I remember when I got accepted into Florida State University (FSU) for the summer term and I had no idea what to expect. I am one of those people who researches everything before doing something, so I was terrified because I did not know what to expect or where to look. Once I found Her Campus at FSU, my nerves calmed and I had everything I needed. Now I am returning the favor. If Her Campus is your friendly neighborhood fairy godmother, I am one of her goddaughters, but let’s move on and get to the magic.
1. Picking your roommates isn’t necessarily the best way to go.
Yeah, you heard it right here. There is really no advantage to pre-arranging your roommate choices. The only way to explain this is through possible scenarios that you might find yourself in, and you can choose what your best outcome is:
- Let’s say you go in blind with a random roommate. Although this seems like the ultimate wildcard experience, there is an equal possibility that you have a roommate that doesn’t match with you as much as there is a chance that you meet a new lifelong friend. The stakes are equal.
- Let’s say you go in with a friend from high school. You might be used to interacting with them in previous scenarios either unintentional or intentional— but college is different. People you used to know change, and you may find yourself sharing a space with someone you thought you got along with but don’t anymore.
- Let’s say you room with someone you prearrange on social media. You might seem to match over the phone, but in-person is a whole different ball game. You have to live in a shared space and deal with their tendencies and this might either work out perfectly or throw you off completely.
2. Don’t overload yourself with coursework too early on.
The thing to know about picking classes in the summer is that they should be general prerequisites or lower-level courses that don’t demand too much from you or your schedule. The reason for this is because the content of the course matters. If you take a language, a science with a lab or any math course, people tend to struggle because the amount of time you have to complete it is not as long as the fall or spring. This might not allow enough time for adequate absorption and understanding of the course content as a whole.
Normally, you won’t have a problem with this because unless you come in with a bunch of AP, IB or AICE credits, your advisor won’t recommend higher-level courses until you are pretty far into your major. However, just in case, it might be wise to save those classes for the fall or spring to give you a better timeline to complete them to the best of your ability.
3. Yes, Rate My Professor will be your best friend.
This resource is sometimes the difference between you failing or succeeding in a class. The reason why is because you get insight into the way the class functions, the professor and even what textbooks and materials you may or may not need for the course.
Although Rate My Professor isn’t perfect, you can tell when someone is writing a genuine review or is just upset that the professor wouldn’t just let them skate through the class.
4. Wait a few weeks before you go out and buy or rent all of your textbooks.
Yes, this is totally a thing. Take it from someone who has bought textbooks she didn’t need and only realized it until after it was already too late. Waiting two weeks for me has been the sweet spot for all of my classes. I know it sounds crazy, but it has always been worth it. Waiting for textbooks can save you a lot of money for other textbooks you might actually need.
Okay, so now that I’ve made such a controversial claim, I will put my money where my mouth is and tell you how to do this successfully. Your wallet, 529 or Bright Future’s scholarship will thank you later.
What I suggest for the first few weeks of classes is to do your research and find the lowest textbook prices. Then try and find a free PDF. You’d be surprised how many things are online for your disposal. If you can’t get around it, then ask for a classmate for pictures of their textbook for a few days to stretch out your timeline and go to your local library. A lot of times there are better options that aren’t as expensive as the ones offered online or at school. Also, sometimes the FSU Bookstore will request you to opt-in on their textbook prices claiming they are the best price on the market. Just make sure to double-check this because that might not always be the case.
At the end of the day, the summer semester will be one of the best things you do at FSU. The campus is beautiful, the friends you make will hopefully last into the fall semester and you will get the ultimate preliminary FSU experience without it being too crowded and overwhelming.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!