Do you ever look back at some of your first college moments and automatically feel embarrassed? There are so many stereotypes associated with being a freshman, and most of them are extremely comical. In all honesty, the things associated with being "that freshman" are likely to keep happening throughout all of your years in college. We all have our embarrassing moments, and we all feel like "that freshman" sometimes.
1. You have to use a campus map to find a building time to time.
I'm so guilty of this. I know we all are. College campuses are huge, and there's no way you can be expected to know where every single building. Sometimes you have to pull out a map, even if you're trying to do it on your phone and hide the fact that you're doing it.
2. There will be days when you walk in the wrong class.
May you're not paying attention and you're looking at your phone. Maybe you got your psychology lab classroom confused with your statistics lecture, and you're mixed up on your days. Maybe it's eight in the morning on Monday, and your brain just isn't working. It's inevitable that there will come a day when you walk in the wrong classroom filled with people who don't know why you're there, and you'll feel like a total freshman.
3. Your umbrella may flip upside down while walking on a cold, windy, rainy day.
This happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. I either have the world's flimsiest umbrella or the world's worst luck because I look like an idiot 95 percent of the time on rainy days. I once heard this described as "that poor freshman," and I realized that I will always struggle with these types of freshman moments.
4. You'll likely struggle to find the basement of certain buildings.
Whether your class is in Whitehall, Funkhouser, or Patterson Office Tower, basement classes can be tricky to find. I remember during my freshman year, I heard people talking about not even realizing that the "B" in a classroom number meant basement. It may take a while to learn the tricks of navigating around campus.
5. From time to time, you'll question whether it's possible to use your Flex account to pay.
I would use Flex at the grocery store if I thought I could. I'm guilty of shamelessly asking from time to time if they'll accept it or not. Sometimes you might receive a seriously judgmental look for simply asking, but it's worth a shot.
6. You still have no idea where the line is drawn between Flex and Plus.
Does anyone actually know the difference between these two? Seriously. I don't think I'll ever actually understand where one is accepted and the other is not. I'll use it where I can and just not ask questions.
7. You might get confused and try to take your student ticket to the front doors of Rupp Arena.
This doesn't seem like a big deal, but any seasoned Rupp veteran knows where the student door is around the side. With each new season that comes, it's easy to forget how it all works, and you might end up being that student that blanks and walks to the wrong door.
8. You're never going to know if the "9" in your student ID is required when you're asked for it.
Some exams require the 9, and some specifically tell you to avoid using it. It's so back and forth. This can leave you feeling like a complete freshman, and if you straight up ask if you need the 9, you risk looking like a freshman even more.
9. You're going to have to dress up for class, and people are going to judge you.
Even though we all assume that it's common knowledge that class attire is Norts and a T-shirt, there are going to be freshmen that dress up on their first day of classes. Subsequently, anytime you have to dress for a class, people are going to look at you like "that freshman," and they are going to judge you.
10. You pull on the wrong door when you try to walk into Whitehall.
This is one of the worst feelings ever, and yet I find myself cracking up at myself every time I do it. It's a life saver when people walk in front of me because I get to avoid the awkwardness of deciding which door to risk it on. It's always weird when you pull on a door that doesn't open.
11. You may get to the point of actually having to ask an upperclassman where a building or event is.
No shame, I've asked people in my GroupMe's for help with this before because sometimes not even a campus map can help you. I'm just thankful that they aren't the evil type of upperclassmen that tell you to go to the fourth floor that actually doesn't exist.
We're all allowed to have our freshman moments, and it's inevitable that they're going to keep happening. They're times that we're going to have to learn to accept and laugh at by ourselves because other people are probably laughing at us, too.
