given me an easy way to work with people who I otherwise had no reason to talk to. At the time I thought it was a strange suggestion but it makes sense now. What’s the best way to start a conversation with someone? Ask them a question! So learn from my mistakes and ask all the dumb questions you want, your coworkers want you to be engaged in the work you do! With my first internship taking place my last semester in college, I was hoping I’d somehow figure out my next step in the 4 months I was spending with the organization. Even though I knew grad school was in the future, I was completely confused about when or where to go. My supervisor and friends at work reassured me that they all felt the same way come graduation time, and many didn’t land a job they were passionate about until a few years after. So rest assured, you’re not alone in having no set direction. During college I took zero marketing or communications courses. With two declared majors, I had little space in my schedule for elective courses outside my field, but I didn’t let that stop me from branching out. Don’t be afraid to take the skills you learn outside the classroom and use them towards your advantage when applying for positions. I may not be a marketing major, but being a social media manager for Her Campus gave me the skills necessary to feel confident listing it on my resume.

Don’t compare yourself to other interns.

Remember how I said most people don’t know what they’re doing after college, well, most people dont. Then there’s those lucky few that know exactly what school they’ll be attending or already have an offer from a great job. Don’t worry if your fellow interns have done this sort of thing every single semester and already know the ins and outs on how to use the copy machine. Focus on your own growth and experiences at the company and rest assured that all the extracurriculars in the world won’t automatically land you a job after college.

Stay in touch with people from the office.

While you don’t need to send them holiday cards and email them constantly, staying in touch with past interns and coworkers serves two purposes; expands your professional network and provides you a reference. Once you graduate college no one is going to ask you for your grades, employers are much more interested in people who can vouch for you. Sending a thank you email once an internship has ended and connecting on spaces such as LinkedIn ensures that the people you work with don’t forget who you are without you having to constantly remind them about your time there. One afternoon my supervisor asked me if I wanted to go visit a joint base with her the next day at 7 am, meaning I’d have to face my boss before the sun had risen. I said yes. Not only was the trip much more exciting than any day I spent in the office, from this day forward my boss reached out to me for other opportunities outside the office. Had I said no, who knows what I would have been included in, which is why it is so important you take advantage of all opportunities. Yes, waking up early sucked, but in return I was able to do hands on work for the people I usually just spoke through over email. It’s what you do with that time that determines how valuable your internship is. My tasks as the Military Marketing Intern was to help the Marketing Manager write blog posts to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and fulfill orders for the organization’s promotional merchandise.The thing was, I usually finished all my work before lunch time. This is why I made an effort to reach out to the Social Media Manager to see if she needed help with anything or stopping by the content designers desk to lend a helping hand. Using my free time to network around the office not only helped me form more connections, it prevented me from sitting unproductively at my desk.

Did I completely miss something? Share in the comments below any tips you have on landing the best internship and what you learned from you internship experience!

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It’s absolutely crazy to me that I was a freshmen in college six years ago, because honestly, I remember packing up the truck and driving to my university like it was yesterday. If you’re anything like me, you like to know what’s going to happen in any given situation. Meaning you want to know how to deal with balancing your coursework before you’ve even registered, tips for making friends before meeting your dorm roommate, and how to balance all the responsibilities that come with doing well in school and having a social life. Weeks before I left for school I spent hours researching everything I could think of. Due to not being able to find answers to everything I was wondering about, I eventually started writing for various collegiate websites to help anxious and excited incoming freshmen like myself. Whether you’re an incoming freshmen or close to the end of your first year of college, below are the twenty pieces of advice I wish someone had told me during my first year of college.

Related Post: How to Make Up for a Semester of Bad Grades

1. Don’t bring everything you own with you. It clutters your already small dorm room and doesn’t leave you space for all the free stuff you’ll pick up at events.

2. Room with a complete stranger, for an automatic friend and a chance to save your friendships.

3. Always dorm if you have the option! Yes it will cost you way more money in the end but it’s fun to share the experience with people who are in your same position. 

4. Join a club, any club, but just join one. Eventually you will move out of the dorms and half of those friendships will end naturally. Friends from orgs are easier to connect with.

5. Don’t ever buy a book from the bookstore. Check it out at the library, Amazon, Chegg, Barnes and Noble, or buy an older edition. I saved thousands buy never buying a book new.

6. Sit closer to the front. Pretty sure studies shows sitting close will help you earn a better grade, probably because it’s so hard to get away with being on your phone.

