9 Things You Should Do Your First Year of College

Since I spent many of my waking hours at college this year, now have many college friends, and by
the end of the summer will have taken 12 college courses I figure I am at least semi-qualified to tell you about college. So here are 9 things you should do in college (preferably starting your freshman year)...

1. Get on the professor's good side before you need something
Your professors will have lots of students. If you can stand out in a good way that is very important because when you need something they will be a lot more interested in talking to you and trying to help you. You don't want to need a favor and your professor see you as 'the kid that walks in late every day'. Be respectful and kind. They work hard and deserve the respect. Many are very willing to help you pass the class or help you get that internship but if you never respect them you will have a tough time.

2. Take the opportunity to talk to people you don't know
There are several hundred to several thousand people on campus. You will not know everyone by week three. I guarantee you that. Even after year three chances are there will still be people in your own class that you don't know. Still, take the time to talk to people you don't know.You could become best friends. Okay, while not extremely likely that will happen with everyone you sit down and talk to you may be surprised to hear the things you have in common. At the very least you will probably have an interesting conversation so take the time to talk to the person you are sitting by at lunch or in class.

3. Go to events
Yes, you are not paying thousands of dollars to go to events. True. But if you are going to be paying thousands of dollars and only get a few years there, make the most of it. Go to football games with friends - even if you hate football. You may not remember the game but you may remember the time you were jumping around cheering for the team and your friend made you fall on the guy in front of you. Go to the band concerts and cheer on your friends. You may not remember the pieces they played but chances are that friend will remember you were there for her. Go to events - if you are lucky you may end up with a new friend or at least some free food. Both are pretty good.

4. Live on campus

If you can, live on campus. There is something special about living 100 feet from your friends or (if you are lucky) living with your friends. Some crazy adventures happen and if you don't live on campus you will miss a lot of them. I know because I have missed out on some crazy adventures with my friends by living at home. But that's okay because this year at home has made me realize how much I want to live there and next year I will appreciate those times all the more.

5. Join something
When I ask fellow college students what they recommend freshman do I always hear the phrase 'join something'. Join band. Join choir. Join track. Join swing dancing club. Join something. Joining something gives you the chance to get to know people outside people in your major and your hall mates. When I joined a group I honestly feel like I joined a family. So get connected right away by joining a group and be part of something incredible.

6. Buy your books online or from other students
Whatever you do, don't buy all your books for the campus bookstore. That is a rookie mistake. Check out all the best textbook sites and see what other prices you can get. Also, another great place to look is down the hall. A lot of students are looking to sell their books back and 90% won't ask nearly as much for them as the campus bookstore. And even if they want to keep their books many will actually just let you borrow them for the semester.

7. Meet with advisers and have a plan
If you know what major you want to pursue and if you have any other plans (like internships you want to do or adding on a minor) then it is a very good idea to meet with your advisers. They know what classes you should be taking and in what order.

8. Talk with juniors and seniors in your major
They know what professors to take and which ones you want to avoid like the plague. They also will know which classes you will need to study for the most and which ones are okay to slack on a bit. Like previously mentioned, you also may be able to borrow or buy some textbooks from them too! (Side note: another great tool to find out which professors are good is ratemyprofessors.com - true, some students have the poorest reasons for rating professors as bad or good but overall it can give you a fair idea of what a professor is like)

9. Enjoy the journey
Above all though, do not let these moments go by you. Don't spend your whole four years wasting time and be preoccupied with other things. Go out on late night adventures with your roommates. Meet new people. Take interesting classes. Enjoy your college experience while you can. You will never forget it.

Home Team: What it is & why everyone needs one

What it is?
A home team is a group of people who have your back in good times and bad. They could be your parents, your coaches and mentors, your friends, your siblings, your grandparents, your pastors, or your small group leaders.

Where can you get one?
Your home team could consist of people from any part of your life. They could be people from church or school or work or home.

When should you get one?
You should find yourself a home team before life takes a turn for the worst because that is when you will need one.

Why do you need one?
We were made to be in relationships. We need companionship - even us introverts who may sometimes beg to differ. As the saying goes, no man is an island. Life is much more meaningful when we have a home team by our side. They are the people who will cheer us on and celebrate with us when we finish that marathon, ace that test, get into college, get that promotion, and finally receive the adoption paperwork. But they are also there when we are in the hospital, a person close to us dies, we don't get the job, and find out we can't have kids. We need people there with us no matter what we are going through.

How do you get one?
You don't have to ask people to be on your 'home team'. Frankly, that would probably sound weird. Just take a look at who you know in life and make a list of people you know you can count on. If you find you don't really have that many people then maybe it is time to make some new friends and discover who could be on your team.

How many people should be on your home team?
There is no set number of people you should have on your team. Your home team may have three people on while another person may say they have eleven on theirs.

Personal Notes
We talk about home teams in church on occasion and one occasion came up recently. It got me thinking about who is on my team. I'd always absorbed the message (yep, we need people - got it) but never took a look at my own life. So I decided to sit down and write out my list. I came up with 13 people. The interesting thing is that eight of them have been there for me since I was a little girl and the other 40% were people who came into my life less than 3 years ago and get this - all five of them I have added to my list in the past 3 years I met through being involved at church. Being involved in a group (whether its sports, clubs, youth group, or tech team at church) is one nearly guaranteed way to meet some people who will be there for you and take their places on your home team.

Two Challenges
Now for the challenge part. I want to make two challenges for you. Number one - make a list of the people on your home team and find some way to thank them for being there for you. Literally write down the way you plan to thank them and post it somewhere. I would really love to hear if you did this. Secondly, I want to challenge you to take a look around at your life and think about whose team you may be on and whose team you could be on.