Guest post: Top things I’ve learned as a first-year student

In this Issue:

• Tonight is late night breakfast in the Pit
• Hanukkah begins tomorrow
• Reflections on the first semester from our intern, Sofia

I have one quick program note: was asked to share the link for tonight’s Panhellenic recruitment webinar (7 p.m.) one last time, so here it is.

Tonight is Late Night Breakfast in the Pit

Tonight at 10 p.m. in the Pit is our Late Night Breakfast, where students can come and eat all kinds of delicious breakfast foods to help fuel them for their finals studying. Staff and faculty are servers (I am one!) and there is music, fun, and more. Please encourage your Deacs to attend.

Hanukkah begins tomorrow

Wanted to share this from the Jewish Life newsletter:

“Hanukkah begins this Thursday, December 7th, at sundown. To learn more about The Festival of Lights, including the story and traditions, click here. 

Giant Menorah Lighting

• Thursday, December 7, starting at 6:30 p.m. Lower Quad. 
• Joint event organized by the Chabad and Hillel Student Boards.  Chanukah blessings, music, food (latkes and donuts), and games. 
• Everyone welcome! Bring your friends!”

Reflections on the first semester from our intern Sofia

We have a wonderful intern in our Communications and External Relations team, Sofia (’27). You may remember her from her videos about her first Hit the Bricks and Pitsgiving. I asked her if she would consider writing a reflection on her first semester of college, and she agreed to do so. I hope you enjoy hearing her perspective as much as I did.

“With the semester coming to an end, I’ve found myself reflecting on my first few months at Wake and what I’ve learned throughout this time. These are my top lessons:

Everyone is interesting

I’m the type of person that loves talking to people; I think I got it from my grandma. The phrase “someone might surprise you” is something I like to live by. One day, I was studying in my residence hall common room and another student from our building came up to me and we started talking. During this conversation, he showed me the poems he wrote as a side hobby and the clothing brand he created to get him through a tough time a few years ago. 

To me, that is what college is about: taking advantage of the close quarters we are in and learning from others. Sure, we come here to get a degree, but we should supplement that degree with valuable connections.

You get to know yourself by getting to know other people

“In college, you’ll find yourself,” is a phrase we hear a lot from parents or in movies, and while some might think this is through understanding your professional goals, for me it is through making friends. When you first meet someone, the conversations you have and what you think of them tell you a lot about who you are. Making and maintaining friends in college is a complete 180 from high school, so those people you decide to pursue a friendship with define what your priorities are. 

The highs are really high and the lows are really low

The first year is a rollercoaster. One day you feel like you’re on the top of the world and the next, in the Mariana Trench. Ok, I’m definitely exaggerating, but you get the point. So how should first-years handle this rollercoaster? I would encourage people to savor the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen next, of being unsure. We’re young, we still have all our lives ahead of us, what better time to be completely clueless?

We all have to learn to be comfortable with ourselves

If there’s one thing I would say should be a requirement during your first year is learning to be comfortable with yourself. Feeling alone will probably be a daily occurrence that can be hard at the beginning of the semester for some people. A positive thing that comes out of this, though, is that we learn to do the things that feel right for us. 

Your relationship with your parents/family will change

My parents were never strict in high school, so I don’t feel like I have a newfound freedom in college; I already had it. But college has shifted my relationship with my parents to a more friend-like relationship. I should call them more (sorry, mom!)

You don’t want to leave your past behind, but you also want to be a part of your new community

I lived in Madrid before moving to Wake, so this one is particularly important to me. I treasure my years in Madrid with all my heart; I love how Madrid changed me and the person I became. But I also know that it’s important to live in the present and take advantage of what I have at Wake. It is highly unlikely that we will ever be living with so many people our same age. So, instead of scrolling through social media, I make the effort to make more connections. 

Don’t ignore the power of Common Rooms

I think common rooms in our residence halls deserve more attention. Those common rooms are great places to meet the people in your building at the start of school, but also throughout the semester. I like to sit in my hall’s main common room and it’s almost completely assured that I’ll meet someone new. 

You have to take care of yourself 

One of the most important things in the transition from living with family to now living independently is to take care of yourself and be in tune with your needs. It’s really easy to push aside your own needs at the beginning, with all the newness and distractions of college, and to go along with what other people want. But I believe college is an opportunity to start learning how to put yourself first. 

If I could sum up everything into one sentence, it would be “Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, and remember you are not alone.” We are approximately 1,400 students in our graduating Class of 2027, and although it can feel isolating at times, we will all find our people.”  — Sofia Alonso Montalvo (’27)