10. Academic Achievement Center and professor office hours
I didn’t think that I would need to go for tutoring. I figured that if I read the book and took decent notes in class that I wouldn’t have to get extra help. But when I needed math help, the Academic Achievement Center, AAC, was the best thing that ever happened to me. My grade improved so much from just one visit to the AAC. Aside from the AAC, your professor’s office hours are there not only for them to get their grading done, but for you, their student, to go in for extra help outside of the classroom. They want you to succeed as much as you want yourself to succeed, so utilize the opportunities you have to get extra help.
9. The library is really convenient
Your roommate might have people over, the room above you may be playing video games at a decibel that you didn’t think was possible, or you just might not be able to study in the dorms because everyone walks by your ground floor window and it’s extremely distracting. Here’s a solution: go to the library. It’s a whole lot better trying to study there than trying to study where there are a lot more distractions. Plus, if you’re doing a research-based project, the library is extremely helpful.
8. Naps make everything seem right
One thing I never did before coming to college was take naps. Because classes don’t last all day, there’s free time where you have nothing to do. You can either eat, go to the gym, or take a nap. So why not catch up on some must needed rest?! Naps are a great thing because they restore your energy and even improve your problem solving skills and general learning.
7. A mattress pad is a must!
When you first move in to your college dorm room, make sure you have a mattress pad. It’s definitely a must. Your typical college mattress is an XL twin that feels like it belongs in the deepest depths of hell. After sleeping on a mattress pad-less bed for orientation for only one night, it was clear that you can forget to bring everything else to college, just don’t forget your mattress pad. Those beds can really screw up your back without them. It’s the difference between sleeping on a rock and sleeping on a soft bed of clouds being carried by the little blue birds in Cinderella.
6. Your roommate situation can change
Not all roommates get along. You can think that you’re going to become the best of friends when you get your roommate assignment, and then you might end up not liking them at all. Just know that you do have the power to change your roommate situation if need be. There are forms to fill out, and if you know of someone who wants a roommate but might not have one, see if you can move in with them! Residential Life will help with anything and everything regarding your rooming situation. They want you to be comfortable and feel like you’re at home, because your college is your home for the next four years.
5. Yoga pants = heaven
I never wore yoga pants until I got to college. I think the only times I ever put on a pair of yoga pants were to take the SATs and if I threw them on after swim practice because I was too lazy to take a shower at the pool and just wanted to get home. Now, I realize that yoga pants were probably the best thing invented (aside from naps). They’re a multi-use clothing item. You can work out in them, sleep in them, lounge around in them, and wear them to the dining hall and class without being judged. They’re great for a day where you just don’t have the energy or motivation to put on jeans.
4. Watch your key and ID at ALL TIMES
Losing your room key and/or school ID is the most terrifying feeling a college student will ever feel. I imagine it to feel the same way my mom felt that one time she “lost sight” of me at Crane’s Beach on Fourth of July. Your ID is your meal ticket and the only way you can get into your building. You’re pretty much homeless is you don’t have your ID. And it’s so awkward asking the RAs to open your room for you because you feel judged. Moral of the story, your ID/key is like your child. Would you pay $50 for a replacement child? No, you wouldn’t. So don’t lose you ID/key… or child.
3. Friendships from home can fade
A big thing I thought would always stay the same were my friendships at home. It may be the case for some people, but not for everyone. If you go to a school that is a significant distance away from where you grew up, your friendships may fade into the shadows a little bit. This can especially happen if you are a far enough distance away where your friends may not have the ability to visit you or you may not have the ability to go home as often as you would like. But even if those friendships fade, you’ll make new ones at college.
2. You make the greatest friendships
Within the first week of school, I made the best friends in my entire life. Your friends might have the same major as you, or they might be on the completely opposite end of the spectrum, but once you find them and you somehow click right away, it’s great! It’s like finding the perfect pair of jeans that make your butt look good and are just the right length and you never want to let them go! It’s a great feeling when you find the friends that you never thought you’d have.
1. Your mom is your best friend
My mom and I would always butt heads when I lived at home with her. I always thought that she was the devil and was out to ruin my life. But when I moved away to college, I realized that she is the greatest woman on the face of the earth. She texts me all the time, ending every. single. text. with, “have a good day. Love Mom.” It’s cute, and I never realized how much she actually loved me until I didn’t live with her anymore. You learn to appreciate your mom, especially when she sends you cards that say things like, “Start your day with a smile. It irritates people.” You really appreciate all the things she did for you like drive all the way to away games and swim meets on different sides of the state just to support you, or talk crap about the DMV worker who failed you the first time you took your driver’s test while you cried in the passenger seat all the way back to school. Call your mom every once in a while. See how her day is going, tell her what’s going on in your classes. Try to get her to write your speeches for you even though you know she won’t. She loves you, show her that you love her, too.