1. People will take out your laundry.
We all have done it. Put our laundry in the wash and forgot about it for the next few hours. Or have gotten so lazy walking four stories down to the basement and left it there to rot. Well, guess what, it won’t be there when you get back. Someone will probably have moved it the second it finished its 35 minute cycle. It will be throwninto a pile of anonymous clothing pieces. And, you will have to go searching for each of your bras while your cutie awkwardly watches you in the laundry room. So here’s the tip: put a timer on you phone and get your laundry out quickly.
2. Mailbox numbers change each year.
That’s right, you don’t have a permanent address. The mailboxes change every summer while you are away. So don’t bother memorizing your combination. Here’s a tip: Take a screenshot of your combination and keep it in your phone. Heck, even do that for your class schedule and carry it around.
3. The bus is never on schedule.
You have a movie you are trying to catch on a Saturday night and you have to be there in 10 minutes before it starts. You expect if you catch the next bus, it will get you there in time. But, then you check your watch. It’s been 25 minutes of waiting at the bus stop! The bus won’t ever be on time for when you are in a rush. Take this tip: plan to get where you are going far before the time you plan to be there or find an upperclassman with a car.
4. The dining hall is limited on Sunday.
It’s already frustrating that you have 225 Meal Swipes and don’t know what to do with them all, now add a limited selection on Sunday. Usually, on Sunday the specialty foods like the Mongolian Grill or Pasta Station are closed. This can get frustrating especially since you’ve been craving it all day. Here’s a tip: Try something new in Dhall, you may end up loving it. Or get a couple friends and order take-out.
5. Go to any event with free food.
Chances are each week there will be an event or club that offers free food in exchange for your greatly appreciated presence. Every Thursday, F&M offers Common Hour with snacks and pizza. You get free food and learn while eating. That’s what college is all about. So take the tip: go where there’s food, and they most likely will have food again at the next meeting.
6. Don’t stress about the freshmen 15.
We all hear the horror stories about gaining weight like crazy the first months of college. Unless you change your eating habits from high school to college, you most likely won’t be gaining a terrible amount of weight. Even if you do, only you will notice. No one is going to stare at you and think, “was she thinner last week?” So believe this tip: you are healthy and don’t need to stress about your weight.
7. You will be locked out of your room.
You may think you only need five minutes in the bathroom, so you leave your key in the room and the door slightly open. You come back and it magically closed. You look down and all you are in is a towel. How embarrassing is it when tons of people see you waiting at your door for P-safe to rescue you!? Here’s a tip: put your key on a lanyard and hang it on your doorknob. Take it no matter where you go if you leave the room.
8. Don’t wear the stilettos.
You may look hot at the beginning of the night. Of course you will, that’s what you bought the stilettos for. Just don’t wear them out of your dorm. Take your photos with them on before you go. But, remember to take them off. You don’t want to be walking five blocks in the dark and tripping over uneven pavement in those. So here’s a tip: wear comfy shoes that you can dance in and get sludge on. No one will be looking at your feet anyway.
9. Find balance in your routine.
It may be finals week and all you have to do is study, just don’t lock yourself up in your room. Your mind needs a break from being overwhelmed with all the information you are receiving. So get out into the fresh air. Take a walk or find a friend to chat with; just as long as you don’t start to procrastinate. So take this tip: find your balance of playtime and study time early in the semester and keep this routine going.
10. Your dreams will change.
You came into college with the strict intention to be a Chem Major and go on the Pre-Med track. Then, you hit your first calculus class. And bomb it, completely. At the same time you ace your history class. Your strengths may change and your plans for the future may change. Let them change. You are here to find who you are, not making yourself somebody you planned on being. So take this tip: be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, those will help you develop what your major will be in the end.