Some advice for incoming freshmen

Jordan Boyer, Editor-in-Chief

College is a new experience, and it is really hard to adjust to this sort of lifestyle at first.

Balancing a social life, school and in some cases work, is hard at first, but you will get used to it.

I know way to many people that came to Eastern and failed/ dropped out of school after their first semester due to their mistakes.

Learning how to balance your time is the most effective method when adjusting to the new college life. You need to learn how to have a healthy social life and have an effective school life.

Do not skip classes, even if it is a class you find unnecessary for your major. Do not let the night life here in Charleston dominate your whole life. Find new friends, but remember there can be toxic people in this community.

I was a never a part of Greek life, but Eastern has a great Greek program. If you are interested in that kind of community, I am sure you will find a fraternity/ sorority that suits you. I have had many friends and associates that are a part of the Greek life here and they love it.

Just remember that your education is important and expensive, maybe instead of partying one night you finish that paper you have been procrastinating on, or go to a social event on campus that does not have alcohol involved.

Take advantage of the smaller campus culture and build relationships with your professors. At bigger universities you have to stand out significantly to build a relationship with your professor. That is usually not the case here at Eastern

While general education classes here have large classes, depending on your major, once you hit higher level classes you will have mostly the same students and professors each semester, so take advantage of it.

Trust me, college (especially the first couple of years) is a blast, you will have the best and worst times here, but it is all worth it.

It is crucial to not mess up your first year here, because if you do mess up with your grades, your overall GPA will be affected for the rest of your time in university. In some cases you can fail/drop out and waste all the money you spent to come here.

You will find your own system to balance your time here at Eastern, it all just depends on if you can figure it out during your freshman year.

Jordan Boyer is a senior history major, he can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].