Be prepared to do a lot of walking
I knew the Texas A&M Campus was pretty big, but nothing could have prepared me for the amount of walking I do on a daily basis. Of course it keeps you moving and active especially after sitting in classes all day, but the amount of time dedicated solely to walking to class is pretty exhausting sometimes. I’ve already gone through one pair of tennis shoes after my first semester, but I shouldn’t complain since it is my main source of physical activity.
It rains here a lot
My mom made sure that I came to college with a nice quality umbrella, but I didn’t think I would really be using it that often. The very next day after I moved in, it was raining the whole day. I quickly learned that investing in some high quality rain boots was necessary. I have gone my whole life without ever owning rain boots, but the drainage on this campus is pretty awful. You can expect to find random puddles everywhere, and although I’ve been perfecting my ability to avoid stepping in puddles, I’ve had to go to class with wet socks too many times.
Don’t be afraid to accept your college credit
At my orientation, I had the option to accept AP credit for Calculus II and take Calculus III instead, but I decided since it was my first semester of college, I should ease into things. Especially since this was a subject I didn’t particularly struggle with, I soon began to regret my decision of retaking it in college. I would recommend accepting as much college credit as possible and using the time you save to take different courses you’re interested in. It saves a lot of time and money.
Keep a weekly budget
It’s really easy to overspend, especially when you’re living by yourself for the first time. It doesn’t always seem like $5 for coffee makes a big difference in your spending, but everything adds up so quickly. At the same time, if you have a dining plan, it can also be difficult to space out your meal plan. Giving yourself a set number of meal swipes for the week keeps you on track for using them throughout the semester.
Don’t bring your whole closet to college
Having a couple of cute outfits at school is very important, but honestly most of the time, I find myself wearing a random free t-shirt I got from some event. Plus it makes packing so much easier when going back home, because I don’t need to worry about bringing things with me other than my backpack and the essentials. I have most of my clothes at home, so traveling back and forth is a lot less stressful.