<p>My advice in general is to just know yourself. Everyone is different, and part of being one of those people who apparently “pre-frosh marvel at” is either (1) being incredibly stressed and overwhelmed or (2) just being aware of yourself and your limitations (or strengths). Some people thrive when their busy, love having a packed schedule, and seem to be doing a million things at once. That’s great for them, but if that isn’t you, you should try to do the same thing. Others love to throw themselves fully into a couple of things that really excite them, and that’s fine too. Others want to explore different things, be a sort of “renaissance scholar” and experience a little of everything. That’s fine too. Be comfortable with who you are and how you can be most successful.</p>
<p>It’s a process, and it’ll come with time. Be conscious of your limits, but don’t be afraid to try something new or take on something else (a job, an internship, whatever) just because someone else doesn’t think you can handle it. Only you can make that decision. I always recommend that people try to push their comfort zone every semester in terms of the workload you can handle, the activities you participate in, or whatever you’d like to do. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to try. Try new things, reach out to people, seek out new opportunities.</p>
<p>I’m someone who struggles very much with anxiety and social situations, but I’m also one of those people that juggles a lot of different things at one time. I hate asking for things, and while I hate when people say to get over it, that’s sort of the best way to sum it up. It’s obviously not something that you can just “get over,” but you have to force yourself to do things that might make you uncomfortable. That’s the only way you’ll figure out a way to handle it, get used to it, or work around it. So do all of the things that people recommend that you do: apply to internships, volunteer in hospitals, go to office hours, ask professors if you can do research with them, get help if you need it, go to workshops and talks that would be helpful or interesting, etc. You don’t have to do it all at once, but little by little, do something. If they say no or you have a bad experience, who cares? It doesn’t change the position you’re in, and you’ve just gained experience about applying, interviewing, writing a resume or CV, etc.</p>
<p>If you want to wait a semester or two to get settled and focus on your coursework, that’s absolutely fine. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you think you can handle doing things besides your coursework during those first semesters, that’s fine. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Just be aware of what you can handle. If you have no idea, then just try something (perhaps, whatever your adviser recommends), and then adjust from there.</p>
<p>And never be afraid of dropping something if you find that you are too stressed. Be aware of drop deadlines for courses and how many units you need to maintain for scholarships or other aid, in case you want to drop a class. If you find that you have to drop another commitment, it’s fine. It doesn’t mean you are a failure or that you can’t handle college or whatever. People will understand because you have the best excuse in the world: You’re a student. People get that you’re busy and that you have to put your schoolwork first. Obviously, try not to make promises that you can’t keep, but now is a fantastic time to figure out how much you can handle (or to get better at handling many different things). You have the flexibility to adjust your schedule as you need to, and that’s not something you may be able to do after undergrad.</p>
<p>So that’s my really long winded way of saying, you’ll be fine. It may not seem like it now, but it takes time and practice. Coming from someone who really doesn’t like to seek out opportunities or advocate for themselves, you’ll get better at it the more you do it.</p>