Submission by Samantha M

For incoming freshmen, my best advice would be don’t let the stereotype, “Oh everyone always does bad their first semester,” define you.

Yeah, it’s true that there’s a huge change and you will struggle adapting whether you realize it or not, but a mentality that assumes failure will only enable you to make excuses for low effort.

I myself got bad grades and now have an F on my transcript. Though I made it out of probation in one semester, I wish I would’ve taken steps to make the change smoother like buying a planner and speaking to an advisor.