Things I Wish I Knew

Shannon Smith ‘19

  • Have no expectations    Shannon Smith smiling
    I had spent my whole summer before my first year picturing how my life was going to be when I left for school. Almost everything I expected to happen during my years in college has gone different than I thought it would and I am glad for that. Remember that everyone’s college experience is going to be different, so don’t compare and expect your time at here to play out the same as someone else’s.
  • Plan for an adjustment period
    I never expected my first month of college to be filled with homesickness and anxiety. I hoped those feelings would go away quickly, but they were constant throughout the whole first semester. The best advice I was given was from my mom who said, “Give it a year, you can’t expect to get adjusted right away because you’ve spent your whole life in another area, this is all new to you. If you still don’t like it there after a year, then you can decide if you want to leave.” I did exactly that, and though it may have been difficult in the beginning, I ended up staying at Plymouth State and loving every single year since.

Erik Armskog ‘21

  • Avoid Friday classes Erik Armskog playing soccer for Plymouth State
    If you get the opportunity to avoid classes on Fridays, take it. I wish someone told me to not take Friday classes before I started, it’s not that fun to go to class alone when everyone else has their Fridays off.
  • Go to as many games as you can
    I didn’t have time to go to a lot of games when I was in season, but I really enjoyed going to different games when our season was over. There’s a great atmosphere at every game here at PSU and it’s a good way to meet new people. Go to as many games as you can, even if it’s not your favorite sport.
  • Get to know your professors
    I wasn’t trying to get to know my professors during my first semester, which just made things more complicated. When I came back after winter break I decided to sit in the front row and get to know my professors better and it made everything much easier! Your professors wants to help you out, especially if they know who you are.

Kayleigh Bennett ‘18 

  • Invest in a reusable water bottle 
    Trust me on this one: if you don’t already have a reusable water bottle, buy one now! Kitchens aren’t readily available around campus, so make sure you fill up your bottle at a filtered water station. Sometimes called a hydration station, every building has one attached to a water fountain. Plus, reusable water bottles come in so many different styles and colors students often carry them around like accessories. I bought a Nalgene as a freshman and now it’s covered in a million stickers from events or activities that I had attended around campus.
  • Don’t forget your headphones
    I always double check to make sure I have my essentials before leaving my room: keys, student ID, phone, and headphones. Headphones will be a lifesaver for when you want to listen to music on your walk to class, when you want to watch Netflix while your roomie is napping, for when you need a hype song to get you started at the gym, and so much more. When it starts to get cold outside, use your headphones (with a microphone component) to make calls when you’re walking outside. That way you can talk to your friends and family hands-free so that you can keep your hands warm in your pockets.

Lillian O’Connor ‘19

Lillian O'Connor smiling outside Mary Lyon Residential HallSome advice I wish I received before coming into my first year of college would be to leave some of my stuff at home, you are over packed for sure, you won’t need it all, I promise! You can always get what you need next time you go home. Another thing I wish I knew before coming into college, would to be get a huge calendar, and write everything down, all the assignments, tests, quizzes, write it all down. Also print out all the syllabuses, it much easier to have them printed so you can highlight important dates and information. Lastly, I wish I knew to get into a schedule as soon as you can. It will make your life so much easier, and you will be less stress knowing you have a certain time to do homework and studying. Don’t forget to enjoy your first year of college, it will go by really fast!!