Wondering wear to live at school next year? Aside from their ridiculously convenient locations, UCSB’s residence halls have many perks that will enhance your freshman experience. That overwhelming regression from cool, confident high school senior back to wide-eyed, ignorant freshman can be nerve-warcking, but you are not alone. In a residence hall, you are surrounded by those in your same awkwardly uncertain situation. While it’s fun bonding over one another’s mutual fear and confusion, walking into your dorm for the first time armed with a few tips couldn’t hurt either. Below is a compilation of advice from current students of all class levels that will help ensure your first year living on campus at UCSB is as enjoyable as possible:
· Don’t room with your best friend. While this may sound like the setup for a year of endless giggles and rainbows, it is actually a recipe for destruction and chaos. Sure, you love your friend, but that is probably because you don’t spend every waking minute with her. Living with her means constant exposure to all aspects of her—some of which you may not enjoy. This can lead to resentment and frustration. Besides, if the two of you live separately, you will each make new friends, then have twice as many!
· Leave your door open often. Obviously do not do this when no one is home or when you are changing clothes…but if you and your roommate are just hanging out, an open door is an invitation for passersbys to wander in like stray cats. Pet these cats, welcome them, invite them to a fine Ortega dinner with you and your friends. Taking in strays is how I made many of my friends freshman year.
· Become friends with your R.A. Resident Assistants are people too! Sit with him or her in the dining commons, say hi on campus, and do not be intimidated. Developing comfortable relationships with R.A.’s will make it easier to approach them with any concerns you may have, and they are also a great source of information about everything, from which classes to take to which I.V. restaurants to eat at.
· Attend events with your hallmates. R.A.’s often organize cute little shindigs for their residents. These are optional, but go to them! S’mores and nail painting are great ways to bond with your fellow freshmen. Besides, what else would you be doing? Watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix? Yeah, thought so.
· Request a Living Learning Community.The specific LLC Halls are listed here: http://appl.housing.ucsb.edu/c… This way, you are more likely to meet likeminded students and bond over common interests. Whether you’re substance free, ethnically diverse, into outdoor adventures or performing arts, there is a community for you if you want one.
· Don’t limit your friend group to your residence hall. While it is important to get along with the others in your dorm, try spending time in other residence halls too. If you live in Santa Cruz, go study with one of your beach volleyball buddies in San Nic and mingle with others in this parallel universe. If you never stray from your own hall, you could miss out on so many interesting people.
· Learn beach volleyball. This way, you can jump into any game you walk past. Since each dorm has at least one sand volleyball court nearby, there is almost always a match going on. Fair warning: this sport is not as easy as it looks. That being said, there is no need to be skilled at it to have fun. Flail around, embrace the sun and great people, maybe even hit the ball once or twice.
· Join an intramural sports team. It doesn’t matter if the last time you played soccer was in fourth grade on the Radical Rockets, coached by your dad. Skills are irrelevant as long as you’re having fun. Intramural sports are casual, not too competitive, and the perfect way to encounter new faces or try new sports. Play anything from table tennis to roller hockey and soak up that team camaraderie.
· Take advantage of the secret gyms in Santa Rosa and San Miguel. The Rec Cen gets kind of stuffy and crowded, and it’s soooo far! Luckily for you, both Santa Rosa and San Miguel have their own little fitness centers. Just ask the front desk for the key and get that booty movin’ in a hidden setting.
· Check out the dining commons menus online before meals. It took me far too long to discover this. Menus are posted for weeks in advance right here: http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/dining/dining-commons-menus Why endure the strange vegan pizza at DLG when you could instead have the barbequed chicken pizza at Carrillo? It’s worth the walk sometimes, my friends. There is no such thing as loyalty when it comes to dining commons. Follow your cravings and have only the best. Also, if you’re into people-watching, check out the “Dining Cams”…hours of entertainment right there.
· Study in the formal lounge. The luxurious couches are more comfortable than your desk chair, and the lounge is closer than the library. You also might find someone studying for the same class as you, and two heads are better than one!
· Have a movie night with a front desk rental. It’s your own personal Blockbuster Video for the fabulous price of zero dollars! Just exchange your ID card for the film of your choice, and either commandeer the Rec Room’s nifty flat screen TV or build a fort under the lofted bed in your room. Throw in some microwave popcorn and a couple friends and you’ve got yourself a grand old time.
Now that you’ve got a few helpful hints under your belt, hopefully a few of your countless anxieties have been alleviated. Don’t worry though, you wouldn’t be a true freshman without that faint gleam of terror in your eyes. Take a deep breath, go forth and conquer your first year at UCSB.