First off, congratulations on getting accepted into college! Go you! It’s a big step into the big bad world of adulthood. I sincerely hope you feel as if college is your second home because it most definitely is mine. I’m sure by now you’ve scoured Google twenty times re-reading articles all about freshman move-in and coming to a whole new chapter in your life. Trust me, it’s not as bad as it sounds! Although some of those articles won’t tell you the complete truth, that’s what I’m here for!
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Always Check Your School Email
Through your school email, you’ll receive emails from Housing and Residence, professors, other students and even the occasional student discount on concert tickets! Your school email is key to starting the year right. Know how to access it and most definitely set up the notifications on your phone so you’re always aware of what information you’re getting. For example, receiving packages. Housing and Residence here at ODU will email you that your package has arrived and the package number to come claim it. Here’s a hint though, give them about an hour to get all the packages sorted and put away before you try to go get yours because they won’t give you yours until they’re done with all of them. Another great thing about your student email is getting deals on tickets to sporting events and concerts. Most of the time, students will get emails months in advance of artists who are appearing near the school or artists who have shows affiliated with the school! Students even get free tickets to sporting events which is a major plus!
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You and Your Roommate Might Not Click Like You Thought – It’s Okay!
Everyone always assumes freshman year roommates are 100 percent going to be best friends for the rest of their lives. It often is not talked about when that is not the case. Most of the time people click and bond really well, but it truly is a whole different aspect when you move in together. 99 percent of the time, people are truthful about themselves when they tell you how they clean or their hobbies, but people change throughout their freshman year. They could say they want to go out every weekend, experience and find out that’s not for them. That’s okay! Make a routine with your roommate and be aware it might change. It’s truthfully not realistic that you two are going to become best friends for the rest of your life, and she’ll be the maid of honor at your wedding. If it works out that way, I am so happy for you, and I am even a bit jealous! Throughout the whole experience though, be open to change and be optimistic. You’ll still see a lovely person grow into themselves and become an adult just as you do the same. You might not even realize how much fun you guys can have together when you capture the little moments when you’re both home!
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The Color Coordination Truthfully Does Not Work
My freshman roommate and I decided we loved the color scheme of white, grey, and hints of navy and purple and a light pink. Looking back on it, that’s a lot of colors. If you decided to color coordinate, keep it simple. Neutral colors work great when matching and you can still add your own touches. I went with a simple white duvet, while my roommate has a patterned grey, white and pink duvet. We are still slightly coordinated but we have our own touches. Overall, you truly cannot tell we were supposed to have the same color scheme. Neither one of us is bothered by it though because we are our own people with our own likes and dislikes. Yes, color coordination pulls the room together nicely, but at the end of the day, you’re going to end up bringing your favorite blanket from back home that totally doesn’t match, or you’re going to get gifted with a dorm accessory that doesn’t match but is still cute AF! So what if your rug doesn’t match the color of your Keurig? There’s much more to worry about, so don’t stress over it, girlfriend!
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The Dining Hall Food Isn’t THAT Bad
Ramen noodles are convenient and taste good, but they were a key culprit to my gaining of the Freshman 10 I have achieved so far. A lot of people hate on the dining halls and say that they only have good food when new student tours or other events are happening around campus. In all seriousness, I have never tasted a difference with the campus food. Maybe I just have a bland taste, but I never can tell a difference. Plus, it’s pretty great not to have to cook for yourself but still have some fairly healthy options if you’re cautious about it! For the most part, you can even find nutritional facts on the university’s dining website!
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Prioritize Your Academics
The perk of coming to college is that you’re 100 percent responsible for your own schedule. A key tip is to plan ahead and know what classes you want to take and need to take. Applying for a schedule happens extremely quickly and you can miss out on an extremely important class while you were searching for it. Seats fill up quickly! If you’re a morning person, go ahead and sign up for that 8 am, if you really think you’ll go! Afternoon/midday classes work best for me but everyone is different. Also, classes that go over an hour will drag on and even though you went through this in high school, college lectures are WAY different. Be smart about your academics, scheduling and meet with your advisor! They’re there to help! Especially if you’re like Kim, which we all have those moments… Welcome to college; you’re going to do great!
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