your tiggeril will step onto the campus of the University of Chicago in lovely Hyde Park, Illinois, and officially begin her college career.
I’m only halfway done packing, and am nervous (read: scared shitless) too.
Wish me luck, my fellow Dopers… the first day of the rest of my life is soon nigh!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH!! ::deep breath:: No… I’m calm… calm…cool… controlled…
:eek: :eek: :eek:
D’oh!
I forgot… any tips and tricks for getting through the first few weeks away from home would be MOST appreciated.
Good luck tiger!
You’ll be fine though - it’ll be great fun.
Just make sure you keep in touch.
The day after tomorrow is the first day of the rest of… no, actually it’s the first day of your alcohol problem. 
Besides lots and lots of alcohol, you mean? Assuming you’re moving more than one state away, keep very, very busy. Not that the first week won’t be busy enough anyway, with finding classes, buying books and the rest… There’ll be a lot of freshman welcoming stuff (I would hope) put on by the school, and a lot of student orgs pushing for new members. Take these people up on their offers of free food, concerts, and the like and if nothing else, you’ll be well fed.
Some clubs will, as part of their “we’re fun, join us” campaigns will have city-wide scavenger hunts, which is a good way to bond and to see something of your new home, which is always good. Basically, just spend lots of time with all the other scared freshmen, because fear of that sort brings people closer. Even if you’re not the outgoing type - which I wasn’t - you’ll be able to make at least some friends that are like-minded because they too will be disoriented and looking for people like them to cling on to. Make new friends and the distance of the others will be easier to bear.
Just be careful of them upper-classmen guys - they’re scum. 
No, really.
BTW, you could always rush a sorority if you’re of that mindset. I personally have objections to the “Greek” style of life but some of my friends enjoy it, so it might be worth a shot. And I don’t know what the sororities do (but, boy do I want to!), but the frats give out lots and lots of free food. 
Well, actually, it’s only a three hours’ drive away, but I have no car, so there’s no chance of my crapping out and running back home.
As for rushing, only 10% of the students at the U of C pledge… and I’m not really interested.
Luckily, all the student orgs are listed on the school’s site, and I took a look at the list, and found some stuff I kinda sorta might be interested in.
I’m still scared, though.
what I learned my freshman year:
Don’t sleep naked, and keep your purse/dorm keys where you can find them instantly when the fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night. Your coat too. The majority of the alarms will be pranks and I imagine the nights can get cold in Illinois. And if there really is a fire, you’ve got your purse which has all your vital stuff. (Disregard if you live off campus)
If your school has core classes or General Ed Requirements, find out from your advisor which classes you can take that are fun/interesting/unusual that will also meet those requirements. I had a class called Chemistry for the Consumer where we made aspirin and hand lotion and other stuff like that. It covered three of my six Science credits and met the requirement for a lab course.
I guess that’s not really the sort of advice you were looking for, now that I re-read the OP. Are you staying on campus? There are usually lots of dorm activities, especially the first few weeks for new freshmen.
Good luck and have fun!
Just do a search for “sorority girls.” You’ll see what they do.
Good luck, Tiggeril. Be safe, have fun, and learn tons, because, after college, real life sets in, and it’s a bitch.
You’ll be fine! UofC is great-good people, great little restaurants on 57th St., a quick trip to downtown, and the ability to come to ChiDope!! I spent some time there (research), and the level of commitment is awe inspiring.
You have chosen wisely.
tiggeril: PLEDGE. I can’t stress this enough. There are many different types of Sororities. Just spend a few days hanging out with a couple until you decide which you like best. There’s smart ones, dumb ones, ‘pretty’ ones, ‘fat’ ones, nice ones, mean ones… But at least check it out, and give it a chance. You’ll never regret doing it if you do.
–Tim, SP 355
Don’t worry-- you’ll have a great time!
Quarters are your friend. You’ll need them for snacks when the dorm cafeteria is closed, photocopies in the library, and laundry.
Laundry will probably become a luxury for you.
I met all of my friends in our dorm lounge. Find a happenin’ spot on campus and hang. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people.
Upper-classmen guys ARE scum. Well, maybe not all of them, but be very wary. To many of them you are fresh meat.
Not to scare you, but hey, no one told me this stuff and I learned the hard way…
Don’t leave textbooks unattended. People love to steal these and sell them back to bookstores.
Don’t walk around campus at night alone.
Know where your emergency phones are located. (Ours have blue lights on top to make them easier to find at night.)
Don’t forget about your family back home-- they will prolly be missing you like crazy. (Mine gladly drove twelve hours (round trip) once a month to pick me up my first semester, cuz I didn’t have a car and I wanted to visit home–okay so part of it was the free laundry. )
Don’t give in to the temptation to skip class.
Sororities can be expensive. I thought about joining a community service sorority, but after I saw the cost of sorority paraphanalia I decided it wasn’t for me.
Don’t forget-- a big part of your college education happens outside the classrooms. Enjoy the amazing diversity that is college life.
I had a friend who went there in the early 90’s. He loved the place. I think you will to. Lotsa good stuff there.
Good luck and don’t let the nerves take over.
I lived in Hyde Park for a few years when I was a kid, and it’s a cool place. I remember being kind of freaked out by it at first, but it really grew on me.
