There were some exams that maybe I felt as though I could have done a bit better and I was a little disappointed. But then I would take a step back and think about, well, I was able to go to this really cool event or spend some quality time with these people instead. And that's more important to me on some levels than getting a slightly better grade. From the Daily Northwestern, I'm Virginia Hunt.
This is Digital Diaries, a weekly podcast following the college experience and asking students a question about life at Northwestern. In this episode, we'll be talking to rising sophomores about the biggest lesson they learned from their freshman year and how they're using it now as students across all years plan for the year ahead. Think back to the night before move in day. For many students, there's a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement for the communities they will begin to form.
For Weinberg sophomore Bella Philstrup, it was the importance of these communities resonated. The biggest thing that my freshman year of college taught me is how much community around you matters. Like many incoming students, Philipstrup was anxious about leaving behind long standing connections. In high school.
I was always really close to my family and I'd been friends with my friends since forever. And so transitioning to college was a big adjustment in being away from all that and rebuilding those communities. D Northwestern hosts orientation events such as Wildcat welcome and Club Fairs. Bill Strip says that's not the only way to connect.
Like, even if it's just a meal you have to eat and just having dinner with someone can do so much for improving your mental health and allow you to focus on all the millions of other things that you have to focus on as a student. Prioritizing having a community doesn't look the same for everyone, and it may sometimes require a bit of sacrifice, especially in a busy college environment. Weinberg Somaltz's lesson was learned from finding this balance. One of the biggest lessons I learned during my freshman year college was what my priorities in college were and the effects of prioritizing them and what it meant for me.
Academic discipline is a hallmark characteristic under Western students who often keep busy schedules and have course loads. I realized pretty early on that I could spend all of my time studying. I had enough work that I could spend my entire afternoon until 3am studying if I wanted five, six days a week. For Marx, that wasn't the best way to optimize her college experience.
She wanted to find balance and have fun in a variety of ways. Sometimes I would go hang out with friends at night instead of taking an extra hour to study, and I realized that meant maybe I would do slightly worse on an exam, not horrible enough that it really negatively affected me. But I would have to understand those are some of the consequences of what my priorities in college are, and I learned to be okay with that. As students learn to figure out these priorities and develop themselves in this transition rising McCormick sophomore Isaac Bronfeld hopes that they'll give themselves grace.
Something that I think I learned from my experience in freshman year is that you have to go at your own pace, especially with the transition from high school to college. Bronfeld also warns against falling into the trap of comparison. Some people adjust to it really quickly and that's really great for them, and some people take a lot longer. And some people don't figure it out until sophomore or junior year even.
Some people don't figure it out until they graduate. But that's okay because they figure out eventually. The common thread running through all of these stories A search for Community it's just important to be there for one another instead of holding yourself against one another. I think that would be the piece of advice that I have to share from the Daily Northwestern, I'm Virginia Hunt.
Thanks for listening to another episode of Digital Diaries. This episode was reported and produced by me, Virginia Hunt. From the Daily Northwestern, I'm Virginia Hunt. Thanks for listening to another episode of Digital Diaries.
This episode was reported and produced by me, Virginia Hunt. The audio editors of the Daily Northwestern are myself and Alicia, the Digital managing editors are Scott Huang and Laura Simmons, and the editor in Chief is Avni Kolra. Make sure to subscribe to the Daily Northwestern's podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SoundCloud to hear more episodes like this.