I transferred from a two-year school where I commuted, to a four-year school living on campus, and these are a dozen things I wish I knew upon doing so.
1. Just because I can consistently wake up at five a.m. at home, doesn’t mean I can do that in college.
By the time night classes roll around, I would have been up for about 15 hours.
2. Top load washers hold less than front load washers.
If you have an RA who lives right next to the laundry, bonus points for you. They’ll call campus security to report the burning smell and both will help you learn how to use a top load washer. They also might make a comment or two on how this typically happens the first time someone does laundry (I’ve been doing laundry for the last decade or so).
3. Just because you're a transfer, doesn’t mean you should skip out on orientation events (unless you’re skipping out with half of your group and are going to hang out instead).
You may get tired of them during those first few days when they are the only people you see, but during the semester they’re really the only ones who know exactly what you’re going through.
4. Really take advantage of what your school offers.
I went to Boston for a whole day (with a meal voucher, book of coupons, a duck tour and more) for $30. Let me point out that Boston is about five/six hours away from Nazareth College. I also met my future suitemates when going to see "Newsies" at Rochester Auditorium Theater for five dollars. We also had an amazing view of the stage.
5. It’s okay to be alone.
You don’t need a bunch of friends when taking advantage of what the school offers, nor do you need a bunch of friends to walk you around campus or to walk with you down to the canal for some quiet time (you may want a buddy or two just in case you don’t feel comfortable walking there).
6. It’s okay to not be alone.
I went from seeing my three best friends pretty much every day at my old school to not seeing them at all, and it was terrible. I missed them so much, and nobody I found could replace them. We arranged a few hang outs and I started hanging out more with people on campus not trying to replace them, and I definitely felt less alone.
7. Don’t feel pressured to be best friends with your roommate/suitemates living together for the first semester. It’s okay if you aren’t painting each other's nails every other week. It's a small space you guys are sharing.
I was expecting this and we didn’t really click. I’m not saying she was a bad suitemate or person - she is actually quite lovely, but we didn’t have too much in common it felt like. We still made it work.
8. Your building might be really warm, it might be really cold, or it might be perfect. Plan for this.
Any time after a break I walked into my hallway/room, it reminded me of walking into a sauna (both in the summer where it was scorching and the winter). I would have my window open when it was in the negatives outside because I was too warm during the winter. Where my friends across campus, they had the opposite problem - it was too cold.
9. Those three a.m. fire alarms (which will happen if you live in the freshman building).
These will wake you from the dead of slumber. When it happened to me, I just grabbed random things (which turned out to all be good grabs). I grabbed a blanket, my big stuffed animal, my phone and my water bottle. These were all good ideas because outside I was cold, cranky and thirsty.
10. The freshman 15 is a real thing if you’re not on any sports teams living on campus.
Need I say more? Eat healthy and work out. That walk across campus and total of 14 flights of stairs you do every other day may not be enough.
11. Go outside your comfort zone.
Go on an excursion your school provides. Join a club. Don’t be afraid to look like a fool trying something new in the quad. You’ll meet your people.
12. Finally, don’t forget about your studies. That’s the whole reason why you’re there.
