Although people still confuse me for a freshman, my freshman year has come and gone. Reminiscing about my first tuition bill and first classes, I realize more and more that freshman year has a charm that you only get to experience once. I found experiencing new things and generally adapting to the college lifestyle to be liberating as much as it was overwhelming. Now I’m facing my sophomore year, but not without keeping a few lessons I learned along the way.
1. If you live in the dorms you will get sick and your peers will make plague jokes to you incessantly.
2. You know where you’re going and you know the campus by sophomore year, so now instead of staring at that campus map you can stare at the attractive people you see walking around.
3. Walking into the dining hall, you’ll still think:
4. Weekend plans are never solid and frequently start with you saying:
5. On its worst days, the borderline tornado weather on campus blows you to and from class:
6. You realize that good food at your dining hall makes your crappy days better.
7. Bikes, long boards, and unicycles will change your life (and for those who don’t want to commit to owning a bike, there’s the UMass bike share program located in the Student Union).
8. The library is your sanctuary. Need to meet for a group project? Hit the Library. Need to fill that gap between classes? Hit the Library. Need to study on a Thursday or Friday? Hit the Library.
9. You will still not know what your major and life plan will be and that’s frustrating but you will learn as you go.
10. Exercising is not as painful when you can go to group fitness classes at the Rec. It turns out your instructor’s enthusiasm, although reminds you of Richard Simmons at points, is largely motivational.