7. Another thing, actually turn of your phone, or at least put it away. I used to hate classes that had a no electronics rule but in the end, I aced those classes easily because I actually listened the whole time!

Related Post: 10 Stupid Mistakes I Made My First Year of College

8. Go to all the events on campus, no matter how lame you may think they are. You re only a freshmen once and soon your friends will be too busy to go to the on campus concerts. Enjoy it while you can.

9. Don’t be the person that goes home every weekend. Everyone will judge you for it and it will make it that much harder to make friends. Stick it out, if you really need you family, skype them.

10. Dining hall food is awesome because it’s always hot and ready plus you don’t have to do any dishes! But don’t go crazy and start eating ice cream for breakfast, your clothes will thank you.

11. Attend study group invites or review sessions hosted by the professor. If you re gonna be paying for a grade might as well get a good one.

12. Avoid hooking up with someone in your dorm hall. I did, it didn’t work out, and it wasn’t the end of the world or anything. But I could have saved myself the drama had I just not.

13. If you were awarded work study, get a job! Don’t be like me and never get around to it, because getting work study for the next year is hard work!

15. Talk to professors, not about questions or the class, just a normal conversation. If you’re shy try with a TA first. It’s not so hard once you break the horribly cold ice.

16. Get some information on studying abroad. It will make your college experience unlike anyone else’s, it definitely changed my life for the better.

17. Learn to calculate how much you really need to pay for school. The estimated cost of attendance is always ridiculously high. Total up rent, tuition and a few extra hundred for food and books. That’s all you need!

18. Make friend with at least one person in your major department. They will be a lifesaver when you need to borrow a book, missed class or are just confused about graduation requirements.

20. Just have fun. I just graduated this past June and I can honestly still remember shopping for my dorm bedding. It goes by so fast, so enjoy every second of it while you can.

If you’re a college freshmen looking for advice, leave a question in the comments below! Otherwise share a tip you wish you had known your first year of college.

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I want to start off by saying that I don’t regret a single part of my undergraduate experience, because each one of those experiences led me to where I am today. Actually, one thing I will take back. I should have dumped my loser high school boyfriend the moment he tried to convince me he “needed to focus on himself.” But besides that, totally sticking by all the stupid decisions I made! Freshmen year is this awesome experience that everyone likes to glamorize. Yeah moving away from home is fun and you get to meet all thees new people, but there are also parts that no one warns you about. Probably because RA’s are under contract to not talk about stuff like this, even though it’s a total disservice to those of us who come in green eyed and ready to mess up. Below you’ll find the 10 mistakes I made my freshmen year in college, ranging from those that cost me money I still owe to this day to the type I like to tell stories about at parties today. Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Long story short I had just had my heart broken for the first time and I was on the rebound. So, I kinda, sorta, maybe dated a drug dealer. That wasn’t the worst part. Our break up was terrible and I had to face him every day of freshmen year. Was it the end of the world? No. But it could have been avoided. Remember that drug dealer? Yeah I slept with him. Having to pass someone you dated was one thing, bringing by your new boyfriend to meet your door mates, including the guy who once saw you naked is another. There’s so many boys in college, steer clear of the ones you share an address with.

Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute

When registering for my first semester of classes no one told me anything besides the types of prerequisites expected of everyone. Do your research first so you don’t end up taking the most difficult classes your first semester. You wanna give yourself time to get used to your new life and schedule.

5. Didn’t join any campus organizations.

My secret goal freshmen year was to one day run for student body president. It never happened. I got caught up in doing the basic freshmen year things that made me reluctant to branch past my friensd for the first year. Don’t do the same, join a group, make friends outside your roommates and remember that your first year sets the precedent for your college experience. If you were thinking about buying your textbooks from the bookstore then think again. With websites like Amazon and Chegg, there’s no reason you need to pay full price for books. And for those of you who are serious about saving money each semester, check out my post on how to never spend a dime on college textbooks.

Related Post: How to Never Pay for College Textbooks Again

7. Didn’t take advantage of all the free events.

For some dumb reason I didn’t attend the homecoming events my freshmen year of college! Sure it didn’t completely ruin my life, but you wanna soak up those moments while you still can. Nowadays I pay to get in everywhere, some places wont even give me the student discount! Attend everything you can, while you can!

