My First Year At UWRF

Hey, new students!

The New Student and Family Programs team is excited for your start at UW-River Fall. We are sure you are experiencing a lot of emotions and asking a lot of questions right now, and we want to let you know that this is all part of the process of transitioning to life as a college student. Our team of Student Managers want to share some stories of their transitions to UWRF with you. Know that every student goes through many changes and challenges as they begin college, but we will help equip you with the tools and resources you need to overcome those changes and challenges. We hope that if you are feeling nervous about what lies ahead, these stories can help you know that you are not alone in those feelings of uncertainty, but you've got a great year awaiting you.

Evan

Hi! I’m Evan. I’m from Woodbury, Minnesota, and I am a Communication Studies major with a Stage and Screen Arts minor. This fall marks my final semester before graduation in December. When I started my time at UW-River Falls, I didn’t come with much of a plan in mind. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to be here in general. I really didn’t enjoy high school and assumed that college would be more of the same. When I arrived, I came into college with such a negative mindset that my transition was difficult. I made it difficult by not giving it a chance. 

Because I didn’t attend events hosted for first-year students, within a few weeks, I already felt like I’d missed the boat on meeting new people. Luckily, after some pep talks with my family, I started putting myself out there to meet people in my residence hall, which helped me start feeling more at home on campus. I made one especially good friendship with someone who lived on the floor above me. Through him, I started meeting more people, and started to find my place on campus. We would get meals together, play games, and hang out in our free time. Finding a group that I felt comfortable made me transition from uncertainty of being in college to never wanting to leave because I was so happy… but it didn’t happen for me right away.

My advice for new students is this: if you feel like you are too nervous to attend events or get out of your room you can still make connections to help your transition. There will be so many people to meet in your hall, and there are clubs to join that you will be interested in to introduce you to new people. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a challenge, but even the tiniest of steps can change your world. Doing something as simple as pointing out an interest you share with someone or showing up to a random club meeting can change your whole college experience, and make campus feel like home.”

Trevor

My name is Trevor Coggins and I am a Broadfield Science Education major with an emphasis in Biology. I am from Greenwood, Wisconsin, and I am entering into my 4th year here at UWRF.I chose River Falls for the people. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true.

When trying to make the decision of where to go I kept coming back to how welcome and at home I felt at River Falls. It wasn’t much of a competition, and I’ve loved it here more than I ever thought I could. Being honest, though, it took some time for me before I truly fell in love with the campus. I had to tackle my own challenges with my transition to college.

The hardest part of my transition was finding my place on campus. I didn’t know where to fit in. I put myself out there, and I made friends, but the connections I made at first definitely felt more surface-level when I first arrived. It took more than an entire year, but eventually I found my people. I found Theta Chi Fraternity (ΘΧ) in the spring of my first year after meeting a couple of people from the chapter, and for the first time, I really felt like I found my fit. I’ve made connections, friends, and memories that’ll last a lifetime. They made River Falls my home away from home.

My advice to new students: Branch out, try new things, make new friends. College is what you make of it, and getting out of your comfort zone every so often will be good for you, I promise.

Kira

Hello, new students! I’m Kira, and I am from Lakeville, Minnesota. I am studying Secondary Mathematics Education which is just fancy lingo for saying that when I graduate, I want to teach high school math. I just finished my fourth year at UWRF and will be continuing on to student teaching in the fall, so I will technically be a 5th year student.

All throughout middle school and high school I had my sights set on attending many different universities in Minnesota. I am a die-hard Minnesotan, so going to school in Wisconsin was never on my radar. After touring one college that I thought then was the school of my dreams, I felt positive that I had made my decision to attend that school and that nothing was going to change my mind. My mom told me I should look a little more at other universities. She then went and scheduled a tour behind my back to a "well known teaching college" in Wisconsin... enter: UWRF.

When I came for my tour, I really didn't want to focus on anything the admissions staff had to say because I was so confident that I would NOT be going to go to school here. At the end of my tour my mom asked our tour guide if there was a dance team on campus. At the time, I had been dancing for 15 years and hadn’t dreamed that it would be a passion I could continue to pursue in college. I didn’t see many opportunities at the other schools I had been considering. My tour guide introduced me to one of the team captains who also happened to be a Falcon Guide on campus, and she talked to me about all the dance opportunities I would have if I came here. I did some more reading on the UWRF Dance Team and the mathematics department at UWRF, and just like that, my mind was completely changed. I made the UWRF dance team my senior year of high school, and since then I have been a three year captain, danced at US Bank Stadium, and competed nationally twice. At UW-River Falls, I have found that the classes and school work really set the right foundation for my future, but little things like the dance team are what make this place truly home.

My advice for new students: Just because you are starting over at a new place, you don’t have to let go of those interests that have brought you joy throughout high school. College can be a great place for a fresh start, but know you can stay true to who you are by joining clubs related to hobbies, interests, sports, and so much more while you explore those new opportunities, too.