Advice from Freshmen

by Tyler Seale

How is it difference than what you expected?
 
Freshman year is an experience unlike any other. I honestly didn't know what to expect. It's a lot easier than I imagined - not because the work is easy, but because once you discover your passion and get an opportunity to study it, studying is no longer a burden, it's an enjoyable pastime. 
 
What do you wish someone would have told you?
 
I wish someone would have told me that it's okay to follow your passion. I came into college with the idea that you had to be an engineer, a lawyer, or in the health sciences to have a respectable job. I told myself I had to be a doctor... there were aspects of the job I liked, but it's not the job for me. But I think that if you put time and effort into studying up for your career, and you are the best *insert dream job here* that you can be, then there is nothing more respectable than that. 
 
How are the classes/professors different than high school/community college?
 
In high school, teachers hold your hand, let you turn your work in late, and hold you to the standards of the person with the lowest grade in your class. College is competitive. You don't get to make up work without a valid excuse, your teacher will not hold your hand and pass you so you can play football, and you definitely can not skate by with working only slightly harder than the class clown. You have to do your best. However, if you work hard, your professors will notice you and will try harder than any high school teacher to help you achieve your goals. 

​Where/How do you study? How is it different than high school/college?
 
I study in my room. I get distracted in study rooms because people tend to socialize in there. Read over material just for a few minutes every day and NEVER skip sleep to cram the night before. It's different from high school because you actually have to study to pass if the material is new to you.
 
What do love most about college/Texas Tech?
 
I love how homey campus feels. I love the desert and Lubbock itself. I love the independence that I feel when I make my own schedule and decisions. I love being exposed to new people and ideas every day. I love that in a school of 36,000, I see a familiar face every day- I may not know them, but just recognizing a familiar face can make college feel so much less scary. I love the friends I've made and that I get to focus on studying what I love.
 
What are you looking forward to during college/after graduation?
 
I'm looking forward to ten more years after undergrad, and teaching people everything I've learned (I hope to teach Anthropology as a college prof.) and I can't wait for the many adventures to come with the friends I've made for life and longer.

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