This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brandeis chapter.
Of course, adjusting to college isn’t easy, but having less time to do it, makes it that much harder. As a midyear, I like to say I had to jump into Brandeis with not both feet, but my entire body. In the first thirty days, I have learned more about myself than I have in a year’s time. Fortunately for me, during this time of acclimation, I have found things I love, things I hate, and things I wish I had packed (or at least more of).
What I Love:
- The People: Everyone here is super friendly and always smiling, which is something that originally took me aback. Coming from New York, I was used to seeing a sour look on everybody’s face. At first, I thought certain people merely had a strange disposition-until I realized it was the entire Brandeis population. Luckily, I found people I clicked with instantly and continue to find that, in my residence halls, and in the activities I have pursued.
- The Classes: All my professors (at least thus far) are fully invested in their teaching. I am so happy to be in an academic environment where people are as interested in the subjects they’re studying as I am. I continue to look forward to pursuing different academic fields and finding passionate people in them during my journey.
- The Community Involvement: I don’t think I have ever seen so many fundraisers in my life, and this is my first month on campus. Anything from late night pancake delivery to quidditch t-shirts to sending acapella groups to sing your friend or significant other a love song, all of these things I found during my first month here. If you want to join something, you probably can, and if it isn’t here yet, you can create it.
What I hate:
- The Hills: Living in the Village comes with its perks and its caveats. Perk: great housing. Caveat: Climbing every hill on campus, big or small, to get to class on time. Timed at a New York walking pace, this is seven minutes. During post-northeastern’s, it’s at least fifteen minutes, since I feel like this is the closest experience I will ever get to crossing the arctic tundra.
- The Food: Growing up, I always heard people talking about the lack of quality of college food. During this time, I never thought it was really going to be that bad. Coming here, initially I didn’t think it wasn’t. But after eating burritos at least twice a week, to supplement for the majority of your other meals, you realize how badly you need a decent meal in your life.
- The light that peeks under my door from the hallway: I always fell asleep in complete darkness. Though completely understandable, because of safety reasons, that little peep of light coming out from under my door, definitely kept me up the first few nights.
What I should have packed:
- Advil Cold & Sinus: The Brandeis Plague is real.
- Snacks: A girl is always hungry.
- A larger variety of tea: I like to have options (and for the plague).
- A portable water bottle: I find myself frequently thirsty.
- Better headphones: Blocking sound is a valuable thing.