I Nearly Failed Out of College My First Semester. Here are 5 Things I Wish I Knew.

5 Things I Wish I Knew My First Semester of College

I nearly failed out of college during my first semester.

Looking back now as a college graduate, I realize there were so many things I didn’t know during my first semester of college. This lack of knowledge caused me so much stress and self-doubt. If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be these 5 things I had to learn the hard way.

1. It’s okay to ask for help—from professors, advisors, and support centers

Starting out it’s easy to feel like being in college means figuring everything out on your own. I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As a first-gen student, nobody told me where to go for help, and that left me feeling like I had to figure things out on my own. In reality things are the opposite. Your professors, academic advisor, and campus support centers exist to support you. Not only is it an important part of their job, for some it’s what they look forward to most.

Most of these people will appreciate that you’ve asked them a thoughtful question and they will often give you valuable feedback. These people are here to help you and there’s a good chance that helping students is one of the very reasons why they chose to work in academia.

Ask questions now to avoid problems and confusion later.

2. Use office hours to your advantage

Every professor hosts office hours during the week and the sad reality is most students don’t utilize them. I made it a habit of mine to stop by and ask questions or make small talk with my professors on a regular basis. It helped me understand my course material on a deeper level and build meaningful relationships with many of my professors.

Those relationships paid off in ways I never could’ve imagined—like getting ongoing mentorship from those I looked up to, strong letters of recommendation for graduate school, career advice, and even words of wisdom and motivation when I needed it most. Some of these professors I’d also consider to now be my friend.

My confidence in how I’d perform in my classes continuously sky rocketed the more I sought help and capitalized on my professors office hours.

If you have a good professor who truly cares, they’ll be glad to see you show up.

Don’t just ask your professors questions, build relationships and integrate them into your support network.

3. Time management will make or break you

During my first semester of college I nearly failed out. I dropped every class I was taking except for one and honestly felt like getting a college degree wasn’t meant for me. My ability to succeed wasn’t the issue, it was my time management.

My day-to-day routine had no structure and my grades paid the price. That changed when I started scheduling my week every Sunday evening, using a calendar to map out my assignments, classes, and weekly goals. I still add things to my calendar on the fly as they pop up, but by creating a weekly plan in advance I’m able to give myself more freedom and reduce stress during the week.

When you stay on top of your tasks you’ll create more time for yourself—not less. You can use a physical or digital planner. I personally use google calendar because it has both a calendar and to-do list built together. It also pairs across all of my devices and its free to use.

A structured plan each week will buy you more free time in the long run.

4. Burn out happens and it’s fixable

Burn out can make you feel like you’re so drained you can’t focus anymore, like everything is too much to handle, and like you’ve lost all motivation.

For first-gen students juggling school, work, and life, burnout can sneak up fast. You might feel like you have no option but to keep pushing through it, but that’s not always the case. Pushing through burnout isn’t productive or sustainable.

Setting personal boundaries and taking breaks isn’t lazy or going to break you—it’s how you stay in this for the long haul. You can’t always operate on empty and its important to take time to do things that recharge your passion for why you’re in college to begin with. Don’t neglect your grades but do know when it’s time to step in and give yourself a much needed break.

Rest doesn’t have to mean laziness. Use it wisely when needed and it’ll help you avoid burning out.

5. You don’t have to have everything figured out your first year

During my first year, I was constantly in fight-or-flight mode. I felt like I needed to figure everything out right then and there. I felt lost and behind my peers. Eventually, I realized no one actually knows it all when first starting out.

It’s okay if you don’t know how to register for classes on your own, or how to talk to professors comfortably yet. Most of your peers are trying to figure it out too. You’ll learn it as you go like all of us who did before you.

Utilize step one here. Use your universities website to find help centers and resources you can use, meet with your advisor for course enrollment and planning, and ask your professors questions when you have them. You won’t look dumb and you won’t regret asking for help.

Take it step by step. You’re not behind. You’re learning.

Final Thoughts

If I had known even one of these, I would’ve saved myself a lot of stress. Hopefully, these tips leave you feeling more prepared and a little less alone.

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What’s one thing you wish someone told you during your first semester of college? Leave a comment below—I’d love to share some of your responses in a future post.

I’ll see you next Sunday.

-Shawn