It’s halfway through the Fall 2018 semester for University of Wisconsin–La Crosse students and many UWL freshmen are still adjusting to college life. While the pressure of midterm exams can be tolling on some students, many freshman seemed to have a lighter workload during midterm exams. 

“I haven’t had any midterms exams. My roommate has had four, so I feel bad for her, but I haven’t been too stressed,” said UWL freshman Yecenia Hernandez. It all depends on what classes students are enrolled in, but midterms exams were surprisingly not students biggest struggle this year. 

“I didn’t have any midterms, which was nice. It was a good welcome to the university, I’ve only had to write a couple of essays,” said UWL freshman Katie Flaggue. “I need to figure out my major. I want to switch from a science major to an art major, so my biggest struggle is trying to find out how to change that. ” said Flaggue. 

Another UWL freshman Liby Darling, is also struggling with trying to figure out what she wants to major in. “I wanted to be an actuary, so I’m in a lot of math classes, but now I realized that I do not want to do that, so I’ve been pretty unmotivated,” said Darling. Some students aren’t sure of what they want to major in, but there is an on-campus help for this dilemma. A source to utilize is the Academic Advising Center in 1140 Centennial Hall; This program provides useful information about majors offered at UWL and various career opportunities. 

Effectively managing time is also difficult for some freshman on campus. “Getting all my homework done at a good pace and having good time management is a big struggle of mine,” said UWL freshman Kaitlyn Jones. Students are advised to spend at least 2 hours of studying for every class they are enrolled in. “The classes are very independent with learning, and you kind of have to take a lot of time to teach yourself,” said Darling. 

Although, the college class schedule is very versatile, which allows students to have more time to study. “One of the things I like here is all the freedom. In high school you sit for eight hours and only learn about four hours of content. Classes are more spread out [at UWL], and the schedule is flexible here. So now I have more time to study and do things that I am interested in,” said UWL freshman Macy Carti. 

One of the best experiences UWL freshman have had while spending their time on campus is getting involved in sports, clubs, and various activities. “I got connected with Cru and bible study, so it was easy to find a small community of people to support each other even though we haven’t known each other for that long,” said Darling. Jones also believes that, “one of the best things about this year is getting to know new people. I’m involved in Cru and pre-physical therapy club, so I’ve met a lot of new people and it’s been great,” said Jones. 

Many students have been anxious about meeting new people, but it has all worked out for the best. “I’ve made a lot of friends really easily. It’s scary putting yourself out there, but everyone is really nice,” said Flaggue.  

While many students are still getting adjusted to campus life at UWL, the freshman class has spent the year so far facing many different challenges, yet students have had many opportunities to make their first year at UWL a great one.