The Soon To Be Sophomores Speak

Your students have reached the end of their freshman year. Each and every freshman has their story to tell about their first year in college. We asked some of our freshman about their experiences and thought you might be interested in what they had to say. We first asked about the high points and the low points of the year.

High Points

The best part of my experience at UW-Green Bay has been becoming connected with other students, faculty, and the campus. Participating in activities like Phuture Phoenix and the Red Carpet Tour has given me a chance to become more familiar with the campus by sharing it with visitors!

Since I have been on the UWGB campus I have had many great experiences. One of my favorite experiences was during the first week after I arrived on campus. The chancellor held an ice cream social with all of the new freshmen and some of the ambassadors. At the ice cream social I was able to relax and have fun and made a lot of new friends.

I would have to say that my time here at UW-Green Bay has been an awesome experience. I have made a lot of new friends while living in the residence halls. I have also become involved with many activities available here on campus and I found them all very enjoyable. Currently I am in the Residence Hall and Apartment Association as I am the building representative for Byron Walter Hall. While in RHAA I have met new people and learned many things about UW-Green Bay.

Some high points about my experience at UWGB would have to be meeting new people, the challenging college courses, and becoming involved in some campus organizations such as UWGB Pep Band, PBL (Phi Beta Lamda sorority) and Phoenix Phanatics. I also enjoy the Student Rush tickets at the Weidner Center; I was able to get third row tickets to BLAST for $12!

I have been more involved and more interested in my surroundings than ever since I started here at UW-Green Bay. Although I had a rough start finding my own niche here, currently all of the people I am involved with in school activities have been absolutely wonderful. Sometimes it felt as if I was trying to jog an up-hill battle that I appeared to be losing, but it's all about having your priorities straight. I was finally able to get out of that by just joining clubs and studying. Eventually study sessions turned into Friday night dinner off campus and eventually those dinners turned into great memories!

One of the high points of my experience thus far at UW-Green Bay has been my participation in Student Senate. I feel as a senator, I am directly impacting my school and my fellow students. It is a huge responsibility, but it is very rewarding to be able to have such an impact on school policy.

Leaving home for the first time, living in a dorm, greatly helped with my maturity. I find myself more independent and responsible. I meet many new people, some being great friends. I also encountered many great professors. I never realized you could go get help in college, but it is there. Outside of classes I found many professors to be very helpful and take the time to help. My first semester was also a great high point when it came to an end. School was never easy for me, always having to try, but I did it, and I made semester honors!

Low Points

The hardest thing I've experienced at UW-Green Bay has been time management. I've really learned to appreciate using a planner and organizing my schedule.

My worst experience has been not being able to schedule some of the classes I have wanted (or needed). However, although I didn't get exactly the classes I wanted, I had the opportunity to choose other classes and found several that I really liked, so it wasn't all bad!

Some low points about my experience at UWGB would have to be walking to class in the unpredictable weather, and the transition from knowing everyone at my small high school of 250 students to the UWGB campus where I wasn't able to recognize a face in the hall at the beginning of my first semester.

One (low point) would have to be living with a random roommate and having to share practically everything.

A low point would be making the adjustment from high school to college and having to do a lot more homework.

I would have to say one low point is leaving my family and friends behind, but making new ones has helped!

I have come to realize one low point of my first year experience. I thought it was difficult to get involved. I was nervous about getting involved my first year because I didn't know what college was like or how much time I would need for my studies.

Our second question was what advice this year's freshman would give to next year's new freshman. The good advice they gave is just as relevant for you're soon to be sophomore.

The best advice I can give to freshman, or to any student on campus, is to GET INVOLVED. The best part of getting involved on campus is that you will likely meet great friends who you might not have met otherwise!

While attending UW-Green Bay I have learned the importance of becoming involved in university functions. I can only stress enough how important it is for freshman to join organizations and participate in the activities available.

Based on what I have experienced and learned from my first year at UW-Green Bay, I would advise future freshmen to stay focused on their academics. The main reason to go to college is to expand your education and that should be your top priority. It's pretty easy to become side tracked by all of the distractions surrounding you on campus or in your dorm, but you must remember to keep up with the assignments and do all of the assigned readings. You must keep yourself motivated and focused because at college you are in charge of you and don't have your parents or teachers reminding you to do your homework!

The advice I would give is to try your hardest. There is an adjustment factor of college and the classes are not the same (some easier, but most are harder) depending on your work and effort. You may not always be satisfied with an exam or paper grade but knowing you tried your best is a great feeling. Do what you can do.

Get involved and attend on campus events because you meet lots of new people and some of the programs are lots of fun! Also that you need to attend class and study hard, but also make time for friends and fun.

It's important to be very open to everybody and realize not everybody will be like you, but the more open you are the more you will hear the words "hey how are you!" on this campus and the better your college experience will be. Keep your mind open but don't just do something because somebody says it's okay. Always use your best judgment but give something new a chance in college. And most importantly when your professors say study, they are usually not kidding!