What you wish you'd known when you went to college

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

LifeinHIM86, considering the lack of personal information you’ve yet revealed on this MB, I don’t see how anyone could possibly find out anything about you unless they had access to your IP address (which only a mod/admin, or someone who was able to hack the board, could get at). I personall think it’s safe to say where you’re going, but if you don’t share that feeling there’s no requirement that you tell us:)

Just a guess (I’ve from VA and we certainly have our share of Religious Universities), but is it Liberty U?

22

Ah. Nevermind, then. It’s not Liberty unless they’ve expanded since I heard about them.

Carry on:)

23

Well, since we’ve already covered the morning class stuff, allow me to recommend a total Tuesday-Thursday schedule at least one semester, if you can swing it. It makes Tuesday and Thursday hell, but makes for a great 4-day weekend!

24

hmmm well I suppose I will take a chance… and leave a note in a conspicuous place in my dorm saying that if I show up missing or mauled, it was probably iampunha, who was so eager to know where I was going :slight_smile:

I’m actually going to Harding University in Arkansas. My roommate is from Virginia, though, punha (do you mind the abbreviation?). Anyone ever heard of Harding?

auntie em, great idea about the TT schedule - I know i can’t pull it off this semester (in fact, i may only have on or two TT classes!), but I will keep it in mind and try it another time!

25

I myself have never heard of Harding now do I have any beef with “punha” (if I did it would have been noted LONG ago when folks started abbreviating my name thusly!). Just FTR. As long as you don’t call me “hey repulsive guy with the low post count”, you’re ok:D

Any idea where in VA your roommate’s from?

26

Kinda sad when a visitor has more posts in a thread than the OPer… (OPer being Original Poster i.e. LifeinHIM86)…

“now do I have” should, of course, be “nor do I have”. Finger slipped a good bit.

Which are also (or should be) famous last words.

27

punha, that’s a low post count? ya think people will hate me if I start posting all my replies one word at a time, so-as to boost my numbers? :wink:

My roommate’s address is in Centerville, though she shows up as Herndon on my phone bill. Don’t know if either of those is recognizable.

28

punha (gosh, how many times have i typed that today?!), I don’t mind your posts at all but it sure seems like this thread has a high tendency to (where did my word just go? it totally ran away from me… not disintegrate, not degenerate… but something like that…) ____ into two-person conversations… but hey, if we keep bumping, maybe someone else’ll join it!

so hmm a reviving question… what items do you wish you had or hadn’t packed when you went to college?

29

Get into drugs, alcohol and sex. That was college is all about. That, and keeping you out of the job market for 4 years. My advice is stay in school as long as you possibly can as long as someone else is paying for it. You probably will never have the opportunity to have as much fun ever again.

This advice is half-joke and half-serious. You decide which is which.

Have fun!

A Gay Bishop? Can’t beat that!

30

Centreville and Herndon are both near where I used to live (Fairfax County … for over a decade).

I wish I had packed more clothes. I think I had a suitcase and a buncha random stuff. And I didn’t bring much money because nobody told me I’d have to buy my own books and suchlike.

I was totally unprepared for some of the differences between high school and college.

::I was joking about the post count thing. There are maybe a dozen or so people here with a postcount higher than mine::

OH! Make sure, unless you have the superhuman ability to wake yourself up, that you bring a very good alarm clock. It is very easy to fall into the “oversleep one day a week” habit. Before you know it you’ve missed five classes and possibly a test or important meeting. Not fun. I managed to oversleep and miss a 6 PM class more than once.

31

DO:
Find a minor that will complement your major BUT IS EASIER. It will help you keep your grade point up.
If there’s a Drama Dept, find it. Good way to meet people and impress your English prof.
Next semester, work on the schedule. By my junior year, I never had a class before 10 am - most after Noon.
If you can even barely carry a note, go for Choir. You get credit and meet people.
Music App. will be a breeze if you’ve already had music theory. Easy A!
Also, get to know your professors. That’s the best part of going to school in a small town.
Get a really big, green, army-surplus Drag Bag for laundry. Trust me on this. Not fashionable, but it will last forever.

DON’T:
Take yourself too seriously. You’re here to have fun AND learn.
Let the pompous surround you. You’re only there for 4 years. You need friends, not people who are in love with the sound of their own voice.
Take more stuff than can comfortably fit in your car. Remember, someday you’ll have to haul all this crap back and store it in your parent’s basement.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

32

Ditto on the alarm clock! Mine sounded like a french police siren, but it was the only way I could wake up in the morning.!