MikeG is right, there are tons of good, cheap, funky restaurants in Hyde Park. Some recommendations, off the top of my head (note: I haven’t been to some of these in 10 years)
[list]
[li]Medici, on 57th between Kenwood and Kimbark (incedentally, across from my old elementary school). Good pizza and desserts. You can carve stuff on the tables.[/li][li]University Gardens, somewhere on 55th or maybe 53rd. Very cheap middle eastern food. Possibly the most bizarre non-tongue-in-cheek decor in the city. Check out the pictures of Mohammed Ali eating there.[/li][li]Thai Twin, somewhere on 53rd. There are a couple other Thai restaurants nearby, but I seem to remember this one was the best.[/li]The pancake house (or something like that), near Lake Park and 55th. Go there with someone else and get an apple pancake. Mmmm…
tiggeril - while I went to University in my home town, it was still a fantastic experience.
Tips on the first few weeks:
Get an organizer. A paper one, an electronic one, whatever. Write down EVERYTHING, even the stuff you are sure you won’t forget. I even got into the habit of writing down people’s names, all in a big list - next time I saw them, I was more likely to remember it if I had written it down, even if I hadn’t noted anything else about them. Just the act of writing it did it.
Also - this may sound silly but I swear it’s true. Ask people their names the very first time you talk to them, even if you talk to them for only a minute. I can’t tell you the number of people that I knew for months without knowing their names - somehome after having talked with them for several weeks it always seemed silly to then have to ask their names.
Good luck, have a great time, learn stuff!
Thanks, all… I took a look at the campus map… and found out that my dorm is 3/4 of a mile away from the main quadrangles. Lotsa walking ahead for me.
I’m feeling a little more confident… I think… nah.
KimKatt: I like the “writing down everything” idea… since I have the short-term memory of your average 3-year-old, especially in times of stress.
Homer: Only 10% of the students at my school pledge, and so people who choose Greek life are seen, as, well, freaks (freaks among the freaks, to be accurate :)). Anyway, I’d be able to meet more people just in other organizations.
Bobort and MikeG: Thanks for the restaurant tips… my dorm’s on E. Hude Park Blvd, so I’m verrry close to the 53rd St. shopping area (whoo hoo!).
Mirth: Let me print that out…
JayLa: I’m not a nekkid sleeper as a rule, but I’ll keep that in mind.
KKBattousai: Ok.
let’s make that E. Hyde Park Blvd. :rolleyes:
Good luck tiggeril. I did terrible my freshman year on campus, so I don’t have any good advice. I can tell you this - I survived and enjoyed the rest of my stay. So no matter how bad it seems, you will make it through.
Just remember to take things a little slowly for the first few weeks. Don’t let yourself stress out over the unfamiliarity.
Where classes are concerned, don’t forget your advisor, he can be your best help the first year of your academic career.
Seeing as how you are here, seems redundant but…don’t be shy in classes, don’t just try to sit there and absorb from the profs, respond.
I will reassert, remember your family.
Check to see if the university has clubs for the things you are interested in. My old uni had an excellent Roleplaying club, and a passable Science Fiction one.
Trust no-one, keep your laser handy, the computer is…er, wrong set of advice.
My advice is a bit different. I didn’t do well at college because of the mistakes I made. Nor did many people I graduated with.
don’t pledge a sorority your first semester, you have at least 4 years to get to that. It is a lot of commitment, and time that should be spent elsewhere. Most sororities don’t expect their pledges to have to work. While pledging you have to be at all ther rituals and meetings.
Try not to get into a new relationship. That also is a lot of time spent away from your studies and school activities. I spent my whole first year skipping classes to spend those extra hours lolling around in bed with my (now0 husband, or going places to have fun.
Do study! I wen throughout high school without having to study. when I hit college, it was an avalanche of everything that I had known. I failed just about everything.
try not to take a class before 9:00am. You will not want to go to class in the morning, no matter how much sleep you’ve had.
Do join a club or two. they have clubs for everything. It is a great way to meet new frends and keep yourself busy.
DO call your parents before you go to a party. heaven forbid, you get arrested. An unaware parent getting called by the cops is worse than an aware parent at any lenghts. My parents always knew when I was going out for the night. That way, if I get hurt, arrested, or have no one to drive me home, I can always call them without them getting angry.
Don’t overload on credits your first semester. Go light, because you’re going to have to adjust.
I thought that college was going to be a breeze. boy was I wrong! I failed out after the first semester. I got involved with a band sorority, a boyfriend, work, and totally disregarded classes. Keep you priorities written down, and read them whenever you have to make a decision between going to class and sleeping in.
good luck, keep us updated on your progress…
Tiggeril,
Everyone else will be in the same boat as you, and most schools do some kind of cheesy freshman orientation events, so you will probably meet TONS of people right way and won’t have time to feel really homesick. The events might seem cheesy (Fellow Georgetown alumni can probably tell you all about square dancing), but you should GO ANYWAY because then you will meet the people who are into participating and the ones who are hanging back making fun of everything. Everyone else is just as nervous & excited & homesick as you. I found that the biggest challenge was keeping in touch with my family during all the excitement of newfound independence.
Have fun, pace yourself, study hard,don’t feel like you have to figure out everything right away, and be careful with alcohol if you don’t have much experience with it.
Hopefully I’ll see you at ChiDope, good luck!
P.S. If you get really homesick and need to invoke the comforting sounds of your happy childhood, you can always watch Who Wants to Be a Millionaire starring Regis Philbin.