To the class of 2020:
Well, first of all, your graduation year is really cool sounding, so points to you! Second of all, you’re the first class to come into Cabrini with its new university status already intact, so you’ve already got a few things going for you. And welcome to Cabrini! You’ll be stepping on campus and moving into your dorms soon enough. Here’s a few tips for when you get here:
Don’t Bring Your Entire Life With You
There are so many lists you can find online to tell you what to bring to college. I can guarantee you, even if you listen to these lists, you’ll probably bring too much stuff. Coordinate with your roommate and see who’s going to bring the big things: the TV, the microwave, the fridge, the coffee machine.
You’ll probably also want to bring some cleaning things, like a dustpan and broom, a Swiffer or a vacuum. Other than that, you probably don’t need your whole wardrobe, or every single decoration from home. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a really big room like I did, you probably won’t even have the room for too much stuff.
Learn To Manage Your Time
I’m still having trouble with this one. College is structured differently than you’re used to. Your classes might start later, you might have long breaks between classes or you might have a day without any classes at all. This makes procrastination really easy. Make a habit of writing out your assignments and their due dates, and keeping your calendar updated. It’ll help you keep everything together.
Get Sleep
This goes along with time management. I’ve spent many a night staying up really late doing homework because I didn’t work on it in my free time. However, that always ends up with me feeling gross and tired in the morning. A few late nights, if necessary, won’t kill you, but don’t make going to bed at 3 a.m. a habit.
Figure Out Meal Exchange Hours
This is a lesson I learned really quickly first semester. There will be times you want to eat at Jazzman’s, Sandella’s or the Rac and your flex money will run out in not much time if you don’t know when you can use your meal swipes instead. Meal Exchange gives you $3 to spend during breakfast hours, which are 9 to 11:30 a.m., and $5 to spend during lunch and dinner hours, which are 1 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to close at Jazzman’s/Sandella’s, and 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rac.
Get Involved
This is a given and something people always tell you to do in college. Don’t overdo it though and spend your time trying to juggling a lot of clubs. Go to the Involvement Fair and scope out all that Cabrini has to offer, and get some free stuff in the process. Figure out what club you like the best, do what you’re really passionate about and stick with it. You’ll have fun and make friends that share your interests. It’ll make your transition into college that much easier.
No matter what you do, make sure to have fun and enjoy your freshman year! It’ll be over before you know it and you’ll be ready to welcome the class after you.