Everyone tells you to enjoy freshman year while it lasts. At first, I didn’t believe them or their glorified image of living in an overcrowded dorm with people you may or may not like for 10 months. Now, however, I sit in the very same shoes.
After a blissful year of endless memories and constant action, it’s hard to feel like I will ever experience this same exhilaration and whimsy again. While I do indeed already mourn freshman year like it’s a lost lover, I have devised a plan to run young and free forever. Without further ado, here is how to immortalize your freshman year experience all throughout college (and hopefully beyond)!
Side quests don’t stop with age
One of the most unforgettable freshman year experiences is that moment when you realize that you have no curfew, and thus, infinite capabilities. Late-night side quests make freshman year what it is, and that doesn’t have to stop in the following years. When your friend asks if you want to go to a concert in San Francisco with them at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday, just say yes. Sleep will always come back, but memories don’t.
Be a friend to all
Kindness costs nothing; this is something we all learned during welcome week. Whether it was that girl living down the hall from you or a random guy you saw eating alone during Golden Bear Orientation, we desperately reached for anyone and everyone to be our friend. Friends seemed to appear out of thin air and stick around for a hot minute, and that is part of why Welcome Week has such a special place in my heart. So, why not do the same all the time? If you see someone whose style you like, approach them and compliment them, and maybe you’ll have a new friend — reflecting the simplicity of Welcome Week friendships.
Never too old to try new things
Freshman year was a time of redefining myself: my style, my hobbies, the music I listened to, my friends and, in a sense, my personality. It was all about becoming a new and better version of myself, whether that was joining a club that sparked my interest or starting a new hobby that spoke to me. This time of change held a certain thrill, as I realized I could truly become the person I wanted to be. Even as freshman year closes, the door is still open to explore a million new possibilities in the new year! Strolling Sproul Plaza always reignites the fear and excitement of being a tiny freshman in a giant new world, so embrace the opportunities surrounding you. Who knows, maybe you have a secret knack for paleontology.
Try your hand at romance
The freshman year situationship: the inescapable canon event that eats away at your life for at least four months and makes you (and consequently, your friends) lose your mind. Wouldn’t recommend for sanity, but definitely would for vibes. As such, I think it is a fabulous idea to indulge in a bit of romance and insanity and get into a sophomore, junior or senior year situationship of doom and despair! Who knows, maybe this time they’re the one, and it won’t simply be a situation. Perhaps Berkeley is not the city of love, but hey, there is always Hinge.
Embrace the unc
A crucial component of freshman year is making questionable choices with your friends on nights out. Naturally, this free spirit should continue into the following years. After freshman year, that means taking a step away from the frats and exploring local college bars and clubs. We all know the classics — Kip’s, Kingfish, etc. — so go out and mingle with a crowd your age! I promise it will still be fun and a lot less weird. It might actually replicate that Welcome Week feeling of exploring the unknown of the frats once more. Nevertheless, going out is fun regardless of what year in college you are, and now is the time to make bad decisions and build your parent lore.
I’ve heard it a million times, and I, too, will say it again: To all the incoming freshmen out there, enjoy it while it lasts. It truly does feel like a party every day. To everyone else, however, let’s make the most of what we have left of college and embrace our inner freshman.