college tips
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 yâall going to college soonÂ
general stuff
you donât really understand how gross communal bathrooms are until youâve been in one. they might say theyâre cleaned regularly, but theyâre not. get shower flip flops (the plastic ones) and use them so you donât 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.Â
get a nice backpack. one thatâs 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, youâre not going to go back to your room until late, so itâs best to just carry everything around with you all day and you donât want to break your back doing so.Â
keep an emergency stash of stuff in your backpack at all times. you never know what will happen during the day and you donât 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 itâs one of those cheap dinky ones. you NEVER want to be without a phone charger.Â
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 donât care whether you eat or not in class. just do it quietly.Â
never, ever, ever run out of snacks in your dorm room. you never know when youâll 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.Â
hydroflasks are heavy and expensive. donât get one. get something cheaper and easier to lug around campus, and if youâre into iced tea or coffee, get something you can put that in too.Â
bring an umbrella and comfortable rain boots. rain coats will not do jack, i tell you, when youâre getting soaked. just get an umbrella
if youâre 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 donât want to be walking around campus freezing your ass off.Â
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
academic stuff
sometimes sitting in the front isnât helpful at all. maybe youâre someone who wants to fidget or doodle without distracting people, maybe youâre just uncomfortable sitting close to the professor if theyâre 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 doesnât matter if you seem rude, just move because you have to focus.Â
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 itâs your right to learn in that class. you paid to be there. youâre paying them to be thereÂ
if you email a professor and they donât reply within five days, email them again. donât feel like youâre bothering them. theyâre probably just busy and forgot to reply.Â
office hours arenât always necessary. some people love office hours because theyâre 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 whatâs 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 donât already know what you did.Â
donât study in your room. iâm actually serious about this, donât study in your room. study somewhere outside your room, whether itâs 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, youâll start having a much worse time in school.Â
if you get a drop on a test, donât slack off for the first one just because you have a drop. study for each one like itâs the last one youâll take. you never know when you might get sick or have some emergencyÂ
social stuff
if youâre not into clubs or parties, just donât bother. theyâre loud and a lot of people get drunk and throw up on the floor so. donât evenÂ
join a club because you actually care about it, not for the brownie points. donât get roped into doing a bunch of stuff you hate
you wonât find your best friends in the first semester of college unless you have impeccable luck. if youâre like the rest of us, you have to be patient for them to fall into your life. when you do find them, youâll know.Â
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 youâre living your best life right now and it doesnât 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 youâre just not in the mindset or physical health to hang out, say no. you need to live your life for youÂ
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 :)))
