A New Student’s Perspective: Lessons for the future

The end of my freshman year at Rider is rapidly approaching, and I find my time completely filled with studying, work and friends. The “first year” is something parents and teachers always warned you about. If you don’t study every second of your life, you will fail out of college or if you eat food from the dining hall, you will become overweight.

However, I’ve found that this year was pretty easygoing. The majority of my classes were core classes, going over information I’ve learned every year since the 8th grade. That’s not to say I haven’t learned anything new. Many of my classes have helped broaden my knowledge, but I also started working on a show at the radio station, which helped me get a lot of hands-on experience.

This past year has been a mix of good and bad. Although I built new friendships, I haven’t talked to many of my old friends since graduation. Gary DeVercelly tragically died, but it sobered up campuses everywhere, alerting students as to the very real dangers of binge drinking. The shootings at Virginia Tech encouraged Rider to heighten security, putting more parents at ease.

Although I’ve had a lot of fun this past year, I can’t help but think how excited I am for next semester. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to get home and have a few months off from writing papers and studying every day, but I just can’t wait for the fall. My roommate and I waited an extra 30 minutes during room selection to make sure we secured a bigger room (we’re a little tired of having exactly a 2×2 living space).

There are so many perks of being anything but a freshman; I’m going to get a closer parking spot and I get a better pick of my hours working at the library. Also, I have an idea of what to expect next year.

I think that knowing what to expect is the biggest thing I’m looking forward to. I know that I’m not going to get enough sleep, I know who makes the best omelets on weekends, and I know how long it will take me to get from class to class.

I know the importance of saving money, trying new things, meeting new people and a good home-cooked meal after months of Daly’s. I also know what professors and editors and bosses expect of me, which takes a lot off my mind.

I know it’s such a little thing, but sometimes, it’s the little things that make the biggest differences.

— Nadine Tester