Takeaways from my first year at Wellesley + advice for incoming first years

My first day of college began rainy and overcast and the last day of my first year of college ended that way as well. Today was my last day of classes, next week is final exams, and then I’m done with my first year at Wellesley. Tomorrow is the LDOC (last day of classes) concert and the band Muna is performing.

Today, I want to share advice for any incoming first years. First, a logistical tip: make sure you have a pair of scissors with you during move in! I can’t explain how helpful scissors were to open all the new items and packaging I had with me during move in.

Now for some more serious stuff: your first year at college will never be what you expect and that’s okay. Don’t be disappointed if everything doesn’t go the way you planned or imagined, everything works out for a reason.

For myself and most students, Wellesley is our first time being away from home. It was strange to be fully accountable for myself after leaving the bubble of my home environment; that freedom can be overwhelming. Slow down, don’t be in a rush to do everything and go to Boston the very first day of orientation or anything. We have four years to do all this stuff. If this freedom feels like too much, try to have a daily or weekly routine that keeps you grounded.

Some academic advice: in my opinion, don’t take too many challenging courses during fall shadow grading solely because it’s pass-fail. I feel like I did this during my first year fall and it burned me out a little.

I can’t repeat this enough: go to office hours or tutoring hours! They are so helpful. First of all, going to office hours when you’re struggling really helps you get your questions answered. Trust me, professors are not as scary as they seem and they hold office hours for a reason. Professors don’t want to just sit around in their offices, they genuinely want you to come and ask questions and see that you understand what they’re teaching. Another sly benefit: at the end of the semester, professors might remember that you made an effort to attend office hours often and genuinely learn the material. So, they might be a little more lenient with grading. But also, don’t attend office hours just for that reason!

So much advice is thrown at first years (I’m doing that myself right now), but nothing will teach you more than the experience itself. So go into Wellesley with an open mind and don’t let your expectations of Wellesley or your first year of college hold you back.

Thank you to whoever has been reading this year (probably my mom mostly, but that’s okay) This is my last post of the academic year. I’ve loved blogging my first year experience and I hope to continue in the fall when I’m a sophomore. Have a great summer and I will include some photos of fun memories from my first year at Wellesley 🙂