Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a young maiden arrived at the ivy covered walls of her new home: Boston University. The maiden was both excited and terrified, as only a freshman could be, and hoped her new home would present her with a happily ever after of sorts. After she had unpacked her suitcases and boxes, and said a slightly tearful goodbye to her family, she found herself facing the endless possibilities and opportunities of freshman year. But with all these decisions, how did she know which ones would be the right ones? And as if answering her thoughts, she spotted a worn piece of paper on the floor of her dorm room, which read as follows….
10 Things NOT to do as a freshman:
1. Make snap judgments: The expression “don’t judge a book by its cover” applies tenfold your freshman year. Everyone is out of their comfort zone the first few weeks of the semester and it’s not fair to write someone off solely because they said they were from the South and enjoy SEC football. Keeping an open mind allows you to make friends with people who aren’t exactly like you, and surrounding yourself with people just like you is boring and holds you back from trying new things, which is the whole point of college.
2. Partake in Dormcest: One of the biggest “no no’s” for a freshman is to think it’s a good idea to hook up with that cute guy who lives three doors down from you. Sure, it’s convenient when the walk of shame is 20 ft. and all indoors, but when there’s trouble in paradise (and I promise there will be), you’ll wish that 20 ft. were more like 20 miles.
3. Drink the jungle juice: A right of passage is attending a bad frat party as a freshman. Everyone needs to know the feeling and smell of a floor covered in cheap beer, vodka, and vomit. However, you do not need to know what it’s like to contribute to that level of filth by taking a red solo cup filled with who knows what from a stranger.
4. Refuse to eat alone: It might seem intimidating to enter a college-dining hall by yourself, but it’s really nothing to be afraid of. No one will point and laugh at you. If anything, you’ll fit right in. Learning to be comfortable by yourself is an important step of freshman year.
5. Think you don’t need to sleep: Unfortunately, you do not get bitten by a radioactive spider and have the ability to stay up for a straight 24 hours and feel fine. Downing a venti, triple shot, caramel, coffee bomb will not replace a good night’s sleep. Ever.
6. Put off doing laundry: If you’ve never done laundry before you set foot on campus, you’re not the only one, and you won’t be the last. A fun college fact is that you can wash all of your clothes in one load on the “cold” setting and they will not somehow all turn grey. Also, while Sunday seems like the perfect laundry day, it’s not. Everyone thinks it’s the perfect laundry day, ergo, finding a machine is like finding a mature 18 year old guy: impossible.
7. Let homesickness get the best of you: Yes, being away from the comfort and routine of your home sucks, but it doesn’t have to define your first year at school. Let yourself wallow when you need to, but remember that other people are going through the same thing as you. Keeping busy is a great way to prevent homesickness, so get involved with groups on campus.
8. Never participate in class: Contrary to popular belief, professors do not bite. So be bold and raise that hand in class. Whether you have a profound statement about Tolstoy, or just have a question about the reading, your professor is being paid to listen to you.
9. Never go to office hours: Again, professors don’t bite. And they really appreciate it when you take time to go see them during their office hours (some even advertise how bored they get if no one visits). So if you really don’t want to ask a question during class, or have no clue how to approach the assignment they’ve given you, go talk to them. You get to know your professor, they get to know you, and you get valuable assistance, everyone wins. Plus, having a good relationship with a professor is very helpful when you need a recommendation later down the road.
10. Worry like there’s no tomorrow: Freshman year is the time to take chances and try new things. Everything will not go as you plan and that’s ok. You have three more years to figure it out so don’t sweat the small stuff.