On Looking Back: Insight & Advice for Freshman Year

I found the most perfect dandelion today- you know the drill: make a wish and blow~

Hey Guys! Hope you had a fantastic holiday and (much needed I'm sure) rest!
Now that it's my last semester at Cal, I've been looking back at my time here quite a bit and I've decided to share some insights and advice with you :)

My Freshman Year:

For me, freshman year was an emotional roller-coaster. It was very hard to leave the comfort of home and immerse myself in a completely new setting, around completely new people. And the scariest thing was the realization that I was truly getting older, that my childhood was essentially over- it was a very solemn feeling. And I think being afraid of leaving home made me worry even more about succeeding in college and getting into medical school.

So that summer after high school passes by, and I finally enter college. Turns out, not as scary as I thought it would be haha. I think going into the dorms helped immensely with that, since I was constantly surrounded by friends and I loved my roommates, which made the dorm experience exciting and fun, allowing me to forget my fears and homesickness for a little bit.
As for classes, I was used to pushing myself in high school so most of the class transitions weren't too difficult. However, I remember chem 1A being the stuff of nightmares for me. I wish I could show you my journal entries during my first year at cal, but it would be too depressing- all because of chem 1A. I remember thinking that no matter how hard I try, I was not going to do well in that class, and that's when my fears for medical school started. After all, if I can't even get passed a lower div science class, how was I going to survive the rest of my years at Cal? (that was the over arching theme in my journal entries haha). However, as you can see, I'm not doing too bad now- just needed to get over those bumps (more like hills..) in the beginning :)

So if I can give myself some advice for my freshman year, I would say:

-Have fun- really. Looking back, freshman year was the only year that I had the excuse of being a freshman to ignore commitments for the time being (i.e volunteering, research, clubs, etc.). Don't get me wrong- I've gone to a few parties and hung out with my friends, but I feel like I should have done more.  When you're a freshman (assuming you don't know your college and surrounding area extensively), everything is new and shiny and unexperienced- so go out and do stuff (however, not to the extent where it'll hurt your grades!).
-Don't freak out over a failed exam- I did this way too many times to count. However in my defense, I didn't fully appreciate the role of a curve back then and thought that curves were the worst abominations imaginable haha. Now I realize that curves can be your best friends, since it can turn a failing grade into an average grade, and not the other way around :) Most of my anxieties from freshman year came from chem 1A (as i've mentioned before) and they were due to the fact that I scored so poorly on my exams (and perhaps the fact that we had four midterms and a final...). My life would have been much easier had I known that curves would help my grades be more tolerable ;)
-Don't worry about future classes- upper divs are not as difficult as lower divs (for IB majors, unfortunately I believe MCB upper divs are pretty difficult as well :( If/when you're struggling, just take it day by day- call your family, friends, eat some ice cream, take a break- but don't let the stress break you 
-Go to office hours/study hall lectures/rent books- don't be afraid to get the help you need! When I was struggling with chem, my mom gave me an invaluable piece of advice: if what you're doing is not working for you, then do it a different way! After she told me that, I checked out one chemistry textbook after another to try and learn the material a different way- a more conceptual way. I don't know if it helped me in the class, but it's a strategy that I employ to this day :) Also, if you're struggling with a concept/lecture/homework, go to office hours and study hall! I rarely went during freshman year, and now I wish I would have. I go often now that I know better haha And even when i don't need help with the material, I go to get a grasp of what the teacher is trying to emphasize in class so I know what to focus on when I study.
-Take advantage of all the libraries and cafes at Cal- studying in the dorms can be very difficult so try studying at the library or a quiet cafe. If those places don't work out, try finding a place where you can optimize your studying! During my freshman year, I would always try to force myself to study in the dorms due to my laziness, and the rare times I would go to the library to study, I ended up getting much more work done.
-Start studying at the beginning of dead week- many people I know (including myself at the time) chill/relax the first few days of dead week. And I know it's extremely tempting to since an entire week sounds like a lot of time to study...at the beginning.. wait till it's wednesday haha. Now, I study right when dead week starts and that allows me to optimize dead week and not put so much pressure in cramming a semester's worth of material in a few days!

This post is getting ridiculously long, so I'll end it there. For those of you who are still in your freshman year or entering your freshman year at Cal, I hope this post helps! For those of you who are past your freshman year and have any advice to add, please do not hesitate to comment!

I'll do a sophomore year advice soon!

Until then, best regards
-K