WHAT THE FALL 2017 SEMESTER TAUGHT ME (BY NILE FROM UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND)

Sophomore year is completely different from Freshman year. You actually know people, you know your way around campus (if you're at the same school), you know what to expect during midterms and finals, and you're starting to have more of an idea about what you want to do with your life (if you don't that's totally fine because most of us don't know what we're doing).

Fall 2017 has been a pretty amazing semester. Here's what I learned.



Don't be afraid to actually make friends with the people in your classes. 

People in college often say that they go to class just to get their education, and not to make friends. I'm a Communication major, so naturally, I enjoy talking to people no matter where I am. While it is indeed true that you're in college for your education, making friends along the way helps. That way, when you're sick and you can't make it to class, you can ask them about what the class learned that day. Also, you can make study groups with the people in your class. In most of my classes, my classmates and I are like a family and it's awesome.

Do your homework on Saturdays if you can.

I know this sounds insane because Saturdays are supposed to be the days to relax and hang out, but IT'S WORTH IT. Of course, I didn't stay in and do my homework every Saturday, but if I found myself doing nothing, I would open my books, and try to get some work done. That way, you're not driving yourself crazy on Sunday. And, if you knock out some work on both Saturday and Sunday, you can possibly put yourself ahead of your work for the week. Trust me.

Go to free events on campus.

Lectures. Seminars. Movies. Festivals. Dances. It doesn't matter, just GO. Colleges try to host as many free events as possible because they know that money is tight for a lot of students, so take advantage of those free events! Save your money! 

I've been able to see movies, listen to guest speakers talk about their journey to success, and I've gotten to meet new people at free dances. Even if something doesn't completely interest you, go anyway. You never know what could happen.  



Use the Career Center. They are your best friends.
I'm a sophomore, and I usually hear other underclassmen saying that they're too young or don't have enough experience for internships. But internships are the key to getting experience and your school's Career Center helps with that. 

From Career Fairs to resume critiquing, the staff at my school's Career Center have been extremely helpful and they definitely want to make sure that I succeed. You don't have to be a Junior or a Senior to go after that dream internship (unless it's stated that you have to be at least a Junior). Companies will actually be impressed by your ambition as an underclassman. So go for it!






Continue making friends.
By sophomore year, or even by the second semester of freshman year, people usually already have set friend groups. I definitely have a set friend group, but I still open myself up to making new friends. 

If you go to a large school (like I do), there are so many different people to meet and different things to do. Join clubs, go to events, meet people in your classes. College is "the best four years of your life" so go out and meet people and make connections.

What did the Fall 2017 semester teach you? Let me know by tweeting me @NaturallyNi or @NerdyNaturals01! Follow me on Instagram @ineedyoulikethesun, and add me on Snapchat: niwashere_xo.

Nile is the creator of the Nerdy Naturals blog. She is a Sophomore Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and minors in Chinese and entrepreneurship from Maryland. In her free time she enjoys watching natural hair tutorial videos, drinking coffee, and reading.  You can also email nerdynaturals@gmail.com if you have any questions or are interested in contributing.