Every academic has started their career as a first-year student at some point. While for some that point may lie further back than for others, it is an experience that we all have in common. Although it may be hard for you to imagine your accomplished professor struggling with basic household chores, there is a very high chance that he or she did. But what are these first-year experiences that unite the academic community and make the first-year so special? In this blog, I have come up with some common points from which you can tell that you are definitely still a first-year student  

• You constantly get lost

Whether you are on your way to class or just looking for a specific shop, being a first-year student means being lost. Google maps is now your best friend and partner in crime so that you don’t end up in some closet leading to Narnia. To be fair, it can be quite confusing sometimes. Have you ever tried finding room 1313.0389? Or room T24? As a first-year student, you are more likely to find a guy selling sunscreen and beach towels at the Vismarkt than these hidden chambers. 

• You phone home all the time 

With upbeat music playing in the background you leave your home a strong independent man/woman, full of confidence to embark on the journey that is life. Waving back at the kids playing on the street, you finally feel like an adult. At least that's what you think you are until reality hits you hard. The next moment you realize that you don’t know where to put the laundry detergent, how to cook potatoes or change the vacuum cleaner bag. Guess it’s time to call mom again… 

• You are way too motivated 

First-year students are easy to spot just based on the sheer motivation they bring up, and you are no exception to that rule. To put it like this: if Dwayne “The Rock'' Johnson and Shia LaBeouf had a kid together, it would have the motivational level of a first-year. Be it committees, sports or just showing up to class - there is just too much to do and try out. While you are still motivated enough to pee coffee, older students just wearily smile before asking themselves whether it is worth doing that bonus assignment after all. 

• You meet new people every day 

You are only four weeks into the new semester by now, and you have developed from an inconspicuous first-year to a true social butterfly. You meet new people every day, as if there was some student producing factory standing around somewhere and you absolutely love it! From ESN buddies to classmates, the random guy in the coffee corner or the janitor - you know them all, and all of them know you.   

• You eat pasta all the time

When you are always out and about making new friends and finding your way through uni, it can be hard to keep a healthy diet. But what do you eat when you are broke, and your cooking skills are still, well uh, underdeveloped? The answer is pasta. The best Italian culinary invention since food itself. Forming the nutritional basis of nearly every student it comes in many different forms: with tomato sauce, pesto, cream sauce - you name it. The world is your oyster when you make pasta; just that pasta is way way cheaper. 

• You go out 6 out of 7 days a week 

What others would consider an extreme sport (or in your mom’s words: a serious problem), is a standard routine for first-year you. Going out 6 out of 7 nights per week? No problem, mate! But it does come with some downsides as well. Honestly, I don’t want to go all Greta Thunberg on you now…  but enjoy it while you still can. Exams are coming up soon, and getting into that vicious cycle of resits and tears is worse than any FOMO could ever be!   

What are your experiences as a first-year student? Can you recognise yourself in any of these? Let us know in the comments below!