Congratulations! You graduated high school and are already on your way to completing a college degree! This is so exciting, and I know you will love life at ECU!
First of all, this is going to be one of the best, hardest, most fun and most scary years of your life, but it will be so incredibly worth it. So much of what was normal in your life before college will change drastically. You will feel uncomfortable at first, but you will adapt and thrive!! So, with all of this upcoming change, how can you prepare?
Well, I asked several friends what they would tell an incoming freshman, so here is the advice we came up with!
1. ‘ECU’ actually means, “Everyone Carries Umbrellas”...
Just do it. You won't regret it.
2. Walk your classes.
Walk your classes before FDOC, so that you know where you are headed before you are on a time crunch. (I promise the campus is not going to seem like a maze forever.)
3. GO. TO. CLASS.
4. Share your location with your friends if you plan on going out.
5. Bring an empty disposable water bottle to the football games.
It is hot as HECK, and they don't allow you to bring liquid into the stadium, so bring one of those Dasani water bottles, and just refill it at a water fountain, and you are set!
6. Make friends with at least one person in each of your classes.
They are just as nervous as you, and will probably be so grateful that you reached out to them! It is also so helpful if you miss class or if you just need a study partner!
7. You will make mistakes.
Learn from it, and move on.
8. Have nightly ‘family’ dinners.
This helps so much with making good connections with people, which can so quickly turn into friends! Even if you don't have time to hang out with people daily, everyone has to eat, so do it with people and you're bound to make friends. (If you are at West End Dining Hall, say "Hi," to Miss B for me!)
9. Get a job!
You will need so much more money than you anticipate; I promise you.
10. Let go of the lanyard.
You will quickly learn that freshmen only wear lanyards for the first two weeks of school. If you want to blend in, skip the lanyard from the get-go.
11. Put your key fob on a hair tie and keep it on your wrist!
This is a lifesaver when you are carrying a ton of stuff in the hundred degree heat and don't want to have to go digging in your book bag.
12. Save your meals!
Don't use all your meals and bucks in the first quarter of the semester… Dining hall food gets really old really fast when that is your only source of food.
13. Do your homework.
Don't let all of your homework pile up over the weekend because you will hate yourself on Sunday night…
14. Quizzes could literally save or kill your grade.
15. Put yourself out there when it comes to making friends!
Literally strike up conversation in the elevator on your way to dinner and invite them along, or just ask to sit next to someone in the dining hall. It really is not nearly as weird as it feels.
16. The first two weeks living on campus feels like a stay-away summer camp.
17. It is okay to have a couple mental breakdowns.
Just know that it will all be okay.
18. You make friends through friends of friends, so be open-minded!
19. Everyone wears big T-shirts and Nike shorts.
20. West End and College Hill are like two separate worlds.
21. Give yourself a jam sesh every once and a while.
22. “Darty”= “day party”.
23. Set aside at least two hours to do laundry.
Do not leave your clothes in the washer for longer than 5 minutes because someone WILL throw your stuff on the floor.
24. 'Mi Cabana' is the best Mexican food in Greenville.
25. Hibachi Japan. Just go.
26. Do not take an 8 a.m. class unless you absolutely have to.
27. Take advantage of any and every home cooked meal you are offered!
28. Halloween is not nearly as crazy as people make it out to be.
29. Keep pepper spray or a taser on you. Better safe than sorry.
30. Hurricane season is real. #HurricaneFlorence
We will probably have at least a couple days off because of storms.
31. Have your friend group buy a parking spot to tailgate before football games!
Makes game day so much more fun!
32. Print your syllabi and write all tests/due dates in a planner.
33. Drink water!
It is hotter than I can even tell you, and you need to stay hydrated!
35. Join a club!
I did not actually do this my freshmen year but I so wish I had!
35. You do not need to know your major for sure.
36. Listen to podcasts!
It is so easy to forget about living a self-improving lifestyle… so listen to some podcasts and work toward bettering yourself!
37. Sign a lease for sophomore year off-campus housing early!
You will save so much money!
38. Don’t buy textbooks right away.
Wait a couple weeks to see if your professor will actually use it, and then split it with a friend if they need the same book too.
39. Go to your professor’s office hours.
They really do want to help you!
40. You are responsible for you, so sometimes you need to make the tough decisions to succeed.
41. People don’t get ready to go out until at least 10 p.m.
42. Don’t become a coffee or nicotine addict.
43. Be a good roommate.
Aka, learn to just let certain things slide. Is it worth having a disagreement over? If not, let it go.
44. As hot as Greenville gets, it gets really cold too…
Bring home warm clothes after Fall break because you will need them before Thanksgiving break.
45. Keep your dorm room organized and clean.
It helps keep your mind clear. (Also, you never know who might stop by.)
46. If you see people walking around West End in bathing suits, it is because StillLife if having a pool party.
(It took my friends and I way too long to figure this out… We just thought it was an ECU thing…?)
47. Bring an ENO.
During the spring everyone enos on the mall and it is so fun!
48. You will acquire at least 25 new T-shirts.
49. You do not need nearly as many clothes as you think you do.
You would honestly be set with several pairs of leggings, Nike shorts, sneakers, Birks, T-shirts, and sweatshirts for the most part.
50. Call your mom.
You need to talk to her. Believe me.
Wow, freshman year has so many lessons to be learned, but all I can really say is to love others and treat people with respect because what goes around comes around. And you WILL be okay. You will find your place and absolutely thrive! I believe in you!
