College is an exciting time, but it can also be scary. From moving to a new place to making new friends, college comes with lots of new experiences and challenges.
The Graphic seniors are here to offer some of our advice — whether you are just starting your college journey or if you need a little pick-me-up as you’re rounding out your time as a Wave.
Pepperdine has a lot to offer, and it is important to take advantage of all of the incredible resources and opportunities we have available on campus to help you grow and develop as you transition into this next phase of life.
Student life on campus is an important part of Pepperdine culture. Joining clubs and organizations are a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests or identities. Pepperdine has over 155 clubs, and 22 of those are identity-based clubs.
These clubs are great resources for finding support, especially for marginalized groups and identities on campus.
Pepperdine’s small class sizes are one of the main advantages of attending Pepperdine. Unlike many other universities, students have direct access to their professors through office hours.
As you transition into the college environment, the classes may become more challenging and rigorous than high school. Attending office hours is a great way to find strategies for improving.
Office hour visits also allow you to form closer bonds with your professors, learn more about your courses and explore your interests in those classes and endeavors beyond college.
In addition to the extracurricular and academic resources on campus, there are also practical tips and amenities that will help enrich your time at Pepperdine.
Most of the academic buildings on main campus are connected, for example, you can get to the CAC from the KSC and from the BPC to AC without going outside. Explore the shortcuts and connections when you have some time so you know a quicker way around.
The Raleigh-Runnels Memorial pool is available for all students to use and is a great place to get a workout in or appreciate the SoCal sun. Check their X account to see the open swim hours each week.
If you don’t have a car on campus or don’t want to use your own gas, the Shopping Shuttle runs from various stops on campus three times a week Monday-Saturday. It is an awesome resource to pick up groceries and prescriptions or take a walk around the Country Mart.
For those who decide to study abroad for either a semester, a full academic year, or a summer, keep aware that while you are not in control of the quality of your group, you are in control of your health. Do not prioritize experiences and travel over staying healthy.
A lot of people will go on impressive weekend trips to places that are very far away while abroad, but do not feel like those are experiences you have to have. Figure out how you want to travel, and do follow your heart rather than trying to live by what is written on someone else’s planner.
For some of us, going abroad was the best decision we have made while studying at Pepperdine, but it is not necessary for everyone. Malibu and L.A. have plenty to offer students who spend all four years here.
It is also the case that campus is relatively isolated from the places in and around L.A. that you might want to visit. Sometimes Pepperdine’s location provides safety and beauty, but unfortunately, it also means campus is located in a fire prone area.
We hope no one has to experience any more of them before it comes time for seniors to offer advice again, but that’s unrealistic.
We also recommend being ready with a go-bag when the weather is dry and windy, and know the building your dorm evacuates to.
If eventually you find yourself living off-campus, know that campus is a safe shelter-in-place option if the canyons or PCH are closed or blocked with traffic.
Campus can feel like a hard place to be sometimes. The class of 2025 is no stranger to tragedies and facing them as a community, but we also know there is no one way to grieve. Just know that everyone here, from the staff to the faculty, want to help and are also experiencing tragedies and hardships side-by-side with the students.
Always remember, no matter what your experiences are: Healing is always more important than grades.
We may be turning our tassels and closing this chapter of our lives in less than a month, but we are still rooting for you.
Wishing you the best of luck,
Graphic Seniors (‘25)