8. Continued to date my high school not-so-sweetheart.

Unfortunately I didn’t have many good friends during high school, at least not the kind that could tell me what a loser my boyfriend was. If you’re in an on and off relationship like I was, do yourself one big favor and cut ties. I know it’s hard, but trust me, after a few weeks you’ll feel so much better. 
Junior and senior year I studied abroad and in our nation’s capitol, where I now live(!), but I so wish I would have become part of the study abroad community starting my freshmen year. The people you meet there are unlike any other group on campus, plus there’s the benefit about learning about studying abroad sooner rather than later.

Related Post:10 Reasons You Should Study Abroad While in College

I’m gonna admit it, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I filed my FAFSA or accepted my grants and loans. If you’re feeling the same way talk to a guidance counselor, reach out to the financial advisers in your new school or simply talk to other people who have been through this before.

Did you make any embarrassing mistakes your freshmen year of college? Please tell me I’m not the only one who ended my first year with a few unnecessary experiences!

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College internships are absolutely necessary if you want to get a job straight out of college. Instead of taking the year after graduation to gain work experience, you can do so while in school! With so many universities offering internship programs, on campus internships and career fairs regularly, there is no excuse as to why you haven’t found the internship that is right for you.

Prior to your first day, you worry about how to write the best resume possible and researching the location you will be working. It’s not until you begin the work that you realize there is so much more to learn by being an intern besides a organization’s statistics and history. The last semester of my senior year I spent interning with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network as their Military Marketing Intern for sexual assault in the military. The skills and experiences I gained there have been applicable to every job I’ve been hired at since, which is why it is so important to soak in as much as you can in the limited time you have.

The head of your department only has so much work they can delegate to you, which is why you want to market yourself as willing to help anyone who is swamped with whatever project they are working on. As long as you keep your primary tasks a priority, there’s no problem with aiding other coworkers or interns with their assignments. What’s the point of being part of student organizations if you’re not going to use them to your advantage? This is especially true if you hold a leadership position. Being a Psychology and Women’s Studies major meant I took zero classes on social media and marketing, but that didn’t mean I had no idea how to use social media to market a product or organization. Mention the positions you hold and what organizations you are a member of. Just because the time you spend somewhere is unpaid doesn’t make the skills you learned any less valuable. Take time to get to know not only your supervisors, but your fellow interns as well. These are the people that are interested in the same things as you, whether that’s social media management or an organization’s mission statement. Keeping in touch with them after your internship ends is an easy way to network after college, plus, they can also serve as a reference later!

They want you to ask questions.

At the end of my internship my supervisor sat down with me and reviewed my time at the organization. She had nothing but positive things to say, except for one thing, she wanted me to ask more questions! Not because I had done anything wrong, simply because it would have given me an easy way to work with people who I otherwise had no reason to talk to. At the time I thought it was a strange suggestion but it makes sense now. What’s the best way to start a conversation with someone? Ask them a question! So learn from my mistakes and ask all the dumb questions you want, your coworkers want you to be engaged in the work you do! With my first internship taking place my last semester in college, I was hoping I’d somehow figure out my next step in the 4 months I was spending with the organization. Even though I knew grad school was in the future, I was completely confused about when or where to go. My supervisor and friends at work reassured me that they all felt the same way come graduation time, and many didn’t land a job they were passionate about until a few years after. So rest assured, you’re not alone in having no set direction. During college I took zero marketing or communications courses. With two declared majors, I had little space in my schedule for elective courses outside my field, but I didn’t let that stop me from branching out. Don’t be afraid to take the skills you learn outside the classroom and use them towards your advantage when applying for positions. I may not be a marketing major, but being a social media manager for Her Campus gave me the skills necessary to feel confident listing it on my resume.

Don’t compare yourself to other interns.

Remember how I said most people don’t know what they’re doing after college, well, most people dont. Then there’s those lucky few that know exactly what school they’ll be attending or already have an offer from a great job. Don’t worry if your fellow interns have done this sort of thing every single semester and already know the ins and outs on how to use the copy machine. Focus on your own growth and experiences at the company and rest assured that all the extracurriculars in the world won’t automatically land you a job after college.

Stay in touch with people from the office.

