1. DON'T TAKE MORE THAN YOU NEED!
I am the worlds worst at overpacking! I think I will use it/wear it so I pack it- all most girls are this way; we just can't help it. However, you may think you have lots of "extra" space with your niffty containers you got on sale at Walmart but trust me you will use that space! When I was packing up I found numerous things I literally had not touched since I packed it last summer. So my advice to you is if you have to question if you will use it then chances are you won't- so DON'T pack it! If it is something you desperately need then get it on a trip home or have you mom mail it to you like I do!
2. LIMIT YOUR PLATES, CUPS, KITCHEN STUFF ETC.
So I was so excited that I was living in an actual apartment my freshman year (a complete blessing that my school has all on-campus apartments instead of the typical dorm) that I went crazy picking out bowls, cups, plates, etc. Seriously it was so much fun! However once I got to school I found out I was living with 2 sophomores who already had a ton of stuff from their previous year and the whole sharing things was something we really wanted to do just to make things more homey (which I highly recommend). As you can guess we had lots of repeated items such as cups and bowls but something we didn't have was plates and silverware. So wait till you get there or discuss with your roomies what you need and what you have, it will make things less clunky- if that's a word! My second thing CUPS! CUPS CUPS CUPS! DON'T BUY CUPS! See when school kicks off they have tons of these awesome carnivals where they give away lots of cups. I think between my four roommates we probably ended up have at least 20-30 cups. Now of course I took my Braves cups and a few other cute ones I found on sale which is fine, but don't go spend $10-$20 on cups because its not necessary!
3. WAIT TO BUY YOUR BOOKS
I know as a freshman you are all antsy to get all your stuff and be ready for the first day of class because you're afraid to be the dumb un-prepared freshman, but seriously don't buy your books until after your first class. I literally had at least 6 books that were on various syllabuses that once I went to class the teacher said they didn't even use! And trust me books are expensive! So here is some advice to go about the textbook situation...
-First ask around if you happen to know upperclassmen who have taken the class or the teacher and see what they say about the book.
-Second if its a class where there are a bunch of novels to read wait until it's closer to time (it should be on the calendar they post) before you buy it because sometimes teachers get behind and you never end up reading some of the books.
-Third if you have the time before you need it search Amazon because usually they are way cheaper!
4. FIND YOUR CLASSES BEFORE THEY START
I will never forget last year after moving in we thought the campus was so confusing. As a cheerleader we had to move in early so we had lots of time before the rush came in, and campus was still closed- at the time it was overwhelming but looking back it was a blessing. But even once you move in at normal time there are still a day or two that campus is open but classes haven't started so I recommend grabbing a friend and your schedule and walking to each one of your classes. If you have two back to back go to those two at the same time so you have an idea of what route to take. As a freshman it is a very common worry about getting lost and being late to class- trust me I was terribly stressed last year. I will always remember me and my teammate Paulina decided to find our classes so we walked from building to building finding each of our classes and it probably took about an hour because we did get a little confused haha. We felt completely dumb and like little lost puppies but looking back it was something that I am so grateful we did! One it was a good time for us to get to know each other and have some laughs to get rid of some of the stress but we were also 1000000x less stressed going to our first day of classes. I know the campus is overwhelming at first but trust me in know time you will know all the shortcuts and the buildings without even thinking about it- it becomes a natural instinct as silly as it sounds.
5. PATIENCE & COMPROMISING
Ever heard the saying "Patience is a virtue" well it's true! I promise if you don't learn anything else your first year in college it will be patience! Be patient with the people you come in contact with. You are all embarking on a grand new adventure and you will meet so many people that may come from different backgrounds and places than you. You have to learn to adapt to all types of people and be open to new ideas. Also the roommate situation. Although we had our share of differences I was blessed with great roommates as a freshman. No you are not always going to agree on the exact temperature of the apartment- and constantly fighting turing it up and down solves nothing just pick a happy medium and compromise!- Also you may have different schedules and that is also something you just have to adapt to. One may be a night owl while the other is a morning person it happens, but the main thing is to be patient with each other, RESPECT each other and learn to give and take a bit and everything will work out fine!
