“Discussion sections?”
“Club Clem?”
“Trin?”
“iClickers?”
“O’Hill-ness?”
“JPJ?”
Don’t worry first year friends; a second year is here to help you navigate the stressful, but exciting world of UVA! As of now, you have officially survived you’re first week at college… but you probably still have a lot of questions. I’m here to give you some useful tips that I picked up as a first-year from my RA, my friends, and my own experiences. Before I do that however, I want to remind you to familiarize yourselves with the resources the University provides for you such as RAs, CAPS, the LGBTQ Center, your academic advisors, etc. They are ready and willing to assist you in whatever ways they can!
Tip #1: Yes, the food at O’Hill will always be like this, find a way to work around it. Plus dollars and meal exchanges honestly saved my life last year. You can use your plus dollars at the dumpling cart and the Pie Guy outside the amphitheater, at the Starbucks in Nau hall, at the Pav and in Crossroads underneath O’Hill. Meal exchanges also work at the PAV, Crossroads, and McLeod Café. Eat at these places whenever you can to mix it up.
Tip #2: Download the Transloc and CAT apps so you can learn the UVA and Charlottesville bus systems. Learn them early in the year because you’re going to need to know them when it gets cold. Also learn that the time predictions on the apps are not perfect, so if you’re taking the bus to class give yourself plenty of time to get to the bus stop.
Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to stay in on the weekends. These past two weekends have probably been a little bit crazy with Block Party and back-to-school parties at the frats and elsewhere. I know that after the first two weekends of my first year I wanted to sleep for a week, but I was afraid to stay in and miss out on bonding with my new friends. Don’t worry about staying in for a night if you feel like you need to. Plus, it’s kind of fun to watch your hall mates and roommates come home after a night out.
Tip #4: Go to the interest meetings at the beginning of the semester. I’m sure you have a huge stack of fliers from the activities fair and maybe four of them seem interesting, but go to as many interest meetings as you can in these next few weeks. Sure, UVA Circus club may sound weird and like something you would never do, but you could end up loving it. Even if you don’t, an interest meeting never hurt anybody.
Tip #5: Don’t forget about your classes. College is a whole new world of parties, activities, and friends all around you, but you have to find the balance through all those distractions. Procrastination is about ten times easier in college than it was in high school, but you have stay on top of your classes if you don’t want to be overwhelmed with responsibilities.