Hi guys! Since a lot of people will be heading back soon, and the start of the semester is right around the corner, I figured I’d compile a list of things that I learned my freshman year to hopefully make the transition a little less rocky for you! These are all things that I definitely wish I’d known before my first year, and that I’ll keep in mind going into this year.
- If you’re in contact with your roommate, decide who’s bringing what of the “big stuff” (fridge, microwave, vacuum, etc) (if you’re able to, having a full-size vacuum is a GODSEND)
-Depending on how often you’ll be coming back home, pack LIGHTLY - especially with food stuff like paper plates/napkins/snacks -wait until you have a good idea of what your dining situation is like and what you can stuff in your bag from the dining hall (our cafeteria was buffet style and had stands with chips so I grabbed one or two bags every time I went
-You will not need nearly as much stuff as you think. Your room is probably already pretty small unless you're lucky and got a suite/apartment-style dorm setup. I promise you do NOT need to bring ten pillows for your bed. 90% of the time they will end up on the floor. I promise.
- Definitely loft or at least raise your bed if you can, you can fit SO MUCH stuff under there it’s insane
- You will probably have like, zero shelf space, so once you have a good idea of your room and what you’re bringing, one of those little box shelf cube things from IKEA or Target are great to put under our bed or somewhere else in the room
- Bring tons of the command strips/hooks
- You will probably change your room layout multiple times with your roommate before you get it right lol
-POWER STRIPS AND EXTENSION CORDS are a MUST. Keep in mind though, that you can’t plug your fridge into one or you’ll blow a fuse and everyone on your floor will be out to kill you
- If you have a private shower, bleach the hell out of it before you go in there with bare feet, if not, shower shoes!!!
-Print out your syllabus before the first day of classes, some professors expect you to have them - they’re usually either on your student site (like Canvas or Schoology)
- Get to class ten min early, especially the first day, so you get a good spot
- Sit in the first or second row if you can if it’s a classroom, and within the first four if it’s a lecture hall
- If you have a chunk of time where you have nothing to do, deadass just wander around. Literally no one cares, you’re paying to go there, you’re allowed to be on campus. (Yes this was something I had to get over lol.)
-You will get out of your first class and have a moment of “Omg what the hell do I do now?” Find a cafe. Go to the library. Go get lunch or coffee or a snack somewhere. Do NOT GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM. It’s going to be very very very tempting but also boring in the long run.
- The first week there’s usually a lot of activities to welcome the new freshmen, food trucks, yard games, guest entertainers, (we had a magician the first week) bingo, etc. Go to some of these! You never know who you might meet and there’s free food a lot of the time 👀
- Join clubs! Our campus has a student organization fair the first week where all of our clubs have their own booth and stuff, idk if you’ll have something like that but 🤷🏻♀️ I literally joined Model UN because I wanted the pretty sticky pad set and it ended up being amazing - join a bunch of clubs that interest you - if you end up not liking them there’s usually no obligation to stay on
- Once a week or so has passed, you’ll start to find a natural schedule that works for you. For me, that meant after getting out of my 10am I went for a quick brunch/light lunch at the cafeteria or local cafe, and studied/hung out there until my next class, and then went to any clubs I had that evening. Try and stick to that schedule once you find it, familiarity/routines are so comforting sometimes, especially for me
- You might not make friends right away. That’s fine. My friend group didn’t click until late March. I had people I was friends with, yes, I talked to them in class but it took a hot second to find the people that I knew I would be friends with for a long while yet.
- Stay on top of your grades! Each professor might have a slightly different method of grading; my English professor only gave grades on our papers BUT he was also grading us on participation and stuff, but it wouldn’t be posted on our student site - so you were kind of left guessing sometimes. Some professors put everything on the student site, and some only put a few things on. If this happens you can usually send them an email requesting your current grade in the class
- Stating the obvious here but if you’re invited to a party, or just hanging out with friends there is NEVER any obligation to drink, and if there is, you’re hanging with the wrong people. But if you do decide to, make sure it’s with people you trust and that it’s not too far from your residence hall/have someone walk back with you
-For the love of god do NOT BUY YOUR TEXTBOOKS IN ADVANCE, I cannot emphasize the amount of times when I bought a $100 textbook, got to class, and the professor a) offered a cheaper option or b) sent a PDF link for the book
-Rent at all possible times, unless the textbook is for your major
