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Student Blog: Mighty Oaks Pass Along Some Advice
At the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) more than 2,000 students have created a lively campus atmosphere. For first-year, transfer, and incoming students, advice from upper-level Mighty Oaks is like gold because of their relatable experiences.
Even if you are from the surrounding area, living on your own for the first time can be intimidating because it’s practically an intro to adult life. To balance this feeling, remind yourself that this is one stage of your life that you can have control over. You are the pilot.
Taking care of yourself and finding a routine that works for your schedule is key to incoming students whether they’re first-year students or transfers from another college.
Some Mighty Oaks who have been there have some advice.
Taking your first college exam is different for everyone. “Don’t let failure be a source of discouragement or embarrassment,” said Mariam Pakbaz, a senior in environmental studies. College is for finding yourself and honing in on your talents. Finding people on the same wavelength as you makes this process easier and even more memorable.
“It’s easy to feel like college doesn’t give you any wiggle room to adjust, but that’s not true,” Pakbaz said. Like many others, Pakbaz navigated her way through with friends, clubs, and the Academic Success Center on the lower level of Moon Library.
ESF offers a wide array of clubs that reach all sectors of the community and through those clubs and gatherings, you will most likely find new friends.
“It’s scary at first, but it’s something I wish I did sooner,” said Pakbaz.
“Get involved and be as social as possible,” said sophomore Kaia Singleton. Kiara Ball, a transfer student from the University of Buffalo, agreed, advising students to get out of their comfort zone, whether by the baby steps of checking out a club or a big leap by trying a whole new experience. “It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
College can feel serious at times but don’t take yourself too seriously. To quote the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” A cliché maybe, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
To current first-years, transfers, and students coming to ESF in the fall, our seniors leave you with this advice: Don’t let time slip away from you because one day you’re a first-semester student and then you’ll wake up as a second-semester senior and wonder where the time went.
Senior Ana Carman is a writing intern in the Office of Communications and Marketing at ESF. She is majoring in environmental studies.