Posts filed under 'what to expect'
Sometimes moving out means learning things “the hard way.” In other words, it means making a lot of dumb mistakes before you figure out the best way to do stuff. So, benefit from my mistakes here and take advantage of these 25 tips about living in the dorms (and feel free to share your own if you have any!).
Also, this Friday is the one-year anniversary of Surviving College Life-woo hoo!!! Thanks for sticking with me for a year!
Roommates
My roommate situation varied throughout college, but there are a few things that applied to every situation:
1. Set up ground rules ASAP-preferably before you move in! This will save you from a lot of awkward situations later.
2. Don’t live with your close friends from high school unless your lifestyles and personalities are SUPER compatible. Living together puts a whole new strain on your relationship, and it has ruined more than a few pairs of best friends.
3. Keep the lines of communication open. Yes, confrontation is awkward, but dreading every day with your roommate is worse. If something is bothering you, talk about it.
4. If you’re sick, it’s probably bugging/freaking out your roommate (especially if you are coughing until all hours of the night). Try to be considerate of this. And know what to do if your roommate gets sick.
5. Make sure you know each other’s feelings about having overnight guests, and respect them!
6. Discuss what you do & don’t want to share. Some people are totally fine with sharing everything from clothes to food to their laptop, others don’t even want you to step into their side of the room.
7. Wear headphones.
Relationships & Friendships (in the Dorms)
Dorms are close quarters, which means that everybody is involved in everyone else’s business:
8. Dating someone on your floor is risky. Everybody on your floor will be involved whether you like it or not, and if you break up, you will still find yourselves face to face pretty often.
9. Excessive PDA is not cool. Also, making out is still considered “public” (and therefore not cool) if you & your significant other are “alone” in your room with your roommate still there. Trust me, your roommate doesn’t appreciate it.
10. Don’t date your Resident Advisor. It’s probably against the rules (so it could get him or her fired) and if it ends badly… See #8.
11. If you are mad at/break up with your significant other, don’t write about it on your blog, as an away/status message, on Facebook or MySpace, or anywhere public. Things can get ugly fast, so if you MUST vent, do it in a private email to someone who won’t pass it around. (Same rule applies with your roommate).
12. Don’t judge people before you get to know them. I thought one girl on my floor was super rude, but (Oops!) it turned out she was just shy-she ended up being one of my best friends.
Food
My first quarter at UCSD, my roomie and I had a pint of Ben & Jerry’s each, every night, which leads me to remind you that…
13. Ice cream doesn’t count as a meal. Yes, it’s fun to eat whatever you want for a change, but after a while you may find out the true meaning of the term “Freshman 15.”
14. Balance is the key to staying healthy at school-what you eat makes a big difference in how strong your immune system is. Remember to get all the food groups!
15. When you get sick of cafeteria food, you can actually cook some pretty good stuff in the dorms. Check out THIS POST for links to great recipe sites with all kinds of things you can make without a real kitchen. (Or check out my fast, cheap, & easy breakfast recipes and snack ideas)
16. Free food abounds in the dorms and on campus. Learn how to find it here.
Parents & Siblings
This applies to living anywhere away from home:
17. Whether or not they let on, your family probably misses you-especially your siblings. It’s hard to be left behind, especially if they’re the last one at home. Try to keep that in mind and make a point of talking to the sibs when you call home, chatting online with them, or shooting off an email now and then.
18. If your parents are calling too much-or not enough-it’s okay to talk to them about it. Just be sure to be kind, and try to find a compromise. (i.e. If phone calls are too overbearing for you, suggest IM or email.)
Computers
19. Something about the college lifestyle-whether it’s the shared network, or the constant file swapping-seems to mean its super easy to get a virus. Invest in an anti-virus software (you can usually order one from Frys.com with a big rebate-you could end up paying $10 or even nothing after rebate).
20. Don’t leave your laptop laying around in common areas. They’re valuable and easy to steal-don’t lose yours. It seems like common sense, but so many people just leave them while they go off for lunch or head out for the night!