While you don’t need to send them holiday cards and email them constantly, staying in touch with past interns and coworkers serves two purposes; expands your professional network and provides you a reference. Once you graduate college no one is going to ask you for your grades, employers are much more interested in people who can vouch for you. Sending a thank you email once an internship has ended and connecting on spaces such as LinkedIn ensures that the people you work with don’t forget who you are without you having to constantly remind them about your time there. One afternoon my supervisor asked me if I wanted to go visit a joint base with her the next day at 7 am, meaning I’d have to face my boss before the sun had risen. I said yes. Not only was the trip much more exciting than any day I spent in the office, from this day forward my boss reached out to me for other opportunities outside the office. Had I said no, who knows what I would have been included in, which is why it is so important you take advantage of all opportunities. Yes, waking up early sucked, but in return I was able to do hands on work for the people I usually just spoke through over email. It’s what you do with that time that determines how valuable your internship is. My tasks as the Military Marketing Intern was to help the Marketing Manager write blog posts to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and fulfill orders for the organization’s promotional merchandise.The thing was, I usually finished all my work before lunch time. This is why I made an effort to reach out to the Social Media Manager to see if she needed help with anything or stopping by the content designers desk to lend a helping hand. Using my free time to network around the office not only helped me form more connections, it prevented me from sitting unproductively at my desk.

Did I completely miss something? Share in the comments below any tips you have on landing the best internship and what you learned from you internship experience!

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I want to start off by saying that I don’t regret a single part of my undergraduate experience, because each one of those experiences led me to where I am today. Actually, one thing I will take back. I should have dumped my loser high school boyfriend the moment he tried to convince me he “needed to focus on himself.” But besides that, totally sticking by all the stupid decisions I made! Freshmen year is this awesome experience that everyone likes to glamorize. Yeah moving away from home is fun and you get to meet all thees new people, but there are also parts that no one warns you about. Probably because RA’s are under contract to not talk about stuff like this, even though it’s a total disservice to those of us who come in green eyed and ready to mess up. Below you’ll find the 10 mistakes I made my freshmen year in college, ranging from those that cost me money I still owe to this day to the type I like to tell stories about at parties today. Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Long story short I had just had my heart broken for the first time and I was on the rebound. So, I kinda, sorta, maybe dated a drug dealer. That wasn’t the worst part. Our break up was terrible and I had to face him every day of freshmen year. Was it the end of the world? No. But it could have been avoided. Remember that drug dealer? Yeah I slept with him. Having to pass someone you dated was one thing, bringing by your new boyfriend to meet your door mates, including the guy who once saw you naked is another. There’s so many boys in college, steer clear of the ones you share an address with.

Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute

When registering for my first semester of classes no one told me anything besides the types of prerequisites expected of everyone. Do your research first so you don’t end up taking the most difficult classes your first semester. You wanna give yourself time to get used to your new life and schedule.

5. Didn’t join any campus organizations.

My secret goal freshmen year was to one day run for student body president. It never happened. I got caught up in doing the basic freshmen year things that made me reluctant to branch past my friensd for the first year. Don’t do the same, join a group, make friends outside your roommates and remember that your first year sets the precedent for your college experience. If you were thinking about buying your textbooks from the bookstore then think again. With websites like Amazon and Chegg, there’s no reason you need to pay full price for books. And for those of you who are serious about saving money each semester, check out my post on how to never spend a dime on college textbooks.

Related Post: How to Never Pay for College Textbooks Again

7. Didn’t take advantage of all the free events.

For some dumb reason I didn’t attend the homecoming events my freshmen year of college! Sure it didn’t completely ruin my life, but you wanna soak up those moments while you still can. Nowadays I pay to get in everywhere, some places wont even give me the student discount! Attend everything you can, while you can!

8. Continued to date my high school not-so-sweetheart.

Unfortunately I didn’t have many good friends during high school, at least not the kind that could tell me what a loser my boyfriend was. If you’re in an on and off relationship like I was, do yourself one big favor and cut ties. I know it’s hard, but trust me, after a few weeks you’ll feel so much better. 
Junior and senior year I studied abroad and in our nation’s capitol, where I now live(!), but I so wish I would have become part of the study abroad community starting my freshmen year. The people you meet there are unlike any other group on campus, plus there’s the benefit about learning about studying abroad sooner rather than later.

Related Post:10 Reasons You Should Study Abroad While in College

I’m gonna admit it, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I filed my FAFSA or accepted my grants and loans. If you’re feeling the same way talk to a guidance counselor, reach out to the financial advisers in your new school or simply talk to other people who have been through this before.

Did you make any embarrassing mistakes your freshmen year of college? Please tell me I’m not the only one who ended my first year with a few unnecessary experiences!

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College internships are absolutely necessary if you want to get a job straight out of college. Instead of taking the year after graduation to gain work experience, you can do so while in school! With so many universities offering internship programs, on campus internships and career fairs regularly, there is no excuse as to why you haven’t found the internship that is right for you.

