Photo by Megan White

As the cold weather comes around, and the leaves begin to fall, many students begin a new year at Elizabethtown College.

First-years have no idea what to expect from their new classes and new friends.

By senior year, many students feel as if they did not accomplish enough or participated in too many activities and clubs on campus.

If senior students could do it all over, what piece of advice would they give to their first-year selves?

“Don’t be afraid of change. It’s okay to change majors,” senior Liuba Miranosava said. She said she encourages students to take other classes as she said she regrets not focusing on a major she enjoyed more.

A big trend throughout the older students on campus was time management.

A lot of students felt as if they did too much on campus. From different majors, minors, clubs, sports and events to choose from, it’s no wonder why this is a challenge.

Senior Damai Odom recommended that students manage time well.

For example, when there is extra time between classes, studying during this time instead of at night is more effective.

When it gets too overwhelming, take a break and check out events on campus.

Study abroad student Ayami Yamamoto enjoys the smaller class sizes and enjoys getting to know her professors better because of the smaller size.

Yamamoto said she enjoys the campus life and being able to do what she wants when she wants to do it. This helps her organize her schedule better.

Senior Leo Costello wishes he would have spent more time trying more things, especially things that he is passionate about.

Exchange student Rei Shimomura from Japan wanted to study at the small college to make friends more easily and speak English better.

By hearing these ideas, going to more events like Odom mentioned seemed to catch her attention. It is a great way to meet more people on campus.

As for first-year students or study abroad students that are at Elizabethtown for a semester or year, hearing this advice gave the students new ideas.

First-year Juan Castano talks about what he expected when coming to Etown College.

“I expected to meet really great people and enjoy classes,” he said. Even though it is only a week into the semester, he emphasized his enjoyment of the classes.

After hearing the advice from seniors, Castano was surprised by the advice from Odom.

He said he wants to start studying in between classes as he mostly studies at night. He also said he believes in finding things he is passionate about on campus and hopes to do just that.

Study abroad student Yuuka Ohki came to Etown because of her past school size in her home country of Japan.

“My college has so many people in the college. There are 70 thousand people,” she said.

When it came to the advice, Ohki said she agrees with all of them and was taken with switching her majors.

Right now, Ohki studies law in Japan but thought about learning about the United States’ version of the law as well.

She hopes to broaden her knowledge about law both in Japan and the United States. As of now, she is a sociology major at Etown.
The class of 2023 has a lot in store this year.

From convocation to their first Thanksgiving dinner and of course Mr. Etown, there are a lot of great traditions coming their way.

Hopefully, the class will take these pieces of advice and in 2023 have even more wisdom to pass down.