If I knew some of these things before I walked into college at Carroll University, it probably wouldn’t make for as many stories, but it would have made for a more prepared Sofia. That being said, I decided to do you a favor. Here are some things you should know before attending your first semester at Carroll University.

1. When your campus says they offer healthy dining options, but all you eat is ABP.

“Gluten Free” options consist of so much pasta, you may as well eat the real stuff. You can only consume so many smoothies at Red Mango before you get sick of the yogurt. You go to the MDR, but then again who wants to eat chicken every day? Guess what? You go back to ABP, once again.

2. There are so many health care majors on campus.

If you are a health major, I see the eternal struggle you are going through on a daily basis and I know the amount of time you spend studying. That goes without saying that if you aren’t a health major, don’t mess or complain to one. “You’re an Education major? Cool, well I have four midterms and a nursing expo. Sorry you have to to cut out shapes for a project.”

3. The Learning Commons are your home till finals week.

You basically live in the Learning Commons. If you need to study with a group, or just people watch, the LC is there for you. Yet during finals week, there is no way you are going down there and if you do, you are a brave soul. All these random people show up and take over. You have no idea who half of them are and they just took your favorite place to sit. Who do they think they are?

4. Toppers Pizza at 2AM--the best.

We just talked about trying to eat healthy, but there are some nights where you really want pizza super late. Domino's doesn’t deliver that late, and although Toppers is more expensive, you'll be lured in by how late they will deliver.

5. Having to figure out housing, and realizing that all the nice apartments don’t have a full kitchen.

Come on Carroll! You are a great place to be and you offer a lot of amazing opportunities, but for the amount you are charging for a nice apartment, can we at least have a stove?

6. Being broke, but never skipping a Culver's or Target Run.

Who are we kidding? If you are a freshman on campus without a car, you are super excited any time someone offers to drive you anywhere! There is only so much to do on this tiny campus. You probably have 10 dollars in the bank, but cheese curds and the dollar section at Target are a must.

7. The YMCA classes are super underrated.

I don’t get why everyone doesn’t go to a workout class. Watching a football player partake in Zumba or yoga will make your week. If you are too embarrassed to go to those types of workouts, Total Body will make you proud of yourself, if you can finish the workout.

8. Greek life is a thing on campus?

The thing I love most about Greek life at Carroll is that if you are a part of it, it is your world. If you aren’t, no one really cares. It is the best of both worlds. You get your lovely Greek family but still get to hangout with people outside of it.

9. Homecoming Weekend and Spring Fling

You will learn how to get down like a Pio on game day. Homecoming Weekend comes around and you will be enjoying yourself the whole weekend. Then there’s also Spring Fling and let’s be honest, you won't even know what you're celebrating, but you'll be celebrating something.

10. Kilgour Hall Drama

The amount of things that can occur when you have enough girls in a hall to fill five floors is crazy. The dorm itself is probably the cleanest dorm out of all the traditional dorms, due to the absence of boys. If you live there, you are luckier than most. Our one fault is we sure don’t know how to cook popcorn. I'm pretty sure this is a well known fact. Where are the microwaves? Gone. The firemen got sick of coming to our rescue.

11. Pio Snaps

Shout out to whoever created this account because you will slowly fall in love with it. The amount of funny things posted on this account are too much to handle. There are some awkward things, but who are we kidding, you will still enjoy watching them. In all honesty, anything is better than doing homework at this point.

12. There is no such thing as a snow day.

Going to a University in Wisconsin, you expect snow. But you will still have this misconception that when there are a couple inches of snow your professors will cancel all of your classes. That doesn't happen. It just doesn't.

13. Being able to meet with your professor at Second Cup

The perk of going to a smaller school is that all your classes are taught by professors. For that reason, your professor is your go-to if you are struggling in a class. Being able to walk up to your professor and talk to them about how you are doing in a class is something you shouldn’t take for granted.

14. Pio Pete is your best friend.

Our mascot isn’t the coolest in comparison to a Bulldog or a Leprechaun, but Pio Pete still is our favorite. The best job on campus? Being Pio Pete for the semester equals free room and board. SCORE!

15. The Waukesha train stops you at the “most convenient” times.

I am so sorry if you live on Carroll Street. I swear there is always a train when you need to get to class. Carroll is a beautiful little campus, but the trains aren't anyone's favorite.

16. You will call Public Safety to take you to ABP.

I admit it, I've done it. When it's -2 degrees and you just want ABP, call the shuttle. Trust me, it's worth it.

17. The church bell constantly wakes you up.

You won’t know when the bell will ring, or what time of day it will go off, but it is bound to happen right when you're falling sleep.

18. The squirrels are very comfortable here.

Squirrels get in the trash can, approach students, and take food from their hands here at Carroll. Squirrels are savages, not timid creatures. Are you its next victim? Stay tuned on Pio Snaps.

19. You wait all week for Friday.

As much as people think small schools don’t know how to party, there is such a thing as partying at a small school. Friday and Saturday (and Thursday) are the days to have fun. Sunday is meant for brunch in MDR, living in the LC, and recovery.

20. In the end, you'll love Carroll, no matter how expensive it is.

There are amazing people here on campus, even if you don't know it yet. The friendships you make and the stories you will have to tell will only get better over time. Who says small schools don't know how to have fun?