Laundry
In my dorm building, there were 70 kids to every 2 washers and dryers-and not all of them knew how to do laundry right. Here’s what I learned:
21. Don’t leave your detergent or fabric softener in the laundry room-other people will use it, and they won’t ask first.
22. Get back to your machine on time! Some people will throw your clean clothes on the floor so they can get to the washer or dryer. Other people will steal your clothes. Weird.
23. If you’re afraid you aren’t going to get back in time, leave a post-it with your room # or ph # on the machine. Most people will come over or call to and ask you to move your stuff before they take over.
24. If you have coin laundry, always, always keep quarters on hand. Actually, you can make friends by changing people’s money-quarters are a valuable commodity!
25. Do small to medium loads. Large loads don’t get as clean and also won’t dry all the way (which leaves you with the option of wet clothes, or feeding more cash into the dryer).
Feel free to share your own experiences, tips & opinions. And once more, thanks for sticking around for a year!
photo: crowded houses by ijsendoorn
August 22nd, 2008
Few things compare with the travesty caused by a combination of garlic pizza, a lost toothbrush, and your first all-campus dance. That’s why it can be very helpful to pack a bag-o-necessities just for that first night in the dorms-that night when everything is still in boxes.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy (a backpack should do just fine) but you’ll be glad you have shampoo and toothpaste when that cute guy or girl you met in the elevator shows up on your floor.
Here are my suggestions for your First Night in the Dorms bag:
- Wallet, some cash & ID
- Change of clothes
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Cell phone & charger
- Toilet paper (just in case!)
- Soap, shampoo, and deodorant (travel size ones are great)
- Towel & washcloth
- Medications/vitamins
- Something to read (magazine, book)
- iPod (if you’re a music addict)
- Pen & paper
- First aid kit
- Snacks
- Key ring to corral all your new keys (dorm, mailbox, etc.)
- Laptop & charger (thanks, Christina, for adding this to the list!)
Other things to have handy:
- Pillow
- Sheets
- Blanket
- Sweatshirt
Anything else you wouldn’t want to be without on the first night?
photo: Ready to go by emsago
August 14th, 2008
For a most students, the first week of college is a big fat tangle of emotions. You’re excited to be out on your own, nervous about what’s coming, maybe even a little homesick. Want to know what it’s going to be like? I’ve got you covered.
Move-in Day
You (and probably your parents) will spend a good portion of the day unloading your stuff, meeting your roommate, and running errands to hunt down the super important things you somehow forgot to pack. You might check out the campus a little, maybe eat lunch or dinner with your parents, and then, suddenly, it will be time for them to go.
The first night in your room with a new roommate might be a little awkward, but that’s just because you don’t know each other yet. Try to get things unpacked a little-at least find your toothbrush and your pillow-and if you’re feeling homesick, put up some pictures from home, too.
“Welcome Week”
Whether or not your school calls it “Welcome Week,” the first week at most colleges is usually geared toward getting freshmen settled in and acquainted with each other and the campus. That means there are lots of activities planned-UCSD had over 100 activities planned for our first week, from a huge all-school rally to dances, beach trips, and bonfires-so go to them!
Everyone’s a little nervous the first week, so it is the BEST time to make friends! You don’t have to go to every activity, but if something sounds interesting, check it out, and don’t be afraid to say hi.
First Day of Class
College classes are different than high school classes-sometimes very different. Rather than passing out worksheets the first day, college professors are more apt to give you a scary-looking syllabus, start lecture, or to say things like, “The person to the right of you and to the left of you will drop this class.” (By the way, that’s not true, even for the hardest classes-most of the class tends to stick around.)
Don’t be intimidated! Once you’ve been to a few classes, you’ll start to recognize faces and get used to the professor’s lecture style. It’s a change, but it’s not as bad as it seems!
One tip: Walk around campus the day before classes start and find out where your classrooms are-it will save you from walking in late in the middle of your first class. Also, be sure you ask someone if you’re in the right class when you walk in the first day. Everybody else feels disoriented, too, so it’s not a big deal. (I still asked even during my senior year—good thing too, because once I ended up in an engineering class when I should have been in a poetry class!).
