Aaahhh, freshman year — getting a whiff of the college life for the first time, spending countless hours trying to find out where you fit in society, and of course, making life-long friends — and life-altering mistakes along the way.
As far as your social health goes, there is no year more essential than the first. Your clumsy waltzing around, trying to find an in and learning how this weird-ass city works, is actually the main way you’ll discover who you want to be in Eugene and how you can enjoy your four-year stay in Track Town.
Free time is gold for freshmen. Though you’d be best off spending your first year in a magical world with well-fortified castles known as dorms, and eating your way to the recognition of a slightly deteriorating metabolism, the cursed realm known as the “real world” always has a way of reminding you that life really does suck. Kids like me, who have no financial support from home and minimal aid from the FAFSA will soon learn what I am talking about.
Working.
Finishing up high school, I had already spent two years at Safeway as a courtesy clerk. I busted my ass there, clocking in 25-hour weeks and managing the turmoil of senior year, as well.
I hated working, but it never seemed to affect my high school work and social life.
I guess things were less complicated in my hometown. Scanning my financial aid reward letter to see that I would have to pay for rent, my cell phone, my credit card (long story) and books with mostly my own earned money, I requested a transfer down to Eugene because I knew that more time in cartland was going to be necessary.
I arrived in Eugene late August of my graduating summer and instantly began working — doing about the same amount of hours as I did in high school. I was forced to balance working along with the shift to college classes and not having any friends outside of my roommates and several kids I met during IntroDUCKtion.
My experience was greatly hurt by the amount of hours I had to work and the shortcomings of my financial situation. As a freshman off-campus, who spent most weekends pulling in extra hours to skate by on the next month’s bills, I felt like my whole existence was reduced to school and work. I was disconnected with the freshman life — in fact, until I pushed myself to get involved with Delta Tau Delta, I can honestly say I didn’t have a freshman year, or many significant friends.
Not to string my own violin, but it was depressing as hell.
I’m pretty sure most kids won’t have to pay out of pocket as much as I did freshman year, and I would like to hope that most freshmen don’t have to endure the hardship of being worked like that with no strong support system of friends. But, if you feel like you have to work, it is important to never forget that school is first, and that the social aspect of school is just as important as the academic.
Unless you absolutely have to, I don’t feel like any college kid should be working more than 15-20 hours a week. Anything more can deteriorate your schoolwork, and will put great limits on your networking capabilities.
Of course, bills must be paid, and the real world will probably put some of you on a financial hobble, as it did to me.
My advice to those who have to work a lot: Try to find a job that relates to your career interests, get yourself involved in some kind of club or group and keep yourself socially active.
If you don’t have to work, don’t. The extra money is never worth the experiences you’ll miss out on, and you’ll end up, like me, wondering how a normal freshman year would’ve been.

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