By: Blair Myers
Some people would say you don’t really “figure out college” until at least a semester in. While all of that may be true, there are a few key things I think I’ve started to get the hang of in my first month at Wake. Below are just a few of them!
The first thing: each day fills up fast! The club fair doesn’t happen here until a few weeks into school, and so I assumed that until the club fair my days would be pretty empty. While, yes, I’ve definitely had more time during the day here than in high school, the days fill up fast with school, homework, friends, going to the gym, eating at the pit, and everything else. So I think it’s important to make time for the clubs and different things you’re really interested in because things get busy very fast.
Secondly, I’ve learned that if you’re not careful, your food dollars might just be gone within the first 6-8 weeks. The pit can get old quickly, and honestly, daily Starbucks or village juice visits are very tempting. Realistically I don’t think most people have a problem with this, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
The third thing I learned is that a lot of what I spent so much time thinking about over the summer didn’t end up mattering that much once I got here. I planned my dorm room decor for hours, tried to come up with a plan for how I was going to fit everything in the small Johnson closet and stressed about having everything I thought I’d need. While all of that was fun for me, it definitely wasn’t worth stressing about. I’m glad I thought things through, but I don’t care all that much about the way my dorm things look now that I’m here and busy. Plus,Target is just 10 minutes away!
Finally, I’ve learned that while the ZSR is great for some, it doesn’t necessarily have to be everyone’s favorite study spot. I find that a lot of people like to study in the common room of my building or on the patios outside when it’s nice. I assumed that I’d be doing any and all work in the library, but it’s helped me in the past few weeks to switch it up from time to time and figure out other spots that might be better at different times. Also, the library is usually packed on Sundays, so it can sometimes be hard to even find a spot.