The First Weeks as a Freshman at SLU
The first weeks in any new place can be rocky, but freshman year of college is definitely one of the most drastic transitions we experience. I asked around and gathered thoughts from other freshman as well as recalling on my own experiences in order to share a snapshot of words to sum up the first few weeks of being a freshman at SLU.
That initial confusion about wearing towels in the hallway. Are they socially acceptable? The answer is absolutely. When you arrived on campus and found out that you lived next door to football boys, you and your parents probably both wondered how you would get dressed after a shower. But the dorm is technically your home, so while walking through the hall in your bubble gum pink towel might be awkward the first time, it doesn’t take long before it becomes not only socially acceptable, but normal.
Salad or Salad? Approaching the dining hall with a healthy eating mentality is definitely important, and it doesn’t take long before you have the salad bar memorized to the core. But staying realistic is important too. If you were home, you would probably have some ice cream or chocolate at least once in a while. It’s hard sometimes to remember that this is your new home, but when you do you’ll also remember that that means you’re allowed to have a treat here too. Just don’t go crazy.
So how much can I eat? College means unlimited food at the dining hall, but at SLU apparently it also means you can’t eat three meals a day without going over your meal plan…. Better eat accordingly!
What to wear…Everywhere. What to wear is a more universal question than one may interpret. For all college girls, although I think especially freshman, this question applies to all contexts, so it is simply never resolved. So what do I wear to class, to the gym, to that party, to the shower?
The transition sickness. While the weather may trick you into thinking it’s still basically summer, the transition from freedom to structured routines combined with the close quarters associated with dorm life is breeding ground for colds. And boy do they spread fast!
Hi, it’s Mom! Starting freshman year also means starting a life style that doesn’t involve seeing your parents every day. But there seems to be something about checking in with your ‘little girl’ that drives parents to call their college daughters a multitude of times in the first few weeks. Learning to time when you answer the incoming calls from home is a necessity to survive the first weeks in the North Country. This doesn’t mean we love everyone at home any less, it just means we have new things that we need to focus on a little more.
Puke? It’s Everywhere. No matter where you live or how many dorm meetings you have to talk about puking in the right places, the first weeks are filled with more puke than you’ve probably ever seen before. And yes, Chinese food could be partially to blame for it.
Yes, exercising is a necessity. As many of us transition into college life from high schools at which we participated in multiple athletic programs, the free time and lack of structured exercise means the possibility of no exercise at all. But it’s important! So maybe you need to skip the four to seven pm rush so that you can run and squat without people looking at your backside, but find a time that works for you and go! Your body will thank you, your mind will thank you, and you’ll be thankful you avoided that dreaded freshman fifteen.
And last but not least,
Never go anywhere without your student ID card! That little slab of plastic is like the second half of you during your time at SLU. Never forget it!