<p>I’ve had boys at Elon over the years. They don’t blog CC — just don’t have the interest or motivation — so I am going to chime in. I can say without reservation that hopes and dreams which they never imagined started crystallizing at Elon, and they have clearly enjoyed the process of self discovery. I think that they would attest to the fact that each year’s successes as well as setbacks provided reference points for the year that followed. Not everyone’s experiences are the same, but here are things they did which seem for them to have made a difference in getting the most out of their time at Elon… </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Freshmen: like yourself for who you are, enjoy orientation, be flexible nothing is perfect, be friendly and make friends doing goofy stuff, commit to making grades, learn to manage time, get things done, find ways to validate who you are, join groups (campus rec, greeklife, sports, church, band, theater, cultural events, guest speakers, etc.) to find your people, take responsibility for not isolating yourself, be a doer</p></li>
<li><p>Sophomore: celebrate friendships and be creative in finding things to do with your friends, be selective about where you invest your energy and your time, take risks expressing yourself in class, initiate communication with professors, commit to a major, travel, be a giver </p></li>
<li><p>Junior: notice how far you’ve come by observing Freshman , enjoy the struggle of challenging coursework as you get deeper into your major, look for a research opportunity, learn to network and collaborate with others in your major, observe that Seniors start to withdraw in the spring and leave you to take the lead in groups you associate with, look for a summer internship </p></li>
<li><p>Senior: be a leader, mentor underclassmen, find a co-op or internship, look back with sentiment and look forward with confidence</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Oh, and be certain to expect more than a few setbacks… missed deadlines, social life drama, failed friendships, perhaps an unfortunate encounter with the authorities, hopefully nothing too scandalous… and learn you will know better the next time.</p>