Finally, a fun article!
Even though there's still bad things going on in the world, I thought I might share something a little more exciting.
A lot of my friends are going into their freshman year of college, and while I'm no expert, I'd love to share with y'all some things I wish I would have known.
1. Traditional style dorms are not scary.
You think you're going to hate it, but it really is the best way to live. If I didn't live in a traditional dorm, I wouldn't have made any of the friends that I made, and I would have paid more just to have my own bathroom. For some people it's a must have, but I honestly think the community feel is worth the sacrifice. The girl I bought my couch from lived in a suite style dorm and she said she only really knew her immediate neighbors. I knew everyone on my hall, and even though we didn't always get along, I loved them.
2. Don't spend too much money on dorm stuff.
Unless you have loads of money, or you really know how to craft, your room is never going to look like a Pinterest board without a hefty price. Also, if you buy too much stuff, you won't have anywhere to put it. You can always buy more stuff as you go. It's also important to leave for you to grow. As your first semester goes by, you'll want to add or get rid of some stuff, so bringing too much will limit what you can do with such a small amount of space.
3. Don't get an area rug.
Please. For the love of God. Do. Not. Get. An. Area. Rug.
But if you must get an area rug, make sure you test it out before you bring it to school with you. My roommate got us the cutest rug last year, and I really did love it. But as more and more people walked on it, it shed and collected all the hair and dirt from the room. It was like having a homeless dog living with us at all times. And if we didn't vacuum for an extended period of time, our room looked dirtier than it actually was.
4. Don't bring clothes you won't wear.
I have a really hard time letting stuff go, so I brought a lot of clothes I would "maybe" wear. Bring clothes that are cute and functional. You'll end up buying or winning school shirts as you go, so you don't want to fill up your dresser with random clothes you won't need. You're not going to look cute every day. You're gonna be late a lot and you're going to need clothes that you can just throw on. Also, don't count something out if it's kinda weird, you might need it for a function or party. P.S. Don't bring any high school clothes. You're probably not going to wear them anyway. P.S.S. You'll definitely need to bring a Hawaiian shirt and a jersey.
5. Don't bring too much food.
I literally still have food from last year. If you have any sort of meal plan at all, you're not going to eat all the food that you brought. You're going to want to eat lunch with your friends at your cafeteria, try out the restaurants around campus and you probably don't want to gain a whole bunch of weight. (lol)
6. Go to the gym.
You literally have to if you don't want to gain weight. Either that or don't eat so much ... but we all know we would rather eat and go to the gym. Most universities don't charge you to go, so you might as well. Also, they usually have fun classes you can take or intramural sports for you to play. And, it's good for you. A healthy body is a happy body. Going to the gym keeps your body and mind in check.
7. Read the syllabus.
The syllabus is the key to your whole entire life. It will tell you when your exams are, your grade breakdown and if there's extra credit opportunities. You can usually tell what kind of professor you have by their syllabus. If the syllabus has everything outlined, the class is probably going to be pretty straightforward. Your professor probably is going to be pretty cool. If the syllabus is kinda vague, you're in for an interesting semester.Your professor is more likely to be a crazy person, so you might want to run away. One of my professors put barely anything on their syllabus, so they would just announce when they felt like a test should be. It's fine. Everything's fine.
8. Take good notes.
This is huge. You have to take notes in a way you'll be able to study them later. If it's a really hard class and you don't want to miss anything, record the lectures. Those came in handy during finals week. Try different methods of taking notes to see what fits your needs. Some classes I took notes on my laptop, and some classes I wrote in a notebook. It really all depends. And if you're not good at taking notes, find someone who is and be their BFF. In college, no one is checking to see if you have the notes. You're responsible for getting the information and getting the information is only half the battle.
9. Take care of your planner.
Your planner, like your syllabus, will literally be the key to your whole life. Treat it with care and love. You want to make sure you keep track of your classes and assignments because, like I said before, no one is going to be making sure you're doing what you're supposed to. Don't lose your planner. You will not be able to survive without it. Also, you should get a planner that is both cute and conventional. If you write really large, you might want to consider a larger planner. If you're more artsy, you might want to consider a planner without lines. The best places I've found planners that work well are Barnes & Noble and Target, but you have to find what works best for you.
10. You're going to have an amazing time.
Above all, I wish I knew what was in store for me my first year of college. I had so much fun and learned so much about myself as well as others. I made friends that I know will withstand the test of time. I made so many unique memories with such great people, and I found my college home. It's such an exciting time of your life, and you'll never get that time back. Embrace it and have fun!
My advice to you upcoming freshman is to have fun and stay focused. Your college experience is what you make it. You only get what you give. Give it all and don't stress too much. You've got this.