Everything Else
Last fall I wrote a whole month’s worth of posts about the basics of your first few days of college. Check out these entries for more info on whatever it is that’s worrying you, or feel free to email me with questions.
Be sure to check out the archives for more, or subscribe if you want to keep up on the latest info!
photo: Tongji by sinoreport
August 8th, 2008
Many of you have been through orientation (and maybe a few years of college) already–if that’s you, feel free to share your experiences in the comments–but lots of new high school grads are preparing for the big day (or week) already.
I felt like a fish out of water at college orientation: I felt nervous and out of place–the campus was so big, there were so many people, and I had to make so many seemingly huge decisions–it was overwhelming. Part of that was because I didn’t know what to expect, and the other was because I didn’t know how to approach it-so I’m going to give you a taste of both.
What to Expect
So, what’s orientation all about anyway? It’s different at every school. In fact, it can be as short as one or two days, or as long as a week. Some schools have you visit mid-summer, and others have orientation the first week you live on campus.
The point of it is to help you get into the swing of things on campus-learn where to go for food, study time, help with classes, etc. as well as the rules and procedures you need to know your first few weeks. It’s also geared towards It generally includes the following (or similar) activities:
- Sitting in on some lectures about what to expect from college, how your courses work, which resources are available to you on campus, student health info, etc.
- Splitting off from your parents (they’ll get their own series of orientation talks, and possibly head back home on their own).
- Spending time with other entering freshmen, usually in a small group lead by an orientation leader (an older student who goes to your school).
- Eating at the cafeteria.
- Info session from current students about college life.
- Socializing/fun activities with other entering freshmen like sports, dances, and school spirit activities.
- Placement exams to help ensure that you start in the right level of programs like math and language.
- Meeting with an academic advisor to get an idea of what courses you should start off with.
- Registering for your first set of classes as a college student.
- Sleeping in a dorm room/setting up your assigned dorm room and meeting your roommate.
Here are a few orientation calendars from different schools that will help you get an idea of the how daily scheduling goes at orientation:
What You Might Be Feeling (Don’t Worry, it’s Normal!)
Ironically, orientation can actually be a little disorienting at first. You’re taking a big step by entering college, so if just attending orientation makes you feel a little off-balance, know that it’s normal (and it will pass). Once you get into the swing of real college life (not just games and lectures about financial aid), you’ll be able to get more comfortable in your environment.
- Apprehension/nervousness about:
- Being able to juggle school, work, studies, friends, etc.,
- Whether people will like you,
- Finding close friends and/or finding where you “fit in” on campus,
- Getting along with your roommate,
- Finding your way around campus,
- Feeling homesick,
- Choosing a major,
- If you’ll be able to get good grades.
- Excitement about:
Next Time: More Cheap & Easy College Recipes (Check back or subscribe here!)
photo: Teens by Bina Sveda
July 22nd, 2008
Setting up my class schedule always stressed me out-would I get the classes I wanted, at the times I wanted? Would I have time to get my homework done, and have a job? Here are my top 5 tips to make your class schedule the best it can be. (This might be a little early since it’s just the opening of summer, but for since some schools make you set up your classes over the summer anyway, I thought I should get these tips out ASAP!)
- Sign Up for an Extra Class. Every quarter, I signed up for one extra class (I usually took 4 classes, so I signed up for 5). The first week, I went to all 5 classes, picked the one I liked the least (because it seemed too hard, the professor was weird, the topic was boring, or whatever) and dropped it. That way I had an easy out of one class: I didn’t get stuck with something I didn’t like and still had the credits I needed. [Note: Commenter Elizabeth shared that her registrar's office penalizes if they feel you are abusing the registration process, so be sure to check your school's add/drop policy!]
