1. Going to Late Night Too Much
At the moment, eating after 10 seems like a good idea, but months and several greasy late night meals later I step on the scale to see the damage. Freshman Fifteen isn’t a myth Collegiettes. Take it from me, say ‘no’ to Banana Split Sundaes and Fried Macaroni and Cheese because the regret comes in a form harder to work off.
2. BUYING Textbooks
Trust me, you won’t need that Animal Science or Organic Chemistry textbook after your class and you won’t get as much money as you think you will selling it later or even worse: it will sit in your room as mine are right now. It’s easier and more money efficient to RENT from the start.
3. Skipping Classes
9:05s and 9:30s aren’t realistic unless you’re a morning person and don’t convince yourself otherwise. If you schedule them earlier than you’d like you will end up skipping classes to sleep in. It’s inevitable. If you avoid earlier classes you’ll have less of a reason to skip them.
4. Not Bringing Transportation
Let’s be honest, UMass is a large campus and bringing your long board, bike, skateboard, or even roller blades will make the voyage to classes quicker and surely less painful. Also you don’t anticipate how many breaks you actually have or in other words opportunities to go home so if you can afford it, bringing your car is a good idea.
5. Join More Clubs
The activities fair in the beginning of the year at Haigis Mall is a great representation of all that UMass offers and take advantage of all your choices. Go to at least one meeting of a club you’re interested in. Slacking off and watching YouTube videos or movies on Netflix is fun but meeting new people and learning new things is more fun.
6. Exercise More
As aforementioned it’s hard to have self-control when you basically visit a buffet two to three times a day, so put an effort into having an exercise schedule and trying your best to be realistic so you can stick to it. Most of all the best tip I can share is when you make time for a run around campus or going to the Recreational Center don’t talk yourself out of it and GET OUT OF BED because you never regret going to the gym.
7. School Spirit
Personally I haven’t been to one UMass game which is a shame because it’s free and fun, especially since we just graduated to a D-1 team in football. At the lacrosse, hockey, basketball, or football games you’ll be in the stands with hundreds of potential friends all united with the common fact that you’re all wearing war paint and chanting all the way to victory.