“Trust yourself and what you are capable of. Even now, I always struggled with making decisions or ‘trusting the process’ when it came to choosing my major, my career or even what I wanted to do on a Friday night. For overthinkers like myself, I think it is important to be aware that there are some things that are outside of your control and you need to learn how to see things from another perspective. Work around the problem in a new way you haven’t thought of before. Most importantly, learn to trust yourself and the decisions that you make. You know more than you think you do,” said Christina McLaughlin, co-editor-in-chief
“I would tell my freshman self to make daily and weekly to-do lists at the start of each semester. I have always been really good with turning things in on time and staying on top of due dates, but when you’re taking a full course load, it can start to get difficult and it can feel like you’ll never check off everything on your to-do list. This always made me feel guilty and stressed whenever I was taking breaks or not doing my work. Instead, part way through my freshman and into my sophomore year, I started breaking my tasks down to daily to-do lists, which included everything from doing and turning in assignments to getting groceries. That way, when I finished everything I wanted to accomplish in a day, I could actually relax. At the beginning of each semester, I would even write down all my due dates for assignments from my syllabi so they were all in the same place. This style of organization has made managing my academics so much less stressful,” said Madelyn Rinka, co-editor-in-chief
“The advice I would give to my freshman self is to get involved in the NSU community. Despite having been interested in writing and working with The Current since my freshman year, it took me until the end of sophomore year to get involved with the paper. I would also tell myself to enjoy the little things and attend events. Time begins to fly as you go through your college years. Make sure you get a headstart on the things you want to get involved in. Be confident, be yourself and follow your heart — even if that means changing majors or thinking outside of the box . They say college is one of the best times in your life, but that is entirely up to you. Make college what you want it to be and never lose that strive to learn in every way you can,” said Flor Ana Mireles, copy editor
“I had more than one ‘freshman’ experience. As a commuter transfer student, I’d say I had two. With that in mind, my best advice is to sandwich your first week with many different club meetings and find your space on campus. Then, go to the next meeting of the clubs and organizations where you found your vibe and keep going to them. Don’t be afraid to join a club that is only a related interest and not your major. It was then that I learned I should have been a communication major,” said Kathleen Crapson, chief of visual design.
“I would tell myself to stick to my hobbies and stay confident in myself. As time passes by, you will see so many amazing people with amazing abilities. However, that doesn’t make you automatically bad at what you want to do. Keep your head up and continue to develop your abilities and observe those that are skilled. You can learn a thing or two from them. Continue to grow in confidence in who you are and always remember to be just as kind to yourself as you are to others. Always keep an eye out for opportunities — they are everywhere. Finally, never underestimate the effects of everyday simplicities. From a nice ‘hello’ to the occasional ‘what’s up,’ they tend to build up over time and bloom friendships you never thought possible,” said Mario Lorrimer, business manager.
“Having only recently finished up my freshman year, my advice is probably a lot more close to home than general. I would tell myself to find friends that are good for you and to not waste time on people who you know would bring you down. A large portion of my first semester was wasted on people who I thought were my friends, but in reality, did not want the best for me. The second semester, I was luckily enough to find a group of people who bring me up and want me to achieve everything that I can in life. For any freshmen reading, find that group that lifts you up and know that it is okay to drop those people who are not good for you,” said Rick Esner, news editor
“If I could give a piece of advice to freshman Emma, I would tell her not to be afraid to put herself out there. I was very involved in high school and felt very comfortable with all of the people I surrounded myself with, so coming to college was the first time I ever felt like the ‘new kid.’ Even though everyone is the new kid as a freshman, it took me a long time to become comfortable with being who I was again and I wish I would have taken more opportunities my freshman year to put myself out there and experience new things. I know it’s never too late to get involved and live the life I want to live, but maybe with that advice, it wouldn’t have taken me a year and a half to realize,” said Emma Heineman, features editor
“Although I’ve just wrapped up my freshman year, if I could go back in time, the advice I would give myself is to always keep improving. I started a self improvement path this year and would sometimes deviate from the things I know I had to do to get better mentally, physically and emotionally. Waking up early was a crucial part of my day if I wanted to be sharp for the rest of the day, but sometimes, I would tell myself that it was okay to sleep in a little more, which would throw off the rest of my day. Always try to be better than the day before; if you can do that, you’re one step ahead,” said Cameron Pritchett, sports editor
“If I could give a piece of advice to my freshman year self, it would be to talk to your roommates more. I got along with my roommates just fine, and I’m friends with one of them now, but even though I pushed myself to try to go to every event, make new friends and join clubs, once I got home, I sort of holed up inside my room. You don’t always have to be best friends with your roommates, but I think it would have been a lot of fun and they were all really nice people. We never really talked or texted about anything unless it was necessary, and I think it would have been nice to have people right in my suite to go to if I was having any issues or letting them know they could come to me as well,” said Sofia Gallus, arts & entertainment editor
“When I was in high school, I was extremely involved in clubs and organizations. But now, I don’t really have the time to get involved with anything besides The Current. I wish that I had managed my time better the first year so that I could have joined more. Some advice about time management would have been great,” said Alexander Martinie, opinions editor
