10 Things I Learned during the First 6 Months of College

So, obviously I'm no expert at this whole college thing yet, but I thought it might be good to share some of things I learned over the course of my first semester with all of you guys. College has been a great experience thus far, and I'm really looking forward to the next three years.

Some memories from first semester: first radio show, first snowfall, and the necessary Gilman fall shot.

1. Going to class matters, but so does missing class if you happen to get mono. Email your professor, they will understand. If you don't take a break, the illness will drag on for months.
2. Cold weather sucks. Especially when your school refuses to give you snow days. When it gets cold, dressing cute no longer matters - you'll regret not bundling up.
3. Going to office hours, participating during lecture, and sitting in the front row will help you get on the good side of your professor. In turn, your prof or TA will tend to be more lenient on grading and more likely to raise your grade at the end of the semester.
4. Keeping food in your dorm room at all times is a must. When you're working on that assignment at midnight, you'll be thankful that you have some candy to keep you going. Basically, learn to savor care packages and subtly hint to your parents and other loved ones that you will love them forever if they send you packages, esp. a food related package.
5. Having an actual, reasonable bedtime will keep you from succumbing to exhaustion. Yes, it's fun to stay up until 4 am with friends every once in a while but your work and your sunny personality will start to be effected if that becomes a daily occurrence. 
6. Sometimes you won't get that A you wanted on that paper, but it's not the end of the world (even if it was 50% of your grade). Don't beat yourself up over it. There are some classes that will get the better of you, but they do not define you.
7. It's OK to change your major but have a plan to back it up. You don't want to go through the next four years (and then maybe the rest of your life) doing something that you realize you don't like. College is a time for discovery and there are so many other majors out there. And yes, your parents might freak out about it, but as long as you have a plan, you can intelligently defend your choices.
8. It's OK to sit in your room by yourself on a Friday night and read or watch TV or clean or do whatever your heart desires. Not going out on a Friday night does not make you 'un-cool' and every once in a while you just need to take some time for yourself for the sake of your sanity.
9. Though, getting involved in clubs your first semester will save you from spending all of your free time alone in your room. Joining clubs is a great way for meeting new people, discovering new passions, and of course, bolstering your resume.
10. You'll be surprised how quickly frivolous spending (i.e., on food) can run down your bank account. Try to write up a budget and stick to it or think about applying for a part-time job on-campus.

-Marisa

A Day in the Life of a College Freshman

So, here's my average Monday during the Spring semester. I have a lot less free time than I did last semester, but so far it's been working out well.

9:10 am -  Wake up to my alarm. I was feeling proactive last night and decided to get up a couple hours earlier than I had to. Apparently that was not in the cards because I went back to bed.

10:10 am - Actually wake up. My morning routine is pretty simple - brush teeth, wash face, make bed, get dressed, fix my hair, and if time, do my makeup.

11:00 am - Time for my Intro to Social Psych class. It's a 450 person lecture and I prefer smaller class sizes, but at least it's an interesting topic.

12:00 pm - Time for my Intro to Business class. I'm really liking this class so far - the readings are really interesting and the professor is rather engaging.

1:00 pm - Head to Levering for a quick lunch - normally a slice of pizza, a bag of chips, and water. Today I ran into one of my friends and ate with them, but normally I sit by myself and listen to Spotify while getting a head start on my readings for the week. (Tip: Go through your syllabus on Sunday and print out all the readings you need for the week so you can read them whenever you have time to spare.)

1:30 pm - Time for Stats. So far the class is really easy, though it is rather boring. Unfortunately, it's a requirment for my major and for both of my minors, so there is no getting out of it.

2:30 pm - Off to work I go. I finally got a part-time job at school. I'm working as an office assistant and a courier, but at least it's income. Today, I went on a courier run to Keswick and Eastern and might have gotten on the wrong shuttle at first, but it all worked out in the end.

4:30 pm - Grabbed dinner in the FFC (the freshman cafe) and was unimpressed. I had a slice of burnt pizza and some canned oranges. After this, I stopped by the mailroom and picked up a package from my friend Holly :)

5:30 pm - Went back to my dorm room for a quick second and read a chapter in my marketing textbook.

6:00 pm - I attended a Continuous Open Bidding event for Kappa Alpha Theta. I started going through formal sorority recruitment but dropped out and I've been regretting it, so I thought I would check out Theta's informal recruitment events this week. I had a lot of fun and ate a lot of candy.

8:00 pm - I'm finally back in the dorm for the night. So what do I do? I watch 4 episodes of Stalker. My brother recommended it, and I'm hooked. I'm actually fully caught up now and can't wait for the new episode on Wed.

11:00 pm - So, I definitely watched way too much TV tonight, but oh well - I don't have that much homework this week. I ended the night by labouriously reading Fooled by Randomness - a book for my Intro to Business class about how everything we do may be based on theoretical and statistical luck... I'm not quite sure what I just read.

12:30 am - Time to get ready for bed. I have a pretty simple night routine: brush teeth, wash face, pack my backpack for the next day, and pick out my outfit.

1:00 am - Time for bed! (Per my resolutions, I've been sticking to my 1 am bedtime.)