5 Tips For Incoming Freshmen Orientation

For many high school students (at least in the Dallas Area) this past week was filled with many exams and graduation ceremonies, and now many of those students have begun a 2.5 month wait until their first day of college. As an Orientation Leader at my University, throughout the summer I help facilitate Freshman Orientations, welcoming new students to campus and helping them schedule classes. This will be my second year as an Orientation Leader and I've compiled a list of tips and advice for incoming students at Orientation.

1. Meet People!
      When I was a freshman, meeting other students at orientation really wasn't high up on my to-do list. I was there to get information about the school and register for my classes. It didn't help that a lot of students from my High School were also attending this University because I felt that I didn't need to meet people. At orientations, you will have opportunities to meet new people who share the same interests as you, and who may be taking the same classes as you. Speaking from personal experience, it's also a good idea to meet people for the simple reason that you won't have to eat lunch by yourself. Trust me, you don't want to do it. It can be kinda awkward and embarrassing to talk to strangers, but its nothing compared to the awkwardness and embarrassment of eating lunch all by yourself.

2. Actually Listen to the Presentations
       I guarantee you we don't just come up with these speeches and presentations to bore you or kill time. You can learn all sorts of information by actually paying attention to the speakers. And if you can't pay attention, still be respectful by not sleeping or texting because people put a lot of hard work into this.

3. Browse clubs and organizations
      Many schools will have organization fairs during orientation where club members will come out and share information about their organization at a booth. There may be a ridiculous number of groups, so don't get overwhelmed. Some schools may have a list of all of the organizations or an organization fair map, so you can quickly look up clubs that interest you. A word of caution as well: don't sign up for too many clubs because when classes actually start up you'll probably be busy and not actually have an abundance of free time to spend in clubs. I recommend joining at least 2 clubs (1 academic-based club and 1 interest-based), but definitely no more than 4 or 5. When looking around, also take into consideration how often groups meet. Some clubs meet once a week, while others meet only monthly or bi-monthly, and the meetings may only be 30 minutes long, or they could last 3-4 hours. This may not matter much to you as a Freshman, but later on, if you want to take a leadership role in the organization, they may have additional meetings that you have to attend. Just try to be realistic, and if you find that you do over commit your time Freshman year, don't be afraid or ashamed to quit a club or two, everyone will understand and you'll likely feel a lot better.

4. Learn how to Schedule Classes yourself
      One of the most frustrating things that I experienced last year as an Orientation Leader was when family members would come in with their students and try to tell them what classes to take and when they should take it. I'm not saying all family members were like that, but there were definitely enough of them like that to make me a little wary whenever a bunch of family members came into advising with their students. Many family members were great though, very hands off, and only making a few suggestions here and there. What many family members didn't seem to realize is that their students will have to do this by themselves for the next semester and the following 6 semesters (assuming a standard 4-year graduation track). I also understand the family members' concerns. They're worried about their student getting a "worse" professor, or getting stuck with Saturday classes, or not being about to graduate soon enough, or not being able to get into a graduate school or health professions school. As hard as it is to let them take control, you have to trust in your student and his or her adviser, because the adviser will do his or her best to keep your student on track.

5. Take Orientation as a opportunity to familiarize yourself with campus.
      Although you might not have your whole class schedule or know where your classes are yet, orientation is a fantastic opportunity to take in as much of campus as you can. Go check out the Student Union, the Library, the Gym, and any other unique places on campus. This is where you'll be spending a lot of the next 4 years of your life (again, assuming a 4-year track) so why not get to know it? You can also use this as a chance to meet current students and ask about their favorite places on campus and if they know any of the school's "best kept secrets."

Hi, my name is ____ and I'm a Pinterest Addict

As the title may suggest, I'm just a little obsessed with Pinterest. Ok, I'm definitely addicted. But, like most things, it does have its positives and negatives, so here are some things you should know about Pinterest whether you're already an avid pinner or you've never even heard of it.

1. Pinterest is basically electronic hoarding. I'll be the first to admit, I constantly pin things that I wish I owned, but if I ever actually owned all of these physical items I would be concerned if my family didn't hold and intervention and try to get me some help. Not to mention the whole empty pocketbook issue...

2. Pinterest is full of valuable information. This information usually comes in the form of "life hacks." If this is a foreign concept to you, basically "life hacks" are tips and tricks that make life much simpler. These are usually stupidly genius ideas brought to you by someone who's had to think outside the box a time or two in his or her lifetime.

3. Pinterest is also full of interesting but totally useless information. This usually comes in the form of movie trivia! For example, one of the most under-appreciated Disney jokes of all time is in "Hercules" when one of the two boys stuck under the rock slide says "Somebody call IX-I-I." Ha! So clever, Disney!

4. Pinterest is full of wonderful and delicious ideas! See 3-2-1 cake. I think I've made my point.

5. Pinterest can get a little old. This is because many Pinners only pin items that the people they are following have already pinned, meaning that few Pinners are actually pinning new material. So if you're on Pinterest, please, please, please pin new stuff!

6. Pinterest can cause a young woman to start planning her wedding before she even has a boyfriend. When I first joined Pinterest and I saw all of these people pinning wedding ideas, I scoffed and told myself how ridiculous it was and that I'd never do something like that until I had a serious boyfriend. I think that lasted until my brother got engaged and I suddenly knew exactly what all of these pins were talking about, and some of them were actually really good ideas, so I caved... yeah, I'm one of those people too. I guess when and if I ever get engaged I'll have less planning to do then, so this is a good thing, right? That's at least what I tell myself to feel better.

7. Pinterest is an enabler of fandoms everywhere. Sherlock, Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and just about any other fandom out there is ridiculously over represented on Pinterest, allowing fangirls and fanboys alike to share their theories and obsessions with the world. Not that I'm judging. I have a Doctor Who board with over 200 pins.

And last, but not least

8. Pinterest is severely overloaded with pictures of cute baby animals, so don't make an account if you can't handle the cuteness overload.

That's all for today, thanks for reading!

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I've been thinking  a lot lately about how often we compare ourselves with others and immediately become discouraged or frustrated because we can never be just like them. Growing up it was that I wasn't as smart as others students in my classes, and even now in college this is still a constant concern of mine, but now dating has become involved as well. I've caught myself many times thinking, "why can't I be in an adorable relationship like them," after running into a friend with his or her significant other. This type of thinking is neither encouraging nor productive. So why do we do it? 

Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying “comparison is the thief of joy,” and I definitely feel that he hit the nail on the head. Our society seems to encourage comparison about everything. “Which toilet paper is the best? Which mascara is most waterproof or gives the longest looking lashes? Who can sing or dance the best? Whose personal life is more interesting?” And on and on and on and on; it’s exhausting. We constantly look at what others have that we don’t instead of looking at what God has gifted us with. If we put as much time and energy into exploring and nurturing our own gifts as we do into comparing ourselves to others, we would not only be so much happier, but we would also be closer to becoming who God wants us to be. Comparison will always be there, but we have to make the decision not to dwell on those negative thoughts or devalue ourselves in our own eyes, because we are loved by the King, and that’s all that matters.

First Post!

Hello reader of my blog!

I've toyed with the idea of writing a blog for some time now, because I find that writing helps me process emotions and brings me joy. My blog is called T{ruth} Speaks Life, because my name is Ruth and in this blog I'm just going to talk about life. My struggles, my victories, and the lessons that I've learned.

Well, that pretty much sums up my first post! Thanks for reading!