Boxes were half-packed, the summer sun was setting, and nerves were quietly setting in. Around kitchen tables and in backseats of cars, soon-to-be college freshmen were getting their final sendoffs—some wrapped in hugs, others in rapid-fire advice. What to bring, what to avoid, who to trust, how to thrive. For many students at Oral Roberts University, those moments were filled with small but powerful words—advice that would echo through dorm rooms, lecture halls, and late-night talks during their first year of college.
From the wisdom of loved ones and parents to truthfully honest friends, here are some of the top pieces of advice ORU students received before their first semester and what they wish someone had told them before they began school.
‘Do big things’
Before Makenzie Bolding left for college, her mother told her to “go do big things.” That meant putting herself out there and getting involved.
“It helped me to remember that I can do anything that I set my mind to,” said Bolding, a freshman in elementary education last spring.
Starting college meant a new place with a new start and a clean slate, Bolding said.
“College is a new chapter,” she said. “I wanted to do the best I could to make it a good one.”
She made the Pom team and will be an RA this semester.
“A piece of advice I wish someone would have given me is that it’s OK to do things by yourself sometimes,” said Bolding.
‘Remove the bones from the fish’
Ruth Kiija, a freshman in strategic media last spring, received an unusual but impactful piece of advice from her mother.
“My mom told me, ‘Remove the bones from the fish you eat,’” Kijja said. “I hated it at the time.”
But once she got to ORU, the advice started to make sense. The phrase, strange as it sounded, wasn’t about food—it was about discernment.
“It meant learning to take truth even from people who aren’t kind,” Kiija explained.
She applied it in day-to-day life, and it was a game-changer.
“It helped me grow,” Kiija said. “Now I don’t let offense dictate my life.”
One thing she wishes someone had told her was not to take everything so straightforwardly.
“Just because you struggle doesn’t mean you’re failing,” said Kiija. “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. Life isn’t that simple.”
‘Don’t get a job first semester’
For Sam Storm, a freshman in criminal justice, the best advice came from his older sister just before he left for ORU: “Don’t get a job your first semester.”
It gave him time to build relationships and adjust to college life without the added stress.
“I wanted to spend time with friends and not work every night,” Storm said. “It helped me get to know people better and ease into everything.”
His own advice for incoming students?
“Go out at night — have fun. These four years can be the best of your life,” Storm said. “And honestly, this year wasn’t that hard. Not even that much work, to be honest.”
‘Just obey God’
Daniel Kringle, a freshman in entrepreneurship last spring, received the kind of advice that was hard to forget: “I was told not to go to college.”
Clearly, he didn’t listen.
“No, cause I’m here,” he laughed.
But he believes ORU didn’t just support his path — it amplified it. “ORU added more wood to an already burning fire.”
His biggest takeaway?
“God knows best. Just obey Him.”
The most surprising part of freshman year?
“How much opportunity comes with college.”
