I feel like I just moved into my dorm last week, but here I am, writing to you with one semester under my belt. I did, in fact, survive my first finals week, so I’m back at home right now on Christmas break. Without further ado, I bring you my semester recap; the do’s, the don’ts, the good, the bad, and everything in between.
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about my first semester is don’t burn yourself out on dining hall food. You have flex swipes for a reason, use them!! My favorite flex swipe meal is at the River Room Cafe in the IMU. They have pasta and stir fry on certain days throughout the week which is really good. The Union Station, also in the IMU, has amazing sandwiches from Erberts and Gerberts (for those who don’t know, as I didn’t, it’s like Jimmy Johns).
Again, don’t burn yourself out on schoolwork. Living at school can feel like all you do is homework so you really have to make a point to put your computer away and just walk away. I got myself into the habit of not doing homework after dinner time. This really helped me have a more balanced schedule.
Finding my favorite study spots was definitely an adventure. I have a post about my favorite study spots that you should check out. Otherwise, recently I have been studying on the second floor of the IMU. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the street below. Normally it’s pretty quiet up there so that’s always a plus.
Exploring the city is an absolute must. There are so many things to do and see and so many restaurants and coffee shops to check out. I had a blast trying all the different coffee shops this first semester, as I tried every coffee shop on the east side of campus. Studying at a coffee shop is just unmatched.
One thing that I did to make my dorm feel more like home is I decorate it for the seasons. Target and CVS always had cheap little decorations for the Halloween/fall season and Christmas. It was a nice little touch of home for me in Iowa City.
Studying is something we all just have to figure out as we go. You might fail but you just have to brush it off and learn from it. Some people study better in a group setting while others are better off alone, it really just depends on the person. By the time finals came around I knew the best way to study for them, so I was okay. I also learned that stressing about finals is actually overrated, at least for the classes that I took this semester because the final exam was not going to make or break my grade.
