You’ve had Winter Break. Now, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. You have a fresh start with your classes, clubs, and extracurriculars. The question is: what are you going to do to make this the most productive semester possible? How will you maximize your happiness, wellbeing, and overall college experience? Below are 12 things to do in spring semester for freshmen, from academics to extracurriculars to peace of mind.
#1: Evaluate Your First Semester
The beginning of your spring semester is a great opportunity to reflect. What went well first semester? What didn’t? How will you implement that knowledge into this current semester?
For example, did you go to too many parties and not study enough? Or maybe you studied too much and didn’t take advantage of your school’s social opportunities. On a different topic, did your studying methods work for you? Did you feel involved on your campus? What is your overall feeling about school and campus life right now?
Consider all of these as you look at your priorities and any changes you might want to make. Spring semester for freshmen is certainly busy, but you can help balance this out by an honest evaluation and analysis.
#2: Examine Your Priorities
We all have priorities, and people prioritize different things. If you say that everything is an equal priority, you’re lying to yourself. We prioritize things according to our values and our available time. If you see everything as an equal priority, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. Balance is good. Running yourself into the ground isn’t.
To remedy this, I suggest making a list of all of your current priorities and/or obligations. Rank them in terms of their current importance in your life. Next to that, rank them in terms of how much time they take up. If there are any discrepancies between these two lists, consider what you want to (and can) change.
After you do that, start brainstorming how and when you will make those changes. The idea is that your schedule and your energy should align with your priorities, and your priorities should align with your values and wellbeing. It sounds simpler than it is, but once you figure this out, life becomes much easier.
#3: Make Any Necessary Changes
Continuing with the pattern, don’t wait around for change to happen. Make it yourself. If you know that you’re going to need to change something, do it sooner rather than later. This might be a mindset or attitude, a habit, a living situation, a major, or a schedule. Whatever it is, obviously weigh out the pros and cons and consult others in your trusted circle, but take decisive action before too much time passes.
#4: Start Off Strong with Your Classes
An obvious one, but necessary. You understand how college classes work at this point. It might still be a work in progress, but you’ve started to figure out a work and study flow. Use that knowledge to your advantage. Put in the effort from the start, and keep it going strong throughout the semester. Implement the needed changes. Additionally, take advantage of campus supports (free tutoring or study groups). Lean on your professors and classmates.
So many college freshmen face grade dips because they’re drunk off of freedom and neglect their schoolwork. If this is you, make a resolution to improve this semester. If this isn’t you, keep up the great work!
#5: Connect with Professors
During your first semester, you might have just been trying to figure things out. Now that you’re a bit more acquainted with the campus and the academics, it’s time to really start getting to know your professors. Go to their office hours more often. Participate in class. Express your interest in their research. Try to make connections! This will not only help you in your learning journey, but it will also open you up to research or TA opportunities. Professors are a great resource. Don’t overlook them.
#6: See What Opportunities Your Campus Has
Your campus is a wonderful source of opportunity. Whether you are a commuter or resident, there’s something for everyone. Take some time to explore the various services your campus offers. Make it a resolution to get involved with something that you care about!
Many campuses have supports and activities for various identity groups (gender, sexuality, race, religion, ethnicity, commuter, etc). If you want to focus on a specific topic or activity (i.e., volunteering with kids, art, or international studies), you can find a club. If it doesn’t exist already, you can create it yourself.
Furthermore, consider other ways that you can become more integrated into your campus community. Are there campus-sponsored events like bowling nights or free concerts? Is there student government? What about interesting programs or lectures scheduled by your campus?
College is a wonderful time to find yourself and remain open to the opportunities that are out there. That’s why one of my top tips on how to spend spring semester for freshmen is literally just that–take advantage of what is given to you and get out there!
#7: Make Sure Your Social Media Is Clean
This one shouldn’t need to be said, but it is super important. Way too often, college students post stupid things on their social media. A large majority of employers check social media before hiring someone. You’ve probably heard this before, but it really is critical to consider. Is there anything on any of your social media that could be considered inappropriate? Think about sexually explicit/provocative pictures, any photos involving substances, morally unflattering photos, anything with controversial, hateful, and/or inappropriate text, and anything else that you might not want a parent or employer to see.
If anything comes to mind, scrub it. I can’t tell you the number of people I went to school with who posted stupid things and risked employment. It’s great that you’re having fun. Just don’t show the whole world everything, especially people who might be able to push you ahead. Remember that your social media reflects who you are. You want people to get the right impression.
#8: Start Seeking Out Leadership Opportunities
Jobs, internships, and graduate programs all look for leadership opportunities in college. It’s a great time to start this during spring semester for freshmen. Look for leadership opportunities in two categories: formal leadership and informal leadership.
Formal leadership might be something like getting involved in student government or doing a leadership certificate or minor. This gives you some background into leadership theory as well as practical experience executing it.
Informal leadership focuses more on your interactions with your peers and participating in on campus activities or volunteer work. While you might not hold a formal leadership title, you are still becoming involved with something, which looks good on a resume. It also helps a lot if you don’t have much to put on your starter resume!
#9: Visit Your Career Center
Your campus should have a career center. Visiting this is one of the best things to do in spring semester for freshmen. There, you can usually make an appointment with a career counselor to do some of the following things:
- Work on your resume
- Practice interviewing
- Learn about job opportunities
- Help you through interest inventories
- Connect you with job fairs
As my career center at SDSU always said, it’s not what you know, but who you know. The sooner you start networking, the better!
#10: Meet with an Advisor
One of the best things to do in spring semester for freshmen is to meet with an advisor. Your academic advisor is a critical support in your college journey. They will be able to tell you what classes you can or need to take to graduate. They can also warn you if you’re falling behind on units and connect you with support. It’s best practice to meet with an advisor at least once a semester. If you’re considering switching majors or are struggling with your classes, be sure to schedule a meeting right away.
#11: Consider Applying for Internships or Jobs
If you’ve read anything on this website, you will see how much I love internships. In my opinion, this is one of the best things college students can do to prepare themselves for the future. There are tons of benefits to internships, which you can read about here. It can definitely be intimidating to consider applying to an internship as a freshman, but it’s a rewarding and fantastic idea if you have the ability to do so.
Like I mentioned with the career center, it’s great to start building your network and resume early. Especially if you don’t know what you want to do, internships are a great way to explore. They’re a wonderful learning experience, and both summer and spring semester for freshmen are great times for internship opportunities.
#12: Look Ahead for the Next Three Years
The early bird catches the worm. Whether it’s networking, planning a study abroad, figuring out whether or not you need to do summer class at the community college, or making sure that you are on track with your major, it’s important to start early. Meeting with your advisor and the career center will certainly help this. However, it’s good to go further and get a sense of your goals for your college experience. What do you want to do? How will you make it happen? What can you try to get there?
All of these are important things to consider in spring semester for freshmen in college. You still have time to explore. Take advantage of it.
A Final Word
Your freshman year is exciting. There are so many opportunities and new experiences thrown at you that it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or lost. But that’s why I’m here! Use this article as a checklist for what to do in spring semester for freshmen. Hopefully this makes your life a little easier.
Is there anything else that you think should be included here? Let me know!
Photo Credit: Photo by Matt Ragland on Unsplash
