As the new school year starts, here are some tips I have learnt about Messiah and the College experience in general!
1. Lottie Tips
Don't be overwhelmed by the amount of food at Lottie or by the limitation of hot options at points. Remember that Lottie always has a Delhi sandwich making option, as well as bagels, breads and salad. The easiest thing to do in times of Lottie chaos, make your own! Its so easy to be creative with the amount of options you have at Lottie, as well as the sauces that are in the main dining area (there's also cinnamon/cinnamon sugar) near the spreads for oatmeal and the like!
2. Chapel Chaos
Chapel isn't always the most riveting of experiences especially when you were up cramming till 3am for your 8am class! Yet go to chapel at the beginning of the semester! Its so much easier to get them all done first then to wait till later, also bring work with you and a coffee or snack too, snacks and drinks can keep you awake! I don't want to endorse studying whilst at Chapel, but quick revisions and light homework adjustments that aren't distracting to others and can be done whilst multitasking;)
3. Secret Study areas
There are so many places to study on campus, not just the library or your tiny, (often taken) study rooms on your floor! To name a few here are some you may not have thought of before: The secret study areas in the library (there are some metal desks to the left of the library when you first walk in that are well away from others), Fry computer labs are a great resource and there are literally tons of them! (they are also open most of the night), Kline/jordan has great big open spaces to study and is a good place to study with friends, boyer is a good place too although the hours that its open are stricter than other buildings.
4. Ways to get your writing out there
If you are any type of writer, there are many magazines and College outlets that you can use to get your work out there, the biggest example would be through the pulse that would be very willing to take you as a writer to write on many topics such as sports, entertainment and student life. There is the Bridge magazine, the swinging bridge, the Pulse online and also clubs and organisations like The Collab that also take writers.
5. Getting involved
There are so so many ways to get involved in the local community that don't always get mentioned enough. If you go to the agape centre or go to any of their socials they will happily let you know about projects you can get involved in. There are ways to serve the homeless in Harrisburg with Bethesda Mission, ways to serve children with disabilities by helping with CATRA, and ways to teach and mentor kids who haven't had many opportunities in life too. Not forgetting the service trips that are offered over breaks!
6. Using your resources
Messiah is great at letting students know that there is help available for them, whether thats by going to the writing centre or learning centre, the library resource desk for annotations and the like, the Engle centre for free on most visits, the career centre for future careers and internships or the Intercultural office for study abroad opportunities. Don't waste the resources that are right in front of you!
7. Coffee!
There are many places to get coffee on campus, like Cafe Diem, the union and the The falcon to name a few, where they make specialised drinks for you. A little tip for you try and bring your own cup (you get a discount) also don't be afraid to give specifics as long as you explain and are patient (and don't ask for a cow-dunk-triple-exprosso-holdthecream kind of drink). An iced chocolate mocha with a shot of raspberry is delicious but not typically on the menu, so don't be afraid to get creative!
8. Folder madness
One thing that has greatly helped my time at Messiah especially as a double major is having my papers organised. Keep one folder for classes that are related in your major and use dividers to split up classes! Use a slip in paper folder for homework assignments and another one for papers that have been handed back. Lastly read back over your notes with a highlighter! It will save you so much more study time afterwards and help you to retain the information better as well!
9. Morning madness
I read an article once that recommended waking up earlier in order to prepare yourself mentally and physically for the day, before throwing on make up and grabbing coffee all in 10 minutes from having your head on the pillow. It literally changed my wholeeeeee college experience when I practiced this! Waking up earlier and having a cup of tea and just sitting, or being able to do devotions or even work out before work, or class helps you to be more awake, focused and expectant of the things ahead of you!
10. All nighter tendencies
First of all, try really hard to avoid all nighters! I have done my fair load of them so far and I can tell you that they will mess up your body for the next two weeks! No matter how many coffees you drink or naps you take, nothing beats a good nights sleep. If you have to do an all nighter plan ahead and do it over a weekend or make sure you can do the all nighter with plenty of water and productivity and then have time to decent sleep later that day (not just a nap).