6. GO TO CLASS
I know I sound all grownupish but seriously it is important. There is so much freedom in college and lots of teachers do not take attendance which makes it very easy to skip. I'm an athlete so they try the whole "you have to go to class" rule on us but I have plenty of friends who never went. Now I won't lie of course I skipped class a few times when it was a nice day or I had a big test or just wanted to eat lunch with a friend. It is very nice to have that freedom, but if I did it everyday I would have failed miserably. Lots of teacher will put their slides and lectures online and don't take attendance so they skip and only go on test days. Some people do fine others seriously don't. I had a teacher who gave out bonus questions on the test at each class period to the people who were there to get them. So just go at least once a week if you don't have to go just to make sure you stay caught up and don't miss anything important- it'll pay off!
7. SLEEP
You have lots of downtime in college, use it to catch up on your sleep! If you stay up late studying for a big test or have a late night out with friends take a quick nap between your classes in the afternoon- they're seriously amazing! I probably haven't napped as much as I did this past year since I was like 5! I am a go-getter kind of girl and I feel like I always need to be up doing something and never took any downtime. But boy did that change. Naps became a lifesaver after about 2 weeks into college! So take some downtime for yourself if not once a day- because sometimes that just isn't possible!- at least a few times a week. You don't want to be sick and sleep is crucial during this time of your life.
8. EAT HEALTHY
It is going to be so easy to eat snacks, junk, and loads of processed Easy Mac, & frozen foods while you're in college; especially if you get super busy or run on a limited budget. But trust me you will do yourself a favor by choosing a wrap at the Dinning Hall over the cheeseburger at least a couple times a week. When you have access to healthy food take advantage of it that way when the option is not available it won't be a big problem. By eating more healthy you will actually feel much better! If you have access to fruit chose that as a snack over chips or sweets. Take some little snacks to your classes and nibble throughout the day so you don't pig out at lunch and dinner. Also a good habit is trying to refrain from eating heavy meals after 9pm. Its hard for your body to burn and digest it and is a major cause in weight gain. Once in a while if fine, but don't make it a regular thing!
9. FRIENDS
This may be the most important one out of them all. You are going to make so many friends when you get to college. You'll first meet your roomies- or in my case my teammates- then they may know people and you will get to know them and they cycle continues. Get involved and go out and meet people. Mix it up a bit and go out with different friends don't just stick to one circle because you will limit yourself! Be open to new ideas and don't think the Campus Housing Movie on the Lawn event is too tacky and immature GO! It could be fun and you never know who you are going to meet! Now this is the important part... after a couple of weeks you will have established your "circle" so to speak and this group will be the best friends ever and you spend every waking minute together doing everything and it's just great. But as time passes you may find that one of those friends turns on you and hurts you in some way, then another and maybe another. You may go through a time where you think you will never find a real friend or maybe you got lucky on the first try- whatever the case don't get down on yourself! If I learned anything this year is that God has a purpose for everyone he places in your path. Looking back to my first few weeks, with the exception of my teammates, I am not even remotely close to any of the girls I was "BFFs" with at the beginning. At the time of all the fallouts I literally thought my world was closing in and college was going to be miserable. All I wanted to do was go home where it was safe and I knew I had friends who loved and cared for me. But from those friends I met other people and some of those people became my true best friends. So even though I don't even talk to the girls I was first close with I am forever grateful that God placed them in my path so that I would meet some of my best friends today. So when you wonder why you were ever friends with so-and-so just remember that God placed you there for a reason and in time you will be forever grateful for whatever that reason was!
10. ENJOY IT!!
My final number 10 is to enjoy it. Enjoy it, embrace it, live it. Don't waste a single second. Go to iHop or Waffle House at 2 am on a school night with your roommates- I promise you'll have more laughs than regrets the next morning. Dress up for class once in a while if your a t-shirt and gym shorts kind of person- it'll make you feel so refreshed. And if you dress up everyday don't be afraid to kick it in your sweats and messy hair bun once in a while. Don't let the stress get to you; if your worrying about a big test take a break read a bit in your Bible, take a walk, or watch a little TV with your roomie, or go get some ice-cream. (IT'S OKAY TO TAKE STUDY BREAKS) Stay up all night having girl talk with your roomies and neighbors- trust me that's worth it too. Be careful of your words that you might use to hurt others, especially the people you live with! If someone stresses you out go vent to yourself on a walk or your mom somewhere where no one can hear- this is incredibly important. Don't hold things in because you will become overwhelmed, but try not to bring others down in the process. Remember that God has placed you at this place for a reason and be in close contact with him everyday it will make your days much more joyous! And finally don't wish for the next day just enjoy the day you are in. Each day and exciting event will come but don't waste the time you have; it goes by too fast as it is.
Good Luck and Have Fun! :)
-Ebc
