Journey Leaders share advice for New Buffs
Many New Buffs are excited to start their journey at CU Boulder and may be wondering what college life may be like. Fortunately, upperclassmen are more than willing to share their experiences!
Katie, Daniel and Miquela are journey leaders in New Student & Family Programs. Review their tips and advice for students who are arriving on campus this fall.
Q. What is a favorite memory you have from your orientation or first Fall Welcome?
Katie: My favorite memory was my first time visiting Chautauqua with my orientation friends. I didn’t know anyone in the group prior to orientation, and it was also my first time exploring Boulder on my own. To me, that small expedition we took showed me that I was capable of meeting new people and creating meaningful experiences.
Daniel: During summer orientation, I made an effort to talk to individual students in-between small group discussions to ask how they're doing and if they have questions or feedback for me. While talking with one student about the recent small group discussion, they told me that because they are relatively shy it can be hard to participate in these discussions. I told the student that they were totally fine, and that they should participate as much or as little as they feel comfortable with. By the time the next small group discussion started, I noticed that same student was talking and laughing with a handful of other students in the group.
I do not mean to take credit for this student breaking out of their shell—they would have done that with or without me being there as a Journey Leader (JL). That being said, this experience reminded me that everything we are doing as Journey Leaders is for the students. Regardless of whether they respond to our activities or truly hear what we have to say, our goal should be to provide them with the most useful orientation experience possible. The specific definition of a useful orientation will change from student to student, and JL to JL, but as the summer progressed, I found myself thinking about what I can do that would best set the students up for success.
Miquela: My favorite memory from my first Fall Welcome was the Neighborhood Block Parties, because they let me have fun with the friends I made and do some cool activities and games. This helped me step out of my comfort zone a bit and try new experiences and make more friends outside of my high school friends, with whom I came to college.
Q. Are there any social events or activities that you found particularly helpful for making friends?
Katie: I really enjoyed the Neighborhood Block Parties. They have lots of activities, so it feels less awkward going alone, and everyone is looking to meet people. It can feel intimidating, but the way I made most of my friends was by talking to strangers and meeting the people they knew.
Miquela: The social event that I found very helpful for making friends was the Be Involved Fair, because living in Williams Village, I felt I was missing out on activities that were happening on the main campus, but that changed when I attended this event. The Be Involved Fair was a great opportunity for me to find clubs to participate in and to get involved on campus. Within these clubs, I have met many friends who were in the same major as me, or even the same class, which helped a lot with forming study groups and meaningful connections.
Q. What advice do you have for approaching new people and starting conversations?
Katie: During welcome week, everyone wants to make new friends and is open to meeting new people. My favorite conversation starter is giving someone a compliment. I am a big fan of ear piercings, so I often compliment someone if they have a cool piercing, which then begins a conversation about all of our piercing stories. Find one external thing you can talk about, like shoes, someone’s haircut, or a unique outfit, and start there. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone you don’t know or introduce yourself to your residence hall neighbors because you never know who could become a long-term friend.
Miquela: Advice for approaching new people and starting conversations is, I would have to say, as vague as it sounds: small talk. Whether that is pointing out something that you like that, they have, like their appearance or belongings. Approaching and starting conversations is not that easy and can be scary and uncomfortable. Exploring connections is important, but it also takes time. The advice that I can give is that you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because there is a very big chance that someone else feels the same way that you do; you just have to get through the uncomfortable parts.
Q. What advice do you have for someone who is shy or introverted when it comes to making friends?
Katie: Be kind to yourself. I remember feeling like I always had to be doing something or meeting new people to be “successful,” but that is far from the truth. I learned to set small goals, like going to the dining hall by myself or going to one club meeting. By doing this, I was able to measure my success by these goals and still give myself time to decompress and adjust to college life.
Miquela: Being shy or introverted is completely okay. If there is something that you should take away from this is never change who you are, stay true to your values, and do the things that make you, you! Doing that, you could find a friend who is introverted too and making that connection could be the best thing. But as I said earlier, it takes time, so do not be discouraged if a connection does not happen right away; it will, it just takes time and a little bit of effort.
Q. What are some ways to balance extracurricular activities with academic responsibilities?
Katie: Learn your limits and create free time for yourself. “Busy” has a different meaning for everybody, so learning your limits is vital to avoiding burnout and having time for yourself. You will need time to recharge by doing something you love outside of academics and the overwhelming newness of college.
Miquela: Balancing extracurricular activities with academic responsibilities is hard, but I have learned that taking care of yourself mentally and physically is #1, then academics, and lastly extracurriculars. Now this may not be for everyone, but planning out your week with assignments that are due, exams, class prep, etc., is a good way to see where you could have that free time or to start assignments early, or just to help you organize everything that you have going on.
Q. What do you wish you had known in your first year of college?
Katie: As long as you are putting in effort, you will find your people. It is normal to feel homesick or alone when you are immersed in a new environment, and it takes time to adjust. Almost everyone I spoke to experienced this to some capacity, and I am no exception; however, at some point, I looked around and had genuine friends who cared about me, and it happened without me even realizing it.
Daniel: Something I wish I had known before starting college was how to read a degree audit. There are so many things that a student is thinking about when first starting college, it can all feel extremely stressful and overwhelming. As I progressed through college, the degree audit eventually turned into something that helped alleviate stress. It told me exactly what courses I needed to take and let me effectively plan for future semesters. That being said, when I registered for classes for the first time I did not know what a degree audit was, let alone how to use the information it contained. Anything that reduces the early stress of transitioning to college is a welcome development, and giving students the tools to think about their classes without stress can only be beneficial.
Miquela: Instead of something I wish I had known, I want to talk about what I wish I had done more of in my first year of college. I wish I was more socially involved because branching out further and outside of my high school friend group, I could have made more connections. I also wish I were not so intimidated by my professors because I was scared to go to office hours for help and feared failure. But through my years at CU, I have learned that it's okay to ask questions, to get a question wrong, and to get comfortable going to office hours because they are not intimidating as I thought.
Q. What other advice do you have for New Buffs?
Katie: Now is the time to try new things. You never know when a small decision to try something new will have lasting changes to your life. I am a very different person now than I was when I first applied to CU, and that makes me so happy. By leaving my comfort zone and allowing myself to become passionate about new things, I have added value to my life in ways I could never have anticipated.
Miquela: Out of everything that I have said in the beginning, I want to emphasize that there is a place for you here at CU. Not everything will be for you but there is something that will fancy your interests. Just be patient, have fun, make memorable memories with friends, and cherish your CU experience because it will go by so fast! Sko Buffs!