In high school, being an "upperclassman" has a lot of weight to it. This can often be literal, as seniors tend to tower over their freshman counterparts. Older students often get preferences on classes and other perks that may vary from high school to high school. To put it simply, seniors tend to rule the school. In college, this generally is not the case.
In professional sports, rookies often acclimate to the new pace of the professional league well before the end of the season, usually finding their groove within months, mitigating their relative inexperience well before the end of the year. College students are much the same way. A student's first day on campus commonly sees them in class with seniors, learning the same material at the same rate. Within a few weeks, most freshmen can figure out the unique quirks of their campus and, like rookie athletes, are usually indistinguishable from their more experienced classmates. Some students have difficulty shaking off that high school culture and may have anxiety over talking to older students. For those students, here are some general tips.
High School is Over
This may be tough, as most of your formative experiences walking onto a college campus will be high school related. However, most students will find too much gushing about high school corny and immature. It is natural for freshmen to self-sort and relate to each other through their high school experience, but it is usually best left in the past for established college students. This goes double for sports, particularly if you are not a college athlete, and quadruply for ACT/SAT scores. The only thing that made my eyes roll harder than talking about the -glory days- of your high school football team (let me guess, you would have gone D1 if your coach did not hate you) is hearing about your stupid standardized test scores that have LITERALLY ZERO VALUE the moment you enroll.
Rather than talk about the past, if you find yourself in a social interaction with a more experienced student, be curious and talk about the future instead. Ask questions, and lean towards sharing what you want to do rather than what you already do. These are often much better conversations and can actually lead you to more exciting opportunities; maybe this individual is in a relevant club or organization and can help you join. It also shows your mindset is about connecting with your current situation rather than regaling your high school years.
Cool is Dead
You have nothing to prove. You are a student on campus, and to an extent, most established students will happily regard you with respect simply because you have that shared experience. Some of the saddest scenes new students get caught in is feeling they must try to impress their upperclassmen counter parts. If you feel pressure to make an impression, my advice for this is also my advice for first dates: be yourself, but be your best self. -Just be yourself- is often awful advice; we all have quirks, opinions, and weird interests that we should probably refrain from sharing until we build a rapport with someone. But don't try to be someone you are not. Think about your best qualities and put them on display. Don't feel pressured to make jokes if that isn't who you are — people will appreciate you if you are respectful and pleasant.
Be a Good Sport
Similar to the prior point, don't bad mouth school traditions, even if they are corny. This is often displayed at campus sporting events: Take a picture with the school mascot. Do the choreographed cheers during the big game. This shows the older students around you that you are willing to participate in campus culture and add to the legacy you are all creating. Constantly poking fun at the school traditions makes you look bitter, not cool. You aren't above your peers. Being in the student section with your classmates shows older students that you are willing to be one of them and put your pride aside to carry on traditions that generations before started.
As I said at the beginning, upper and underclassman differences are mostly negligible by a student's second year. Rather than thinking about "grades," just consider that some of your classmates will know the ropes of the university better than you and that you should respect that wisdom. Getting along with students usually comes down to being willing to be a bit vulnerable, not putting too much pressure on yourself, and focusing on your shared experiences. If you do that, you should be able to make friends with just about anyone on campus.
