Taylor

1. The Future Copy Editor

They are happy to edit your essays and mock your resumés.

2. That person who should not be in that major

I have changed my major twice, so I know about the stumble. Sometimes it hits you right in the face.

3. The person who destroys the curve

It’s like they were born to take this class.

4. English majors

Their lives are deep, dramatic, and mysterious odysseys. They can’t turn off the eloquence.

5. Discussion Dude

On the surface, questions appear serious. Usually turn out to be complicated musings. Everyone nods along.

6. People who pull all nighters

7. And people who don’t

It’s not for everyone. I draw the line at 2am.

8. Over sharers

These are the kids you occasionally sit next to, and never learn their name. However, you still know their whole life story.

9. This person

After tests. Downtown. At bus stops. They’re clearly winning. But no one’s sure what exactly.

10. Your new BFF

This is my personal favorite. Your partner in crime. You will become attached at the hip. You’ll memorize each other’s schedules. You’ll sign up for the same classes. You will coordinate grocery shopping. Trust me. It’s gonna get intense. Because out of 10,000 students who chose Iowa, you guys are going to choose each other. And that’s fate…or something.

11. YOU

If you decide to be a Hawkeye, we’ll meet you too!

Maybe you’re your own brand of crazy. Or maybe you’re surprisingly normal. Either way, we’d love to have you.

If you’re already a Hawkeye, chances are you’ve already caught the Herkitis- which means one of your friends is reading this and thinking how you are totally #9.

Most students, like myself, visit their prospective colleges when the weather is nice.  It just makes it easier to get around and you don’t hate your tour guide for stopping at every building.  But this also means you may not be prepared for the winter here at UIowa. So if you’re a first-year now, stop debating whether or not you should transfer to Texas or something, because the winter season, like all seasons, will pass.  And if you’re one of the lucky incoming Hawkeyes, probably counting down the days until high school is over, let me ease your worries.

It will snow.  It will snow from morning until night. It will snow until all hope of you getting to class is diminished. But you will still have to go to class anyway, because we value education here, and quite literally, nothing is going to keep the professors out of their classrooms. These people will brave blizzards for you.

I mean, look at this air shot of the whole state. When you’re coming back from your vacation to this, it’s almost tear worthy. Can you even see any identifiable land? It looks like nothing but snow to me.

But it’s not “nothing but snow.” There will be ice, sleet, rain, and consequently, mud everywhere for the first five feet of any building you walk in to. Your gloves will be inadequate to protect against the harsh cold.  The trek in-between classes will cause your socks to slide down in your boots and it will be ridiculously uncomfortable.  You’ll try to look cool by not putting your hood up, but then the wind will blow and a pile snow from a tree above you will land right on the back of your neck. I kid you not. I’ve seen it happen. (Not to me, obviously; I’m a professional).

Strangers might try to brighten your day by leaving you notes or pictures on the hood of your car, but I usually just wonder who thought that was a good idea. Writing in the dirt of a car is funny. In the snow, its just depressing. But that’s just me- you may find something like this to be charming. And to you I say “Rock on!” But I’m not about that life.

But it’s not all bad.  Once the snow settles, and you’re sitting in your dorm room, it makes for a pretty picture outside.  It will force you to hate travel to the point where you’d rather stay inside and study.  Your RA’s will plan awesome events to make up for it, like pot lucks, gingerbread house competitions, and lego nights.  Your instagram will become instantly more awesome from all the artsy winter photos you take of footprints in the snow and benches with icicles hanging off of them.  No one will judge you for your outfit because at this point, warm is warm.  The Cambus (free on campus transportation; literally campus-bus) will become your sanctuary and get you to where you need to be without freezing your buns.

And my personal favorite: Just before winter starts, when people start busting out their sweaters and jackets and the wind picks up, this wonderful thing happens.  The trees put on their sweaters too.  Which literally means that when most other campuses start to look dreary and desolate, Iowa still has the trees. The leaves will fall, sure, but the trunks will keep those fall colors alive.

So let’s face it.  Winter is winter. But there’s really no winter like Hawkeye Winter.

Chances are, if you are under the age of 25 or you happen to have a younger sibling, you are quite familiar with and possibly very fond of Dora the Explorer. You’ve been there in the moment she asks a question and then patiently waits for you to respond. Perhaps you have been in that moment in real life too; you stare out the window of your dorm and ponder “What is there to do today?”

Followed by the pause. Only there aren’t a herd of overly energetic toddlers on the other end throwing answers at you. So you go with W2D2. (Not like the robot. That’s R2D2.)

I’m talking double W, double D. WWDD. What Would Dora Do?

And the answer is always Explore.  So that’s exactly what I did. I grabbed a friend and went exploring. I was pretty happy with the results too. Except for one thing: While discovering fun places to go, I also discovered, with the help of my mother, that apparently I have a striking resemblance to the prehistoric armored fish…

Do you agree?

1. Meal Plan 2.0

I would normally go back to sleep in that awkward time that is past breakfast, but not quite time for lunch. But following my new philosophy I rolled off my futon and went downstairs, not bothering to get out of my pajamas. Turns out I could mix what was left of breakfast with my lunch option. I’m not going to say it was the best meal I’d ever had but if I could do this all the time I have a feeling I’d consume a lot of bacon at night and a lot of grilled cheese in the morning.

The lovely meal I had at Hillcrest Marketplace, complete with breakfast sausage.

2. Home Salons

If you ask around, or mention the hardship of having consecutive bad hair days, you just might find that you know someone who is pretty handy with a comb. And if you are nice to that person (and if you bribe them with some gummy bears and a cold soda) they might come to your dorm and do you a hair styling favor. It’s worth a shot.

20 minutes in or 71% done

3. Bringing Sexy Back

And by sexy, I mean vent skinny caramel macchiatos on ice. When I arrived on campus, Starbucks did not exist. Then it was just a small cart up against a brick wall. But ten minutes into my Labor Day expedition I discovered that America’s beloved café has returned, and is making itself a home on the UI campus.

The artsy Instagram photo I took at the time.

4. Just Like Twilight 

I am not a vampire person. Just so we’re clear. I am not a werewolf person or a zombie person. I am a fairy person. But all that is beside the point. The point is, there is a gazebo nearby, in a park we discovered, that is perfect for those Bella moments (if you happen to be the kind of person who has always wanted to have one). Unfortunately, I was unable to go in it, as there was another girl who had picked it as a perfect place to nap. Maybe next time…

A lovely structure on a lovely day.

5. The Known Unknowns

You should take a trip to the museum. The Natural History Museum that is. Conveniently located on campus, it’s perfect for taking a break after trekking from the west side of campus.  And admission is free. My father always says that the problem with people my age is that “they don’t know what they don’t know.” So solve that issue with a solid hour of exploring.

Turns out you don’t need a singing map to find your way to a new location.  

Sinead with the famous giant sloth