Taylor

So the year will be starting up soon, and I know all the Hawkeyes are getting pretty pumped to return to campus. For some of us, this will be our first year. Well, I don’t know if you knew this, but one of my special talents is that I can spot a freshman coming from a mile away. And it’s not the scent of fear that gives you up. It’s the silly things you do that leave your more experienced peers nodding their heads and thinking “in time, young grasshopper, in time…” So I’ve come to enlighten you on how you can make the transition a little easier, and maybe even convince people that you kind of know what you’re doing.

1. Download the Bongo app to check the bus schedule. Do not, I repeat, do not, stand at the bus stop and walk around the bus sign reading the maps and checking the time in a nervous wreck. We’re all watching you and hoping that you don’t ask us if there’s a stop near that one building because a lot of us don’t actually know. I only know how to get to the places I need to get to. I’m not entirely sure where the bus goes after I get off. That being said, if you do end up on the wrong bus (and we all do), fake it. Pull the string and get off at the next stop calmly. No one has to know you’re lost. And remember this: if you live on the east side or at Parklawn/Mayflower, it’s “red to rise, blue to bed.” And if you live on the west side it’s “red to Reinow, blue to Burge.”
2. Know when to buy your books. For courses like math and science it’s best to come prepared. Especially if you only require one text book for the class. Chances are you’re going to use it. For other courses, like English, or courses that have recommended books, go to class first. Do not show up on the first day with all 16 books on the list. The teacher will let you know which ones are more pressing and which ones they’ll actually be uploading to iCON. A lot of times, short stories and poems are on the internet as well. But you should check the availability of the books beforehand. If something is already on back order or takes a month to ship, I wouldn’t risk waiting. Better safe than sorry!
3. Understand that your roommate might not like you. Or you might not like them. Don’t be a freshman about it. If it’s not working, speak with your RA and figure out what steps you can take. Suffering in silence is so not worth it. We all hope the person we live with will turn out to be our best friend forever, but roommate surveys are not a perfect science, and some of you chose your roommate randomly. This is why you should take the roommate agreement seriously. I know it seems cool to act super laid back and establish the “no rule rule,” but when you discover your roommate is an insomniac who likes to watch chick flicks at 4am, you’ll be ready to pounce.
4. Go to the marketplace with a plan. You will almost never be the only person in the dining hall. In fact, half the time, everyone in school will be hungry at the same time as you. So don’t rush in and find yourself wandering around hopelessly trying to find a seat and hold a tray of food. Mark your table first by setting down your backpack. Some people leave keys, or phones, but that makes me a little nervous. If eating in a group, travel together or meet up outside and get in line together. Trying to find people can be irritating. And try to stay balanced. The easiest way to gain the freshman 15 is to realize that you could eat pizza every day. But you and I both know that you probably shouldn’t.
5. Don’t make a ridiculous class schedule. Remember that somewhere in between all those back to back classes you will need to eat. Remember that you hate waking up on Monday morning and that maybe that 7:30 discussion is a terrible idea. Unless it’s on a Friday. Always sacrifice your Friday morning if it means you can free up your evening. And figure out where buildings are on campus before you stack your classes. You do not want to make the ten minute dash from one side of the campus to the other. And you can’t rely on the bus to have perfect timing to get you there.
6. You need to do your laundry. Even if you’ve never done it before. Even if you hate doing it. Even if you wait until you have nothing clean left and then monopolize the laundry room for two days. As long as you do it quietly. We all do laundry. So we don’t want to listen to you complain about it. You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. And just when you think you’re alone and you leave your clothes on a table while you run up to your room, someone will come by and steal your socks. Serves you right, going to the laundry room before grabbing everything you need.
7. Lastly, never expect class to be cancelled. I laugh when I hear students suggesting that the snow tomorrow will get class cancelled. Because unless Elsa is outside throwing another tantrum, (Disney references for my lady friends), the abominable snowman is roaming the campus with snow cones (Monster’s Inc, anyone?), or a mob of tap dancing penguins are literally blocking the streets (10 points if you can name the main character of that movie reference), class will still happen. Especially if you have an exam.

And now you know how to Hawkeye like a professional. I can’t guarantee that by reading this you’ll have a smooth year, but it’s pretty likely. Good luck!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2014 at 8:56 am and is filed under Campus Life, General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.