Ida Tarbell, Class of 1880, was a pioneer of investigative journalism. Her 1904 work “The History of Standard Oil’’ exposed the company’s monopolistic tactics and contributed to the development of antitrust law and the creation of the Federal Trade Commission. Now, she returns to the pages of Allegheny College with some advice for the institution’s newest students

Dear Ida:
How do I make sure I get the best out of the student experience without missing out on anything?
Invest in the clubs and organizations you are actually interested in. As a freshman, it’s always tempting to join whatever club you can on campus, and join as many of them as possible. This is what we’re told to do when we enter Allegheny our freshman year: “Join lots of clubs! Take a risk and try something new!” This is all very good advice, but it’s important to know your limits.
When you get overloaded with clubs and coursework, you need to ask yourself one very important question: am I doing this because I enjoy it, or because it’s something to put on my resume? Extracurriculars are important, but it’s more important to find something that you have a genuine passion for. Being a part of one or two clubs where you have a deep love for the club’s mission is more important than showing minute interest in three to five clubs you can’t invest the time or passion in.

Dear Ida:
I’ve got all my homework scheduled out, club meetings on my calendar, and plans for the weekend. But I feel like I’m forgetting something. Am I?
Give yourself time to breathe. Everybody and their uncle will tell you that college is short — and they’re not wrong, it is. It can be easy to rush from activity to activity and try and speedrun the college experience, to try to cram as many exciting things as you can into the few short hours of the day.

But by the time you’re reading this, you’ll only have been on campus for a week and a half. There’s still a lot of time in this semester, and in your four years on campus. Give yourself a break if you need it. If you can, give friends and family back home a call. Take a nap. Go for a walk. Play some video games. Recharge your social batteries. It will make it a lot easier to build strong relationships with the people around you and succeed in your classes if you take some time for your brain to decompress.

Dear Ida:
Do you have any class scheduling tips?
Many of you probably haven’t thought about your major and minor, but I know that some of you have. I was like this my freshman year as well. I came to Allegheny convinced what my major and minor would be.
While I am still interested in one of the two programs I had picked, I found love in an entirely different program — a program I never thought I’d be interested in until I took a class for fun. You may feel pressure to take all of your required classes your freshman and sophomore year, but it’s important for you to plan for at least one class of exploration. You never know what you may find, or what professor you will have that may change your academic interests entirely.
Also, take your Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Distribution Requirement ASAP.
This is more for those interested in humanities, as STEM students are going to knock this distribution requirement out of the park. For your QR distribution requirement, you’re gonna have to do some math. If you aren’t exactly adept at math, or it’s not your forte, you should try your best to get it out of the way as soon as possible. Especially since you are just coming from your high school math classes, you should get on that requirement while you still remember the math! The longer you put it off, the harder it will be when you eventually take the class.

Dear Ida:
I’ve been to a lot of welcome events and stuff with my hall, but I can’t seem to make many (or any) friends. Do you have any advice?
Don’t be afraid to talk to your classmates! You and your classmates already have one thing in common: you chose to take a class with the same professor at the same time. Even if you two have vastly different opinions of the class, you have some form of shared bonding. If you’re struggling to make friends, or you know you’ll need someone for a group project down the line, start the conversation! Talk about coursework, the professor, or just how bad the Wi-Fi connection is right now. Friendships always start out with some common interest, no matter how small.