Planting my feet on campus grounds during move-in weekend, I remember the butterfly blend of excitement and anxiety deep in my stomach. As a chronic overthinker of all things past, present and future placed in a new life three hours away from home, one can only imagine the whirlwind of thoughts spinning through my mind as a freshman. I immediately threw myself into campus life, trying to make friends and find community. I joined The Collegian staff the first week of classes, and the person who was supposed to be my co-editor quit the day of the first meeting. In this first year, you try to listen to all the advice you receive: “Get involved! Make friends! Try new things! Get a job! But also, get all your work done and succeed academically! And don’t forget about your faith; be sure you do not forget about God!”
In my Asbury experience, there is a continuous cycle of learning, growing, failing and learning again. And within those moments of failure, I’ve learned that it is incredibly challenging to maintain and uphold these expectations with complete success. The imbalance is overwhelming. Beloved Class, although I am adding to the list of people screaming advice at you, here are three straightforward lessons I have learned over the past few years that I hope will help instead of overwhelm you.
1.Don’t be afraid of FOMO.
You will have so many opportunities during your years here on campus. Take your time. Many events will repeat themselves; you still need rest even if they do not. You do not have to join every club or go to every event to live life to its fullest.
Experiencing rest is also creating a valuable memory. My favorite memories on campus are not oriented around an event- they center around the people I was with or the emotions I felt. One of my favorite memories on campus was a quiet Saturday morning when I showered, put on my favorite matching set, cleaned my room, put my favorite vinyl on my Crosley and wrote one of my favorite editorials. Those in-between, quiet moments can be the most comforting memories of college.
There is power in being selective in your experiences. Your college life is more curated for yourself as an individual if you choose what you want to do instead of forcing yourself to go to everything.
2.Get off campus
At Asbury, we live in something referred to as the “Asbury bubble.” We are blessed that our campus is a bubble of safety, security and like-minded individuals. But as followers of Christ and just human beings, creating community outside of this space is good and healthy. Find a coffee shop to study at, go to the Jessamine County Public Library, take a walk at a nearby park or grab your keys and go on a drive. It is not illegal to leave. Taking a step off campus can create a space for a broader perspective that is beneficial and rejuvenating.
3.Take advantage of free stuff
Asking for help is scary, but at Asbury, so many avenues of support are provided to students. If you are in need of academic assistance, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) has openings for students to schedule times with a writing consultant, tutor, or academic coach. Everyone wants you to succeed academically; everything is confidential if you struggle with pride like I do.
Every professor has office hours. Go to your professors if you need clarification about assignments. Their job is to teach you, and they want to help you. Creating relationships with your professors will enrich your experience, deepen your understanding and potentially increase your social network.
The Center for Wholeness and Wellness also has counseling services and wellness groups available for free. I went to counseling at the beginning of last semester, and it was such a helpful experience. Your counselor will genuinely want to help and serve you the best way they can, so go. Especially as a first-semester freshman, it will help to have an outside perspective to give you more guidance.
Some more lighthearted opportunities free of cost are working out or even going on walks at the LUCE Center and enjoying the occasional food and fun provided by the Student Activities Cabinet or other clubs on campus.
Beloved Class, welcome to Asbury. We hope you take your time along the journey that awaits you. Your experience can be what you want it to be. There is no pressure, only grace. And if you stumble, know there are people to pull you back up. We are so grateful you are here.
A message to the Beloved Class
Planting my feet on campus grounds during move-in weekend, I remember the butterfly blend of excitement and anxiety deep in my stomach. As a chronic overthinker of all things past, present and future placed in a new life three hours away from home, one can only imagine the whirlwind of thoughts spinning through my mind as a freshman. I immediately threw myself into campus life, trying to make friends and find community. I joined The Collegian staff the first week of classes, and the person who was supposed to be my co-editor quit the day of the first meeting. In this first year, you try to listen to all the advice you receive: “Get involved! Make friends! Try new things! Get a job! But also, get all your work done and succeed academically! And don’t forget about your faith; be sure you do not forget about God!”
In my Asbury experience, there is a continuous cycle of learning, growing, failing and learning again. And within those moments of failure, I’ve learned that it is incredibly challenging to maintain and uphold these expectations with complete success. The imbalance is overwhelming. Beloved Class, although I am adding to the list of people screaming advice at you, here are three straightforward lessons I have learned over the past few years that I hope will help instead of overwhelm you.
1.Don’t be afraid of FOMO.
You will have so many opportunities during your years here on campus. Take your time. Many events will repeat themselves; you still need rest even if they do not. You do not have to join every club or go to every event to live life to its fullest.
Experiencing rest is also creating a valuable memory. My favorite memories on campus are not oriented around an event- they center around the people I was with or the emotions I felt. One of my favorite memories on campus was a quiet Saturday morning when I showered, put on my favorite matching set, cleaned my room, put my favorite vinyl on my Crosley and wrote one of my favorite editorials. Those in-between, quiet moments can be the most comforting memories of college.
There is power in being selective in your experiences. Your college life is more curated for yourself as an individual if you choose what you want to do instead of forcing yourself to go to everything.
2.Get off campus
At Asbury, we live in something referred to as the “Asbury bubble.” We are blessed that our campus is a bubble of safety, security and like-minded individuals. But as followers of Christ and just human beings, creating community outside of this space is good and healthy. Find a coffee shop to study at, go to the Jessamine County Public Library, take a walk at a nearby park or grab your keys and go on a drive. It is not illegal to leave. Taking a step off campus can create a space for a broader perspective that is beneficial and rejuvenating.
3.Take advantage of free stuff
Asking for help is scary, but at Asbury, so many avenues of support are provided to students. If you are in need of academic assistance, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) has openings for students to schedule times with a writing consultant, tutor, or academic coach. Everyone wants you to succeed academically; everything is confidential if you struggle with pride like I do.
Confident in things I’m bad at
Every professor has office hours. Go to your professors if you need clarification about assignments. Their job is to teach you, and they want to help you. Creating relationships with your professors will enrich your experience, deepen your understanding and potentially increase your social network.
The Center for Wholeness and Wellness also has counseling services and wellness groups available for free. I went to counseling at the beginning of last semester, and it was such a helpful experience. Your counselor will genuinely want to help and serve you the best way they can, so go. Especially as a first-semester freshman, it will help to have an outside perspective to give you more guidance.
Some more lighthearted opportunities free of cost are working out or even going on walks at the LUCE Center and enjoying the occasional food and fun provided by the Student Activities Cabinet or other clubs on campus.
Beloved Class, welcome to Asbury. We hope you take your time along the journey that awaits you. Your experience can be what you want it to be. There is no pressure, only grace. And if you stumble, know there are people to pull you back up. We are so grateful you are here.