Foolish Freshmen!

By Jennifer McKean
Arizona Summer Wildcat
August 26, 1997
Enchantingly glancing around the UA Mall, my curious, people-watching eyes only see FRESHMEN, the sore thumbs that you are. Eyes opened wide, confusion, anticipation, and overwhelmed expressions mask your usual facade. You are youthful, some only seventeen years mature. A significant amount of incoming freshmen remain naÑve and guileless to the potential evils that lie ahead. Certainly, my advice to you is to proceed with caution, as this may be a uproarious journey.

Young people think that they are so invincible when it comes to clich­ tragedies of common student error. Reality creeps up on us in a stealthy, monstrous way. You feel like you will not graduate for another millennium or so, and for some of you that is the poignant truth, but the bulk will be out of here and into Wall Street or reality in a flash. Time travels unbelievably fast when you aren't paying attention, which often occurs with us undoubting aliens of higher education.

You are now certifiably embarking on the colossal adventure of learning by mistake. All of us here at the UA remember those exciting first days when we leapt away from the comfort and salvation of our parents' homes with zilch on our agenda but absolute and complete freedom. Relish in the liberty to feast, snooze, and PARTY at your leisure. Overbearing superiors commanding you when to study, who to date, or what not to wear are obsolete, unless of course you participate in the Greek experience. I don't drink tea, but if you are allured into the system as a freshman, all the power to you. If you are a little late at realizing the milestone you have at last conquered, take a moment of silence to appreciate the fact that you have begun your independence, your reign of power, and your glory.

Having said that, I feel an obligation to rain on your parade. A study was conducted by the Student Research Office in the department of Decision and Planning Support showing that 62% of last Fall's incoming freshmen ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class. Unfortunately, in a similar study, an average of only 18% of all entering full-time freshmen graduate from the University in four years. Only 42% are out of here within five, and less than half graduate in six years, so what's the problem here? Lynne Tronsdal, who oversees the newly opened Freshman Year Center in Bear Down, stated, "we lose one-fourth of our freshmen between their freshmen and sophomore years."

"If I had to do it over, I would....." seems to be a prevalent feeling among undergraduate students after freshmen year. Almost all of us regret people, situations, routines, and rituals that we got sucked into our impressionable first semester or year on campus. For many of us, the times we neglected to study and opted to watch the cable channels, go shopping, talk about nothing with friends who do just that with their lives, sleep in until 2 PM, or participate in health hazardous addictions are all contributions to embarrassing super senior years at the UA.

Fight the odds of joining the infamous league of dreamers who sit around all hours intellectualizing about future maybes and time gone by.

The time is now to ascertain yourself, your capacity for learning, your fervor for great experiences, and your knowledge of qualities necessary to make it in this world. You are commencing at the pinnacle of opportunity. You hold only one chance for a fresh start without having a cumulative average in your shadow. Once your GPA takes a plunge for the worst, it is virtually unrecoverable. Hideous numerical classifications will haunt us for the rest of our academic careers.

Your nose will hit the grindstone so hard it bleeds, and professors will assign you a myriad of tests, papers, and busy-work months in advance. Keep an immaculately organized daily assignment book; it's a lifesaver. Know your professors. Besides yourself, they will dictate your success or your failure at this university. Share with them your concerns, your hardships, and your undying gratitude. They are not the enemy. They are the cornerstones of our knowledge.

Strive to remember, stress can be a killer. The human brain can only function at a high level for so long before it kicks into overdrive. Step out to watch an incredible Tucson sunset. I have never seen anything more beautiful than the mystery and intrigue of the world that lies above us. Enjoy a basketball game, call a friend from home, or find a special park bench or waterfall that you can visit to preserve your own sanity. Clubs - there are over 300 of them on campus, sports, and offices such as the Freshman Year Center and Academic Advising - are here to keep you involved and on-track.

I guarantee that you all will undergo a dramatic metamorphosis in the next few years. When you leave the UA, you will hopefully be bursting with new innovative ideas and intelligent opinions about society. Your freshmen year at the UA will set the mood for upcoming endeavors; whether they consist of new technical and scientific discoveries or the unparalleled satisfaction of teaching a child how to read. We are the future, and this is only the beginning of what may be the best years of your life. Good Luck!

Jennifer McKean is a junior majoring in journalism.