Prior to your first day, you worry about how to write the best resume possible and researching the location you will be working. It’s not until you begin the work that you realize there is so much more to learn by being an intern besides a organization’s statistics and history. The last semester of my senior year I spent interning with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network as their Military Marketing Intern for sexual assault in the military. The skills and experiences I gained there have been applicable to every job I’ve been hired at since, which is why it is so important to soak in as much as you can in the limited time you have.

The head of your department only has so much work they can delegate to you, which is why you want to market yourself as willing to help anyone who is swamped with whatever project they are working on. As long as you keep your primary tasks a priority, there’s no problem with aiding other coworkers or interns with their assignments. What’s the point of being part of student organizations if you’re not going to use them to your advantage? This is especially true if you hold a leadership position. Being a Psychology and Women’s Studies major meant I took zero classes on social media and marketing, but that didn’t mean I had no idea how to use social media to market a product or organization. Mention the positions you hold and what organizations you are a member of. Just because the time you spend somewhere is unpaid doesn’t make the skills you learned any less valuable. Take time to get to know not only your supervisors, but your fellow interns as well. These are the people that are interested in the same things as you, whether that’s social media management or an organization’s mission statement. Keeping in touch with them after your internship ends is an easy way to network after college, plus, they can also serve as a reference later!

They want you to ask questions.

At the end of my internship my supervisor sat down with me and reviewed my time at the organization. She had nothing but positive things to say, except for one thing, she wanted me to ask more questions! Not because I had done anything wrong, simply because it would have given me an easy way to work with people who I otherwise had no reason to talk to. At the time I thought it was a strange suggestion but it makes sense now. What’s the best way to start a conversation with someone? Ask them a question! So learn from my mistakes and ask all the dumb questions you want, your coworkers want you to be engaged in the work you do! With my first internship taking place my last semester in college, I was hoping I’d somehow figure out my next step in the 4 months I was spending with the organization. Even though I knew grad school was in the future, I was completely confused about when or where to go. My supervisor and friends at work reassured me that they all felt the same way come graduation time, and many didn’t land a job they were passionate about until a few years after. So rest assured, you’re not alone in having no set direction. During college I took zero marketing or communications courses. With two declared majors, I had little space in my schedule for elective courses outside my field, but I didn’t let that stop me from branching out. Don’t be afraid to take the skills you learn outside the classroom and use them towards your advantage when applying for positions. I may not be a marketing major, but being a social media manager for Her Campus gave me the skills necessary to feel confident listing it on my resume.

Don’t compare yourself to other interns.

Remember how I said most people don’t know what they’re doing after college, well, most people dont. Then there’s those lucky few that know exactly what school they’ll be attending or already have an offer from a great job. Don’t worry if your fellow interns have done this sort of thing every single semester and already know the ins and outs on how to use the copy machine. Focus on your own growth and experiences at the company and rest assured that all the extracurriculars in the world won’t automatically land you a job after college.

Stay in touch with people from the office.

While you don’t need to send them holiday cards and email them constantly, staying in touch with past interns and coworkers serves two purposes; expands your professional network and provides you a reference. Once you graduate college no one is going to ask you for your grades, employers are much more interested in people who can vouch for you. Sending a thank you email once an internship has ended and connecting on spaces such as LinkedIn ensures that the people you work with don’t forget who you are without you having to constantly remind them about your time there. One afternoon my supervisor asked me if I wanted to go visit a joint base with her the next day at 7 am, meaning I’d have to face my boss before the sun had risen. I said yes. Not only was the trip much more exciting than any day I spent in the office, from this day forward my boss reached out to me for other opportunities outside the office. Had I said no, who knows what I would have been included in, which is why it is so important you take advantage of all opportunities. Yes, waking up early sucked, but in return I was able to do hands on work for the people I usually just spoke through over email. It’s what you do with that time that determines how valuable your internship is. My tasks as the Military Marketing Intern was to help the Marketing Manager write blog posts to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and fulfill orders for the organization’s promotional merchandise.The thing was, I usually finished all my work before lunch time. This is why I made an effort to reach out to the Social Media Manager to see if she needed help with anything or stopping by the content designers desk to lend a helping hand. Using my free time to network around the office not only helped me form more connections, it prevented me from sitting unproductively at my desk.

Did I completely miss something? Share in the comments below any tips you have on landing the best internship and what you learned from you internship experience!

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