Freshman year is exciting, nerve-racking, and everything in between. I have loved every minute so far, from my first midterm to my weekly study sessions with my Edge group. So, I’ll give some insight into what I have been doing in my first month as a Hawkeye!

• Studying

Studying and homework take up a good amount of my week, especially when preparing for my first midterm. Personally, I study everywhere except my dorm because I get distracted, so I have tried many study spaces around campus. So far, I have been to the Tippie Quiet Floor, Main Library, Seaman Center, Linquist Center, and Catlett Study Lounge and Rooms. My personal favorite so far is the Tippie Quiet Floor when studying alone because of the quiet and really nice lighting. I will go a little more in-depth about each study space in a later post coming soon!

• Student Organizations 

The best way to gain friends and meet people who have similar interests as you is definitely to join student organizations. I recently joined the Accounting Society, Black Studnet Union (BSU), Hall Association for Catlett (HAWC), and Sunset Club. Each student org has a different vibe, Accounting Society is an academic club that connects to my major, BSU is a cultural club that lets me form connections with students with whom I share a racial identity, HAWC lets me continue my love for planning different events for my peers, and Sunset Club is a great way to end the day by just watching the sunset. So far I really like Accounting Society because different accounting firms, most recently Eide Bailly, come and speak to us about what their job is and how we can prepare ourselves are Tippie students to have the skills needed for jobs such as theirs. Also, they put on an accounting career fair which is only jobs that are specifically recruiting for accounting which is super convenient for internships and just learning about different company options for the future.

• Exploring Downtown Iowa City

Downtown Iowa City is awesome, there’s always something new to explore such as the Saturday Farmer’s Market. It has all sorts of food trucks, I personally recommend the Caribbean Kitchen food truck, fresh pastries, handmade soaps, and all sorts of flower arrangements. There are also a lot of cute shops downtown as well such as:

• Om, a crystal and wholistic store, they definitely have something for everyone
• Basic Goods, a plant store with different-sized plants for small dorms and big apartments
• Beno’s, a flower shop with small jewelry and decor
• Prairie Lights, a bookstore with a really good coffee shop on the upstairs level

These are just some that I have been to so far but there is so much more that is 100% worth exploring.

So far, my first month has been exciting with starting a new era in my life as a college student. I look forward to being involved in my student organizations, prepping for my next three midterms, and most of all enjoying Iowa City! Coming next month I will go more in-depth on study spaces and football games, see you then!