Biggest Regrets from my First Year on Campus
Avoid these 6 things as a freshman
by NAU sophomore Suzanna Low
You’ve probably heard all of the first-year mistakes someone can make when going off to college. From someone who is always prepared for any situation imaginable — here are my biggest regrets from my freshman year on campus.
#1: Bringing more clothes than I needed
I brought 90–95% of my closet up to Flagstaff 😅
The amount of clothes I brought was completely unnecessary since I ended up wearing my same favorite clothing items the whole time.
What will you need? A few staple pieces that can handle Flagstaff’s seasons. Having a good winter coat and rain jacket (or windproof/water resistant jacket) is a lifesaver for the sudden heavy pouring of rain all day, or when waking up to four inches of snow on the ground, and the windy days where you wish you had a kite.
Lumberjack tip: Use reusable bags (ie, 20 gallon IKEA bags) rather than luggage since you can fold these jackets up to practically nothing!!!
#2: Not exploring Flagstaff more
Don’t get me wrong, the NAU campus is gorgeous and lovely on its own — but downtown Flagstaff is a great way to stretch your legs and explore the small town for all of its quirks.
And there is a wide variety of outdoor activities and beauties to see for yourself.
#3: Not getting to know my dorm neighbors
Neighboring rooms have the potential to become basically built-in best friends.
I made some amazing friends with my neighbors at Reilly Hall. However, I wish I had made more connections with the people on my floor and building.
Lumberjack tip: Participate in dorm activities. These are great for starting conversations and meeting new people.
There was a community lounge puzzle where I conversed with some fun people! I wish I took advantage of getting to know people and making friends sooner.
#4: Missing out on fall school supplies deals for the spring classes
I am all for a deal and saving money whenever I can (especially for us college students!).
I will never forget how much I beat myself up for not buying enough school supplies for fall and spring semesters. I will never make the same mistake again of paying for my favorite spiral notebook at full price.
Plan ahead and buy your school supplies while the deals are still on.
#5: Underutilizing the free services on campus
There are so many services that NAU provides free of charge!
I wish I had known that Career Development could print my resume on fancy resume paper earlier. I could’ve stood out for so many positions and interviews by just handing out a fancy piece of paper.
I wish I had known about the cool workshops inside the library.
Fun Fact: The MakerLab has workshops to create numerous things. Here I am with a 3D-printed personalized name tag from one the events I attended 😁.
I’ve finally started to use the amenities, but I wish I had known about them sooner. Don’t make my same mistake!
Lumberjack Tip: If you need extra help with your classes, head to the Academic Success Center for supplemental instruction, tutoring and more!
#6: Leaving laundry to the last minute
Laundry time is always taxing, especially in the dorms. But pushing it off till you have practically no other clothes left is so much worse.
I cannot tell you how much of my time was spent on waiting for a washing machine to open up.
I will say from personal experience that if you wake up early enough, the laundry room is not crowded and you might get first pick of the washers.
Trust me, it’s worth it!
Of course I have more than 6 regrets from all of my freshman year but I hope other incoming students can take my advice and not have to learn the hard lesson themselves.
Thanks for reading Lumberjacks!