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- Back-to-Back or Hours Apart? Decide ahead whether you can handle back-to-back classes or if you’ll need more than a 10-minute passing period between. Some students feel pressured rushing from building to building in the passing period because they don’t know the campus, or find it hard to keep focused with one class after another. Others like to get all their classes over with in one fell swoop and use the rest of the day for work, study, and socializing instead. If you do schedule you classes with extra in-between time, use it to review your notes from the class you just took. According to Strategies for Success, “extensive studies have shown that one’s recall rises immediately after a learning period, such as a lecture, and then declines rapidly until after about twenty-four hours, recall has diminished by about 80%. However, the decline in recall can be dramatically reduced if one reinforces the learning by a short review within one hour.” Translation: Shorter studying time later! You can also use the extra time to do homework, grab a snack, or get to know the campus better.
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- Take Some Fun/Easy Classes. All through your pre-college school days your schedule revolved around the requirements-college is your turn to call the shots. Take at least a couple fun or easy classes in subjects you’ve always wanted to take (as long as you can keep up with your major). One of my favorite classes was a Pass/No Pass class in Gospel Choir-it was easy, relaxed, fun, and had a very enthusiastic professor. I looked forward to it every week.
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- Don’t Schedule Classes You’ll Sleep Through. No matter how devoted you are to BioChem, you’re not going to get much out of it if you fall asleep in class-or worse, if you don’t even get out of bed. Be realistic when you’re scheduling your classes. If you’re going to skip anything before 9, set your classes up for 9:30 or later!
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- Block Out the Rest of Your Day. When you’re setting up your class schedule, plan out how the rest of your life will work in around your classes. Give yourself time to go out with friends, have a part-time job, do homework and study, and set aside time for these things on your calendar-in writing. You can always move your activities around later, but figuring them out early will help you wrap your mind around everything that has to get done in a single day.
These 5 things helped me make a pretty good (sometimes great!) schedule every quarter. If you do nothing else, I definitely recommend that you take action on Tip #1 - sign up for an extra class. It gives you so much freedom to know you can drop one of your classes without falling below your credit requirements!
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photo: White clock by Fenix
June 5th, 2008
Whether your new roommate is a friend from high school or a total stranger, you’ll probably find that living with someone is completely different from hanging out at night or on the weekends. Some roommates who start off well together end up not-so-friendly by the end of a year of living together, mostly because they don’t communicate well about what they want out of the living situation. If you want to keep (or start) a friendship with your roomie, it’s a good idea to get everything out on the table right from the beginning.
Setting Ground Rules
One thing that makes a big difference is talking to your roommate about “ground rules”—rules that you both agree to abide by.
It might sound like an awkward conversation, but it’s necessary for two reasons: First, you are both used to a certain lifestyle, so you will both have opinions about how your life goes (and your roommate will affect that). Second, you will want to set the rules before one of you does something that makes the other uncomfortable (or angry).
Keep in mind—this shouldn’t be an angry or accusatory conversation, just a calm discussion of what you are both okay with and what you would like to avoid.
When to Set the Rules
It’s best to set up the ground rules as early as possible, because they can act as a barrier against roommate problems.
You might even want to set rules before you even move in to your dorm room or apartment. If you don’t want to talk face-to-face, discussing rules beforehand is even better, because you can do it via IM, email, or over the phone.
What to Talk About
My roommate and I had rules about quite a few things—like giving each other advance notice if guests were going to crash on our floor. You don’t want to walk into your room and find a party raging on your last cramming night before a big final. Here are a few things you might want to talk about with your roommate:
- Overnight guests
- Guests of the opposite sex
- Cell phone use (hours, in the room or in the hall, etc.)
- Music (types, volume, headphones)
- TV use
- Study time
- Borrowing clothes & other belongings (DVDs, CDs, etc.)
- Sharing (or not sharing) food
- Bedtime
- Alarm settings (how many times can you hit snooze?)
- Locking the door
- Using each other’s things (microwave, fridge, TV, computer, stereo, etc.)
Basic rule of thumb: if there is anything you are worried about, you should bring it up now. You’re a lot more likely to get into a screaming match if your roommate has already been doing something obnoxious for weeks.
September 10th, 2007
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