Photo Source: Antonio Quagliata
1. Most people you meet already have friends here (but that’s not a bad thing!)
This is especially true during those first few weeks of freshman year. Starting college is a big adjustment no matter how close to home your school is, and it can be comfortable to stick to familiar friends during this time. While this may seem intimidating at first, especially to those of us who aren’t exactly extroverted, try to use it as an opportunity to meet new people! You never know when you could meet your future friend group. And if you continuously find yourself being the third wheel to a close-knit group of friends from high school, know that this behavior usually doesn’t last past the first semester.
2. Explaining why you chose your school will become your second nature
If you thought you were done with having to explain your college decision once all of the graduation parties winded down and you started going to the school, then think again. Rutgers has a very large in-state population and most of the people you meet will be from New Jersey. Telling people that you’re not from New Jersey is almost always followed up with the question of why you decided to come to Rutgers. While you won’t be grilled about your reasons that much after the first semester, the question is still going to come up so it’s best to think of a go-to answer instead of stumbling and telling people different reasons.
3. Forget about turning left pretty much every time you drive
If you have a car on campus, the realization that most stoplights don’t let you turn left but take you down a roundabout instead can come as a surprise. Sometimes these turn out to be nothing more than an extended U-turn around the intersection, but other times they take you so far away from the road you started on that you’ll begin to wonder if you’re even in New Brunswick anymore. Just when you think that you’ve gotten the handle of Jersey driving, a quick stop for gas will reveal the awkwardness of having to wait for someone to pump your gas for you when you were taught to do it yourself. This probably won’t go away.
4. Public transportation becomes a breeze
This statement rings true for all Rutgers students thanks to the bus system, but a little more so for those out-of-state. Going home for the weekend or a holiday can mean researching multiple train and bus routes to find what will get you there the fastest. However, unlike the Rutgers buses, these routes will stress you out less the more you take them. Dealing with all of these on a daily basis will make public transportation much easier to master. By the time winter break comes around you’ll have no problem taking a trip out of your hometown with your friends from back home.
5. You will miss your local food staples more than you think
Despite how good the Livingston dining hall is, eventually you may grow tired of the food offered here. Whether it’s a slice of pizza from a local restaurant or your favorite Wawa hoagie, you will get oddly specific cravings several times throughout the semester that can’t be satisfied by a quick trip home for the day. While you can try to substitute these with any of the great restaurants in downtown New Brunswick, you end up leaving with a handful of new favorites but not having fully satisfied your craving for food from home. And having to drive off campus (including several roundabouts) to find the closest Wawa doesn’t feel the same as having one in walking distance.
6. Being alone for a weekend isn’t as bad as it seems
A few times throughout each semester you will experience a different type of RU Screw that has nothing do to with buses or classes. During these weekends it will appear as though not only did your friends all decide to go home but most of campus followed suit. Dining halls will be emptier, dorms much quieter and even the buses won’t seem as crowded as they usually are. It can be tempting to hole yourself up in your room and binge shows on Netflix, and while there is nothing wrong with a little rest and relaxation it can get boring after a while. You’ll adapt to having to be alone on some weekends and learn that it won’t be nearly as bad as you thought. The more you start to do things on your own the easier it will be. Before you know it you will have progressed from wandering around a different campus to find a new study spot to heading over to Rutgers Cinema for the night. Just be mindful of which movie you pick because watching something scary like “IT” all by yourself could leave you looking over your shoulder for the rest of the night.