Throughout the summer, I’ve been reflecting on what went well my first year and what didn’t.

It took me a while to get accustomed to the college lifestyle, but I’ve picked up a few habits through trial and error that help me succeed, things like eating more vegetables and practicing mindfulness meditation.

Now, being able to look back on my first year in total, here’s some advice that I would give my freshman self at the beginning of the school year:

Go to as Many Events and Workshops as Possible

As an NC State student, you have the luxury of countless opportunities around campus that you don’t want to take for granted. I find a lot of them showing up in my email or by checking the NCSU Libraries website for upcoming workshops, and although they’re all optional, they’ve made all the difference.

Simply by signing up for events at D.H. Hill Library and Hunt Library, I’ve learned how to make beats by sampling old records and I’ve been able to hear from the likes of physicists, Buzzfeed engineers, and podcast hosts.

These events kept me inspired throughout the year, and they even helped me understand my own identity as an Asian-American. Never before knowing how to manage emotions regarding my ethnicity, it’s been events like an open forum on the Model Minority Myth that have been crucial to my personal development this past year.

There are two educations that you get as a college student: a formal one and an informal one. Going to hear speakers on campus or just taking a movie-making workshop can inspire you to pursue things you never imagined from your classroom experience.

Don’t Procrastinate

Please don’t.

Get Off Your Phone

In his New York Times article, “Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend On It.,” computer science professor Cal Newport of Georgetown University explains why he has never had social media and why he doesn’t plan on starting.

He argues that social media diminishes our ability to focus, which is the essential skill to succeeding in industry: “Part of my own rejection of social media comes from this fear that these services will diminish my ability to concentrate — the skill on which I make my living.”

In my experience, I tend to check my phone when I’m working on a difficult assignment and need something to distract me. But by indulging in the process of looking up random basketball videos, I might miss a key insight into the problem that I would have found if I just remained focused.

The same principle applies to hanging out with friends. Don’t we all hate it when we’re talking to a friend, but they give more attention to their phone than to the conversation?

And for that reason, one of my biggest regrets of the past year is that I spent too much time on my phone. I ended up deleting Snapchat before the spring exam season as a result. 

There are so many things you miss by looking down at your screen. So look up.

Take Care of Yourself

Early in the fall semester, I remember I was working on a computer science lab assignment late at night, and there came a point where I just couldn’t continue. I was paralyzed by fear.

I always knew I struggled with anxiety, but I didn’t want to admit it. A couple days later, I walked into the Counseling Center and told them that I needed help.

I wish I knew from the beginning that it wasn’t weird to seek help for anxiety. There might be a stigma surrounding mental health issues, where some people deny their existence, but they are real. And are actually fairly common.

According to the Counseling Center, “49% of NC State students report overwhelming anxiety during the past year,” and “4,000 students, nearly 1 in 6, seek services at the NC State Counseling Center every year.” 

So don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s not weird — it’s important. 

Friends First

Lastly, and most importantly, remember that friends come first.

I remember one night last semester when I felt like I was bombarded with school work, and my friends invited me to go to Cru on Thursday night. Initially hesitant, I ended up going. Usually the one to put schoolwork over friends, I feared losing valuable study time. But I ended up doing just fine on my assignments.

For so long, I believed the illusion that you have to isolate yourself in order to be successful in college. Yes, working hard is important. But life is about relationships, and sometimes you need to put the books down and get some Howling Cow with your friends.

I’m not going to come to the end of my life and wish that I worked more. I’m going to wish that I spent more time with the people I love.

So with that in mind, I’m entering my second year at NC State with a better picture of what really matters in life.