A-Team gives advice to incoming freshmen

First off, I would like to say welcome to all of you incoming freshmen! College is truly one of the best times of your life. I just finished my four years of undergrad last May, and it was a great time. I hope your experience at Southeast Missouri State is every bit as good as mine -- and more.

That being said, my job at the Arrow is to give advice to students. My main few points of advice to college freshmen are these: get involved, be sociable (but smart), go to class, and above all, stay true to yourself.

Finding something you are passionate about and getting involved in is the best way to integrate to the college life. In this group you will find a sense of belonging, people to ask questions to, and most importantly, friends. Whether it is a club about an interest of yours, a religious group, a club or intramural sports team, a Greek or non-Greek fraternity or sorority or what have you, I would say to find a group you are passionate about being a part of and jump in with both feet. For me, that was a co-ed community service organization called Alpha Phi Omega. For many friends it was something else from that list. Think about it and pick what suits you.

As an old saying goes, "the best way to make friends is to be one." Practice this and be friendly to people. If you are on campus, there are so many potential new relationships around you! Talk to people in your residence hall and classes, go to the many scheduled student activities, eat with someone new in the dining hall, play sports outside on campus -- just do not sit in your room and lament that you "don't know anyone." Also, if you choose to party, be smart and practice caution.

Going to class sounds very simple, but it is hard to be successful for most students without doing so. In college, you have the freedom to miss class that you haven't had in the past. Many new students hear that attendance is not taken in a given class and will often skip, mainly to sleep-in. Know that while the university has no attendance requirement, many classes make-up for that with in-class activities for credit. I'm not saying the world is going to end if you miss some classes. Honestly, I skipped some undergraduate classes. I am saying be smart about when and if to skip. Many class grades are based at least in part on class activities that you must be in class for. People who attend class also have a better grasp of the course material and generally are much more successful when it comes to achieving good grades.

Lastly, do not feel a need to fundamentally change who you are because you think someone or something wants you to. The only person who should make you change is you.

Good luck to you all and welcome to Southeast!

Do you think other students would benefit from your experience and advice? Do you have the ability to write clearly and the personality to be on camera? If so, you may be perfect for the A-Team.The A-Team is a diverse group of interesting and energetic students willing to share their opinions via multiple platforms.These individuals will write opinion pieces for the newspaper as well as blogs on southeastArrow.com and also be featured in videos.The team is made up of seven members and addresses a wide range of topics -- from relationship and dating advice to national news to the latest talk on Southeast's campus.There three spots available for the upcoming school year. If you are interested in applying, go to southeastArrow.com/forms/ateam and fill out the online application.