10 Tips for College Freshmen

Being healthy in college is one of the hardest but most important things to do.  In the dining hall, soda, lemonade, and sweet tea will always be available and included with your meal swipe, so it is hard to not get them.  At the time it won’t seem like much, until you are having these sugary drinks every day.  Start early and get in the habit of going straight to the water tap before you even think about the other drinks.

I’m not gonna sugarcoat it.  Laundry is one of the worst parts about living in a dorm.  I lived in a building with 500 people and eight washers, where a few were always broken.  Don’t assume that Thursday afternoon at 4pm is primetime to do laundry like it is at home.  I’ve found that the best time to do laundry is in the morning around 8-10am, because half of your building is in class, and the others are just waking up.  If your schedule doesn’t allow it, very late at night (I’m talking midnight-2am) is another low-traffic time.  Waiting for a washer and seeing that there are 20+ minutes left on all of them, or debating taking out the laundry that’s cycle ended 10 minutes ago is not a fun position to be in, so know the times to avoid these situations. 

Also, getting two washers at the same time is rare, so separating lights and darks like mom told you might not always be possible.  Let me tell you a secret: I haven’t separated my laundry in years AND I’ve never ended up with pink socks.  I have found that after the first wash, running colors are rare.  If you have a newly bought red t-shirt, consider washing it separately, but for all the clothes you have washed before, you are most likely fine to put it in one washer.  If you’re anxious about running colors, invest in some Color Catchers, which will absorb the running colors before your white socks do. 

Venmo is an application that links up to your bank account, and allows you to send and receive money with friends.  I was going to count every transaction I’ve made in college to prove a point, and little did I realize how often people owe me money.  On a smaller scale, in the months of March and April, and I’ve had 65 Venmo transactions of sending or receiving money.  These included being paid back for groceries, picking up food for people, getting paid for Ubers, getting paid for gas money, and buying merchandise on campus.  It takes 10 seconds to make a transition and it is much better than a rounded cash estimate. 

Keeping up with family and high school friends is HARD, especially when you’re juggling a thousand new names and faces, a heavy workload, and finally living on your own.  Walking to and from class and dining halls will make up a greater part of your day, so instead of checking social media, make a few calls and see who picks up. 

The fact of the matter is that everyone’s schedules are different, and you’ll probably end up eating alone a few times a week.  No one is judging you, no one thinks you are friendless, and no one cares.  Yesterday they were eating alone too.  If you’re THAT worried about social consequences, open your computer, take out a few sheets of paper, and pretend you’re doing something important. 

Vacuum: When I was buying things for my dorm room, I thought about a vacuum, and thought I could be clean for a year, that I could just pick up whatever would normally be vacuumed up and I didn’t need it.  I did not account for the pounds of hair my roommate and I shed, the crumbs from the all-too-good graham crackers we feasted on, the small dead bugs that seemed to appear out of nowhere, or my friend’s formal date shattering glass on our floor.  Each time I asked to borrow a vacuum, I thought of how nice it would be to have my own.  Moral of the story, buy a vacuum or become really good friends with someone who has one. 

Printer: Every school brags about how printing is open to students in the library and how they’ll even give you $5 credit (wow).  What every school doesn’t tell you about is the 1.4 mile walk to and from the library each time you need to print something.  If it’s 3am and you just finished that term paper due at 8am, you’re not going to want to walk.  Get a printer.

Water Filter: I came without one and quickly learned I needed one when brown water came out of the sink.  Your building probably is not new, and your pipes are probably not the cleanest.  Do not let yourself get more sick than you already will be with asbestus living in your walls.   

Drying Rack: I thought my towels would dry on hooks.  I was wrong.

Stain Remover: No, not just tide pods, but an actual stain stick meant for removing stains before you wash something.  I cannot tell you the amount of times someone spilled something on me or the ketchup slipped from my fry.  You don’t want to be in the position where you are popping open a tide pod to get the honey mustard off your shirt. 

Phone Charger: This is simply crucial. 

Computer Charger: How will you ignore your Statistics lecture with a dead computer?

Headphones: You never know when the couple next to you in the library is planning their romantic Valentine’s Day just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Snack: Sometimes breakfast is feasible and sometimes it isn’t. 

Hand Sanitizer: Public restrooms are notorious for running out of soap, and unclean hands are just gross.

Water Bottle: I go to school in South Carolina.  It is humid, it is hot, and you’re walking everywhere. 

Connect on Find My Friends as soon as you can.  Find My Friends is an iPhone application that gives you selected people’s exact location.  Asking people where they are all the time is a hassle and can seem annoying, but simply looking on the app will make it easier to connect with people.  You can see if your roommate is in the dorm, if you’re friends are eating, if someone you know is in the library, and so much more (you will turn into the stalker you never imagined you’d be).  It is also beneficial for going out, in case you and your friends get separated. 

Talk to your parents about setting up the Uber account with their credit card rather than yours.  If you don’t have a car, Uber is a blessing when it comes to getting around.  If you do have a car, you’ll still be using Uber when you’re out with your friends.  It’ll add up quickly, so talk to your parents about the cost of it.  I also recommend getting Lyft to cross-reference prices. 

This will apply more at the end of your first semester when you undergo registration along with the rest of the student body, but it’s never too early to be warned.  Class registration is a week of randomly assigned times to acquire your carefully selected classes all determined by what your advisor is telling you, the time slots that work, getting a class with a friend, and careful Rate My Professor critiques.  However, until your time comes, you can only watch the number of seats go down and scramble for backup options.  Now, let me tell you a story.  At the end of my first semester right at my registration time, the site crashed.   Some people were able to get their classes, while others were not, and they were stuck in the leftover classes that set them a semester behind.  Biology majors were in Intro to Art History and Hospitality majors were taking Hinduism.  While this specific example cannot be avoided, be prepared to registration.  Make sure your computer is fully charged, you are in a place with good WiFi, and you have a backup option for every class.