13 Things You Need To Know As An Incoming College Freshman
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13 Things You Need To Know As An Incoming College Freshman

Community bathrooms aren't as bad as you think, but you still DEFINITELY need shower shoes.

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JSU building

As you get ready to move into a dorm and start college classes for the first time, there is a lot you should know and be prepared for. College will be unlike anything else you've ever experienced, and it's important that you go in with the right mindset.

College can be one of the greatest experiences of your life if you let it. Here are 12 things that I learned and/or wish I would have known before I started my freshman year of college.

1. If you've never shared a room with someone before, get ready for some awkward moments. 

If you're like me, you probably won't spend that much time in your room anyway, but there will still be times when things get awkward. You will definitely annoy each other on the phone or walk in while the other person is changing clothes at least once.

2. Don't sweat it if your roommate doesn't become your best friend. 

Like I said before, you probably won't even be in your room that often anyway. You don't have to be good friends to be able to peacefully co-exist.

3. Invest in shower shoes. 

The idea that community bathrooms in college dorms are disgusting is (for the most part at least) a myth. At my college, they were thoroughly cleaned practically every morning. However, I still wouldn't step foot in our showers without some type of shower shoes on. Buy a pair of cheap flip-flops at Walmart and save your future self from a case of athlete's foot.

4. You definitely don't need to take as much stuff as you think you do. 

When I moved into my freshman dorm, I took almost all of my clothes, and I probably wore about a third of them regularly while I was there. I also had an entire drawer in my desk dedicated to random things I had brought with me that I never once used. You have a limited amount of space, and you will have to move out everything you bring in, so be smart.

5. Always have something to eat in your room, just in case. 

At my college, especially when we came back from a long break like Thanksgiving or Christmas, all of the on-campus dining locations would be closed the day we were able to sign back into our dorms. Save yourself from starving or having to go off campus and spend more money by keeping a box of Easy Mac in your room. It will also save you meal swipes and flex dollars.

6. Get involved in SOMETHING. 

I know a ton of people whose freshman year was miserable because they spent the entire year in their dorm room. The best way to avoid that is to find something on campus to do outside of class. Whether you join a sorority or fraternity, get involved with a campus ministry, or just join a club related to your major, getting involved will save you from boredom and help you make friends (and it just might look good on your future resumé).

7. Try to do your laundry once a week.

I lived on the top floor of a dorm with no elevators. Our laundry room was on the bottom floor. That meant I had to carry my laundry down 5 flights of stairs to the basement any time I needed clean clothes, and of course, I would procrastinate until I had absolutely nothing left to wear. My advice to you? Pick a day of the week to be your laundry day, and save yourself the trouble of having to wash 3 loads at once because you have no clean socks left.

8. Invest in a Hulu subscription. 

Netflix is great, and I spent my fair share of time watching it my freshman year. However, with Hulu, you can stay up to date on shows that you used to watch weekly at home. Hulu saved me from ever getting behind on Grey's Anatomy, and saved my parents a lot of DVR space. Don't knock it until you try it.

9. Learn where all of the buildings are before your first day of classes. 

I had almost no idea where any of the buildings were on my first day, so I got lost and was late for my very first college math class. Don't be like me. Learn the layout of campus beforehand so you don't get lost.

10. Take your grades seriously. 

College is different than high school. It may not necessarily be harder in the way that you're expecting, but the grading system and the amount of grades you will have in a class is definitely different. You can no longer rely on having a lot of assignments to bring up your average if you make a low grade on a test. Also, you will definitely have at least one class where you won't even know if you're passing until final grades come out, so get ready for that.

11. Get used to working with complete strangers. 

College professors love assigning group projects knowing that their students often don't even know each others' names, so be prepared to work with people that you don't know and will likely never speak to again.

12. You college professors DO care about you, they just won't baby you. 

It is 100% a myth that college professors don't care about their students because they absolutely do. They will definitely help you if you ask them, but you have to be willing to put in the work too.

13. You're going to see and experience things you never have before, so be open minded. 

College is a unique and diverse place. Be prepared to see a lot of unique things and people, and be open-minded about things you're unfamiliar with. You just might learn something.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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