College marks the start of a new journey. Everyone wants to start off on the right track but doesn’t necessarily have the community or knowledge on how to achieve that.
Every college will have issues with housing, dining services and schoolwork but the HBCU life at Morehouse College will present students with many unique situations and those who don’t come in prepared will not be ready for what’s to come.
Since 1867, Morehouse College has made a mission to build the next generation and it continues to develop young Black boys into successful Black men. Even though students are on a pathway towards success, they have to start somewhere. How can the newest generation be prepared for their first year?
The Maroon Tiger’s guide to a successful freshman year
This list is being created in 2025 but it can apply to all current and future freshmen at Morehouse College.
- Budget your money
- Find a way to stay organized
- Curate a schedule that works for you
- Build a solid circle
- Utilize academic resources
- Continuously network
Budget your money
When you get to college, you want to establish yourself as soon as possible but that does not mean trying to splurge all the money you earned this past summer.
The biggest thing that will hurt freshmen is trying to go out every time there is a party. Most likely, you don’t have a car and the only way to get around is to either walk, take the MARTA, Atlanta’s train system, or buy Uber or Lyft. Ubers will take your money faster than you think.
Atlanta is a very busy city and the night life is very active so the price of transportation will increase more and more throughout the night. Even when you split the price of the ride, your money will continuously decrease and it will not increase unless you have a job or assistance from a friend or family member.
Some may want to order food off of DoorDash or Uber Eats or even go out to eat for themselves but a trip to the cafeteria may be the better decision financially.
Budgeting your money is one of the biggest keys to successfully enjoying your freshman year. Enjoy your college career because you have only one but keep a close eye on your bank account so you can fully enjoy your time at Morehouse.
Find a way to stay organized
Whether it’s a planner, phone calendar or a physical one, find a way to have structure when you get to Morehouse. College is a whole new life and you are responsible for every little thing you do.
You have a variety of classes and it’s hard to keep up with each assignment given to you. Use tools that you will look at to notify yourself when assignments are due and complete them ahead of time to avoid overlapping subjects. Spacing out your work is a great way to not stress yourself and organizing your work can help with that.
Curate a schedule that works for you
When feeling out a school schedule, the biggest advice you hear is never choose an 8 a.m. That is great advice but you should also take that 8 a.m. if you work better in the morning. Everyone operates differently and it’s important to choose classes that best fit you.
Build a solid circle
You need a group of guys that will keep you sane. Everyone has low moments and without support, you can get really depressed or sad. You need a solid group of guys to keep you afloat while you are on campus.
The students who tend to leave Morehouse are the ones who don’t have an emotional support system or don’t engage with other students. Find your people and coast along with them through these next four years. There is someone for everyone, you just have to find your circle and everything will be alright.
You can reach out to the Morehouse Counseling Services at any time.
Utilize academic resources
There are staff members of Morehouse that want to assist you in your academic journey.
Your teachers for one all have office hours for you to have one-on-ones regarding your academic needs. The hours can be found in your class’ syllabus.
Alongside office hours, Morehouse has their very own writing center. They assist students with sentence structure, grammar and help with a variety of writing styles. There are expert tutors who are able to help in many subjects when it comes to writing and the center does edits for any paper you want checked before submitting.
Alongside the academic resources, Morehouse has a career services office that offers students assistance in their next steps toward the workforce. The office reviews resumes and cover letters, performs mock interviews and helps secure internships and future job opportunities for men of Morehouse.
Continuously network
You won’t realize it until it’s too late but you are currently living with future doctors, lawyers, journalists and directors. Morehouse was ranked No. 2 on LinkedIn’s 2025 list of Top HBCUs, based on career outcomes of alumni. You are bound to be sitting next to future millionaires and billionaires.
Continue to connect with others, lift each other up along your collegiate careers and network tirelessly.
Copy edited by Freddrell Green
