7 First Year of College Mistakes We Never Made

In retrospect, I can say that our path was formed more by the errors we never committed during the first year of college, than by the victories. You've heard those horror tales of freshmen, missed deadlines, poor roommates, excessive food expenses? sure, I escaped quite a few of those, and a few by mere chance and others by the advice of older boys.

And believe me, these minor decisions may or may not make or break your first-year experience. So let's discuss what mistakes we did not make in the first year of college and see how this compares to the mistakes that we did not commit that just made the life of some of my friends more difficult. And it could help you avoid some of the sleepless nights (and a few dollars) in case you are about to enter college.

Why It Is Better to Discuss First-Year Mistakes.

The first year is exciting. New people. New freedom. New stress. The point is as follows: you can avoid some of the mistakes with ease when you are aware of them in advance. I can recall that I was thinking, why did nobody warn me about this?

That is why I am writing this blog, not to scare you but to provide you with the type of advice that I would have liked to have it all in one place. Imagine it is a talk with an elder sibling who has experienced it.

Also, in case you happen to be doing a research I know you are likely to find you are looking specifically to this: first year of college mistakes we never did or maybe first year of college mistakes that only made life more difficult. And that is what you will find here, no fake talk, no real life stories and no practical fixes.

1. Not Skipping Classes 

Skipping too many classes is one of the mistakes many of my friends made in the first year of college that made their life difficult. I did not get into such a trap and this was primarily due to the fact that my parents drilled into my head that being at school is free marks.

Why I avoided it:

•  Professors give hints on exams during lecture.
•  Attendance points are given on some classes (and it is worse to lose them than you think).
•  You can’t keep up with a textbook.

I recall having one of my friends who believed that it will be all right to pass up on one class. By midterms he was lagging, lost, and pleading to take notes. At the same time I was just sitting in the same classroom, perhaps half-sleeping, but at least I did not need to revise all the material of the syllabus the night before the exams.

2. Budgeting from Day One 

Some of the first-year college errors that we have never made are excesses in food and parties. I do not mean that I never spend money; however, I made a basic weekly budget on my phone.

• $40 for food outside.
• Fun stuff (movies, snacks, impulse coffee runs) is $10.
• Rest saved for emergencies.

It happened that one night a group of friends spent all their week's allowance in a restaurant. I ordered but something cheap. By Friday they were penniless and were borrowing money, as I still had money to last the weekend. Simple Google Sheet to keep track of your expenses.

3. Choosing Friends Wisely 

This one’s tricky. During your first year, you will be having the urge that you have to be friends with everybody. Sticking to the wrong crowd was one of the first year college missteps that left quite a number of people in a tangle.

I stayed cautious. I did not hurry to join large groups but kept a few of the people who really inspired me. Well, I did miss a few parties, but it also meant I was not dragged into drama.

Lesson? Your energy draws your people. And in college your tribe can lead you up or drag you down.

4. Asking for Help Early 

What were our mistakes in the first year of college? Faking knowledge. I was not afraid to approach professors, seniors or even Google when I was lost.

And my friend, who had silent company, presumed that to ask questions was to appear stupid. Spoiler: by the end of the finals, he was lost in bewilderment.

Conversing with your professor during office hours will help you to grapple. In fact, they admire those students who are even interested to ask. 

5. Not Procrastinating (Too Much) 

Alright, I admit it I procrastinated. But I didn’t let it destroy me. The mistakes made during the first year of college were usually initiated by I will do it tomorrow, which caused assignments to be completed late. Today was tomorrow, and the next minute it was 3 in the morning and there was a deadline at 9.

What I did instead:

• Broke tasks into bits.
• Employed the Pomodoro method (25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of a break).
• Gave myself a reward (snacks or YouTube) once I completed a section.

I was not that good, but I got through.

6. Balancing Fun and Studies

The initial college errors that we never committed were to go to one extreme or the other one: either studying the whole day or being part of the party every day. Balance is everything.

I worked on weekends and partied on weekends. It made both more enjoyable.

Students who were friends and studied through the night got exhausted. The partiers who were partying all night long... just say they took courses again.

7. Taking Care of Health 

This one’s underrated. The initial college errors that caused students to be miserable were negligence towards health - late-night junk food, lack of exercise and sleep.

I was not so perfect either, but I ensured I:

• Do not use the bus all the time to go to class; walk.
• Take water rather than soda only.
• Sleep at least 6 hours.

During the finals I was energetic, whereas the rest were caffeinated and panicking.

Final Thoughts

A retrospective of my life, I have been proud of the mistakes we never made in the first year of college. They may appear small but they contributed to a smoother and less stressful college life.

To recap, here are the big ones:

1. Don’t skip too many classes.
2. Budget wisely.
3. Pick the right friends.
4. Ask for help.
5. Don’t procrastinate (too much).
6. Balance fun with studies.
7. Take care of your health.

These are not the thing to avoid to make college perfect. You’ll still stumble. But you will fall on fewer occasions, and, believe me, that is everything.

Then, as you start your first semester, you want to consider this question: Which of these pitfalls do I stand to fall into most of all? And then don’t. Future you will thank you.