ya girl is graduating in a couple of weeks so i wanted to dish out some last minute advice extracting every bit of wisdom possible from my last brain cell for those of y’all going to college soon
you don’t really understand how gross communal bathrooms are until you’ve been in one. they might say they’re cleaned regularly, but they’re not. get shower flip flops (the plastic ones) and use them so you don’t get some weird foot fungus
when selecting a dorm room (if you can), always take into account the fact that the elevator is probably going to break at some point. and also that it will probably smell pretty bad most of the time.
get a nice backpack. one that’s big and roomy, that can hold a lot of stuff and fits comfortably on your back. sometimes when your dorm is far from the rest of your classes, you’re not going to go back to your room until late, so it’s best to just carry everything around with you all day and you don’t want to break your back doing so.
keep an emergency stash of stuff in your backpack at all times. you never know what will happen during the day and you don’t want to have to go back to your room to get it. my emergency pack consisted of stationery stuff (pen, pencil, highlighter in case i left my pencil bag at home), medicine like advil and pepto bismol, feminine hygiene products, a phone charger, eyeglass cleaning wipes, and vaseline. always keep a second phone charger in your bag, even if it’s one of those cheap dinky ones. you NEVER want to be without a phone charger.
whenever i was in the cafeteria, i used the coffee cups to load up on cereal or fruit in case i got hungry and wanted a snack during class. professors generally don’t care whether you eat or not in class. just do it quietly.
never, ever, ever run out of snacks in your dorm room. you never know when you’ll get hungry at night and want something to eat, and you do not want to put in the effort to leave and get food, OR spend money for grubhub.
hydroflasks are heavy and expensive. don’t get one. get something cheaper and easier to lug around campus, and if you’re into iced tea or coffee, get something you can put that in too.
bring an umbrella and comfortable rain boots. rain coats will not do jack, i tell you, when you’re getting soaked. just get an umbrella
if you’re from the southern US or from california, trust me on this: get a winter jacket. a good winter jacket. you never know when the next cold snap will be in the fall or winter and you don’t want to be walking around campus freezing your ass off.
set your clothes out the night before. this will save you a couple minutes of sleep when you have to wake up and go to class, plus checking the weather before you head out is always helpful.
emergen-c is a vitamin c supplement that you can put in your water and drink. if you feel a bit drowsy or sick, you will feel better after drinking this. tip from a doctor i shadowed
sometimes sitting in the front isn’t helpful at all. maybe you’re someone who wants to fidget or doodle without distracting people, maybe you’re just uncomfortable sitting close to the professor if they’re one of those types who goes around calling on people, or maybe you want to sit near friends who can clarify things as the class drags on. that is ok. do what works for you. but sometimes people talk pretty loudly in the back and in that case you have to move. just move. it doesn’t matter if you seem rude, just move because you have to focus.
ask questions. you are probably not the only person with that question in the room. i know some profs can make it feel awkward to ask because they can act elitist, but it’s your right to learn in that class. you paid to be there. you’re paying them to be there
if you email a professor and they don’t reply within five days, email them again. don’t feel like you’re bothering them. they’re probably just busy and forgot to reply.
office hours aren’t always necessary. some people love office hours because they’re good at hanging out with people and talking to them, and they can basically have the professor teach the material again. some people, like me, want to learn what’s going on before going, or even without going. most of the time you might not even need it. the one time i would always recommend you go is figuring out what you did wrong on a test if you don’t already know what you did.
don’t study in your room. i’m actually serious about this, don’t study in your room. study somewhere outside your room, whether it’s in a dorm communal space or the library, a coffee shop, or whatever. separate your schoolwork from your place of rest, and keep them separate. once work and rest time begin to blur together, you’ll start having a much worse time in school.
if you get a drop on a test, don’t slack off for the first one just because you have a drop. study for each one like it’s the last one you’ll take. you never know when you might get sick or have some emergency
if you’re not into clubs or parties, just don’t bother. they’re loud and a lot of people get drunk and throw up on the floor so. don’t even
join a club because you actually care about it, not for the brownie points. don’t get roped into doing a bunch of stuff you hate
you won’t find your best friends in the first semester of college unless you have impeccable luck. if you’re like the rest of us, you have to be patient for them to fall into your life. when you do find them, you’ll know.
you also might not find a significant other in college. you might not even want a significant other. all of this is ok. you might see everyone dating but remember you’re living your best life right now and it doesn’t matter in the long run
do what you need to do for you, not other people. in college you have the freedom to do what you want with friends, but if you need to get stuff done or you’re just not in the mindset or physical health to hang out, say no. you need to live your life for you
i hope even one piece of advice here will help you. if you have any other specific questions, please feel free to ask or drop into my inbox :)))
vaporwave
pixelskylines
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
