Welcome, and welcome back. For those of you who've spent one, two or more years at Miami University already, let's hope you already know this stuff. Then again, it's foolish to assume much of anything, and since it may apply, please feel free to read on.
First-years, you've managed to gain admission to college. Well done. Now prepare to start fresh again. No one knows who you are, which can be both good and bad. Good if you were a deviant, because now you can get serious, or a loser, because now you can get cool. Bad, if you were awesome, because all the people familiar with your awesomeness are spread across the country and you must now re-establish said awesomeness. On this note, it is important to come to grips with the fact that what made you cool in high school might not apply anymore. For example, you will no longer find cool tables where all the cool kids congregate. Rather all tables now have about an equal level of coolness. If you manage to figure out how to get a seat, any at all, during lunch at Bell Tower, consider yourself awesome. (Hint: seats run out before the food does, so prioritize). College is way better than high school, and Miami is better than any other university, so you already win.
For those of you who already feel homesick, it does go away. Also, you should know that as unique and special as your particular sufferings are, you are not alone. I'd venture to say that most, if not all, in your hall are feeling similarly, even if they're adept at hiding it. (Pssst, if you can't tell they are missing mom and dad, do you think they can tell you are?). Act like you aren't homesick and soon enough you'll find that you really aren't. For example, people who aren't homesick socialize. So prop open your door with the totally sweet bricks you painted and start flowing around your corridor. If you suck at meeting new people, you're about to get really good at it. Over the next few weeks, you'll probably introduce yourself to the same people dozens of times before you each remember the other's name. But once you make it over that awkward bump, you'll think the idea of living in the same building as your friends is brilliant and wonder how you ever got along without it.
If you're fretting about fitting in, let me save you some trouble. College is bigger (and better). Pursue your passions and you will fit in pretty much automatically. Enough people have matured sufficiently, so they appreciate a little weirdness on your part (usually because it means they can show how weird they really are). You aren't likely to meet your best friends forever within the first week anyway (or at least you won't realize that you are BFFs that fast), so give it some time.
Miami is first and foremost a school, and you (or if you're fortunate, your parents) are paying the big bucks for you to get an education here, but that means something very different than it did in high school. A college education is more than textbooks and exams (though you'll have plenty of each). It's more about the whole experience. There's nearly as much learning to be done outside the classroom as in it. You are learning to be a real person here. Trying a few new things is the best way to figure out what kind of person you are, or to become the kind of person you want to be. If you haven't yet realized (woe is you), you are now in control of your life.
Curfew? You decide. Studying? You choose. Congratulations on your newfound power, you're about to learn whether you or your parents are better at running your life. And the truth is, it can get ugly. If you thrive, welcome home. If that's not so much the case, well, you've got a few years to learn. It's really all about balance. If you're determined to have more fun than you should, you may find your name in The Student's police beat. While you definitely should make a habit of reading it, you should make a goal (it's not that lofty) of avoiding making appearances in it. This paper only prints twice a week, so it'll be another three or four days before a new issue with new offenders takes the attention off your transgressions.
Despite the informative (read: boring and ineffective) program known as AlcoholEdu, which you all had the pleasure of completing, drinking is part of college. (I'm certainly not advocating it, and I feel the need to add here that underage drinking is illegal.) But there are other (or additional) ways to have fun. Of course, explore uptown (if your tour guide did not inform you, when you go "to town," you walk up a slight hill, so you go uptown, not downtown). But Miami itself has a lot to offer, which you'll learn at MegaFair, a giant gathering of clubs and organizations, where you can sign away your soul. Keeping busy will help combat any homesickness you are experiencing and will help you meet people with shared interests. While in your eagerness you might be tempted to sign up for everything you see there, the truth is you'll only have time for a few. Despite time limitations, go ahead and sign up for more than you can handle. Give something different a try, even if your participation won't last the semester (or even past the first meeting). Who knows, you may find you really like something unexpected. If not, at least you know it's not for you. This principle of trial and error will come up repeatedly throughout your college career. And even though the errors suck, I promise you learn just as much from them as you do the successes.
One thing you must try at least once is intramural broomball. Don't worry if you're not the super athletic dodgeball player you were in junior high, the games are short and only as serious as your team makes them. Serious or not, I recommend renting shoes. Not only do they provide better traction, but you also feel like you're walking on your own personal moonbounce (if only these were fashionable for everyday use).
While you're figuring out who you are (yes, college is a path of self-discovery), remember you came here to earn a degree. You probably already know the kind of student you are (though we all can surprise ourselves from time to time) and how you study best. Still, if I can offer one piece of academic advice, get to know your professors. They know a lot more than they have time to tell you, and I've found professors enjoy your visit to their office hours as much as you do. Perhaps I've been fortunate, but I'd like to think my experience isn't all that unique. Your professors, after all, want to see you succeed. As long as you are willing to learn, they'll teach you.
Obviously, I can't cover everything about Miami in this column. But some things about this school you really have to learn for yourself. (If, for example, you are reading this, you managed to find the student newspaper and the coolest section in it all on your own). Good luck as you begin your time here. It goes by fast.
