As a new student at San Diego State, there are plenty of adjustments that each freshman must face and conquer during their first semester as Aztecs.
However, there are many tips from older students that can help ease the stress of starting a completely new college experience.
High school classes were comprised of mainly 30-student classrooms.
At SDSU, students will have plenty of large lectures with 100 or 200 other students in lecture halls.
These are great classes because many students can utilize the class size and have more study buddies.
However, because professors have so many other students, it is the job of each student to ask for the help of their professor or teacher’s assistant.
In a class of hundreds of students, professors will usually not have the time to learn every student’s name or face. Introducing oneself to professors on the first day of school is a great way for them to learn names and help understand how each student best learns.
Being a college student includes the freedom to customize class schedules. This leaves students the flexibility to study in between classes, participate in clubs or extra extracurricular activities and have jobs while simultaneously juggling classes at SDSU.
“I went into my freshman year thinking that I would never take a 8 a.m. like I did in high school,” political science senior Angela Martinez said. “After some trial and error, I realized early classes work best for me. Plus, campus is always nice and peaceful in the morning.”
Although college gives students the ability to choose when they have class, many students find that they join too many activities in the first semester of their freshmen year.
“(During) my freshman year at SDSU, I joined so many different clubs at school because I thought it was the only way to meet people,” public administration senior Jessica Davis said.
Davis said that a great way to meet people without joining a club or activity is to socialize with people in your dorm, at the gym or library at school.
“Don’t try to overwhelm yourself with so many things, especially in the first semester or year here,” Davis said. “Instead, try to join one or two things so you can get the hang of juggling multiple activities and responsibilities at once.”
She said that sports games are another great way to meet new people from SDSU and bond over the Aztec pride all SDSU students are a part of.
Whichever dorm students live in, it is important to know how long it takes to walk to their classes.
It is a smart idea for students to practice walking to their classes before the first day of school so that they know ahead of time when to leave their dorms.
As one of the top colleges in the state, SDSU welcomes all new students eager to bleed red and black.
Most importantly, new students should remember that while they are here to further their education and do well in classes, they are also here to meet new people and have new experiences that allow them to grow into productive individuals of society in the future.