33

Aww, if you’re from Seattle, why don’t you stick around and go to good 'ol SPU? I moved here to go there. :slight_smile:

But seriously – the thing that surprised me when I was a freshman (and this was only 7 years ago) is that even at a conservative Christian university, there are still plenty of people around who drink, smoke, do drugs, etc. And it’s possible that your roommate/hallmate/etc. may be one of them. I’m not trying to scare you, but be prepared and try not to judge – there are so many facets to Christianity and Christians!

Also, bring a can opener. That’s one of those things everyone forgets, and when you want to have some Campbell’s soup because the dorm food is gross, you’ll really want a can opener (a few dishes are good, too, and a hotpot). You’ll be popular during cold season, too.

And since you’re from Seattle, if you drink coffee, be prepared for weak coffee everywhere else. Even Starbucks changes their “standard” blends for different regions.

Leave your door open, and say “hi” to everyone who walks by. People will stop to make friends. Especially if you have something fun or quirky posted on/near your door, or a quote board, or food.

Don’t be afraid of the opposite sex. I’ve always been a tomboy, so I made friends on my brother floor quickly. I was amazed when, halfway through the year, 5 girls from my floor wanted me to take them to the brother floor, because they were scared to go by themselves. There were 5 of them, fer cryin’ out loud! So I took them up to introduce them to some of the guys (who were all very nice and not at all threatening), and when I got caught up in conversation, they left because they were to scared to make friends on their own. I thought that was pretty silly.

Keep your room decent! It’s more inviting if there’s a place to sit when friends come in.

And I agree with DeVena – get to know your profs. It’s well worth your while to get to know some adults who aren’t your parents or your parents’ friends, and get the benefit of their life experiences.

Have fun! And if you can afford it, don’t try to finish early. You only get the college experience once, I figure, so cherish it while you can. Let us know how it goes!

34

Lotsa good advice here. I’ll second the person who said to make use of the gym. Get regular exercise, it helps you process stress, helps keep you healthy and helps you from getting depressed. If there was one thing I could have done differently about my college experience, I would have joined the Ultimate Team my FIRST year, not my last year. If there is any sport at all that you like, I strongly suggest trying out for the team, or doing intramurals.

Try to make it a habit to eat breakfast EVERY day. It really does help you pay attention better, and having a regular habit of getting up early will help you not sleep in.

Get one of the week-by-week calendars from the bookstore, carry it with your book bag and use it to schedule all your exams, study groups, advisor appts, etc.

Get a prepaid phone card from some place like Costco. Very cheap way to make those calls home. Otherwise, it might be worth while to get a cell phone that has free long distance and unlimited nights & weekends.

Unless you’re a rabid jerk, it will be hard to NOT make friends. For my own anecdote, last year my college roommate and I were bridesmaids in the wedding of a friend that I met my very first day at college.

Do NOT torture your roommate with a “white noise” machine! Or a 7:30 am coffee grinder.

A cork board or white erase board is your friend. I like a cork board better because you can stick stuff to it.

Call home to chat with mom & dad, but when it comes to homework assignments, use the resources at your school, like the writing center and professor office hours. You’re paying for their expertise, you may as well use it. Come to think of it, go to your professor’s office hours anyhow.

35

Don’t skip class. Seriously. You think it won’t matter, but it does.

That’s the one thing I would change if I could do college over. Ok, well, not the ONE thing, but one of the biggest things. The other things don’t apply since you’re going to a Christian school and aren’t too into vices.:slight_smile:

36

Best advice I’ve seen so far. Many a classmate saved my ass big-time in college and I rarely missed class. On top of the help they can provide for class … they’re friends! One of my really good friends (and former roommates, post-college), I met in one of my English classes.

I also want to say that I agree with the “keep your door open” policy in the dorm. If you have a cool floor (I did my first semester), you could end up with 30 best friends and just leaving your door open when you are home is a great way to get to know them. On several occasions, I’d have my door open and a random person would just walk in to say hello. It’s college - everybody is lost at first, so everyone’s looking to make new friends.

Enjoy it, it’s really a blast. I miss it.

37

hehe thanks all, I’m still loving the advice and stories. anybody have any suggestions as to how to attach a bulletin board to a cement wall? (technically all we’re allowed to use, to put up anything at all, is white plastitac, but if anybody had an idea for some other non-damaging adhesive that can bear that much weight, I just might try it)

best food to have around that’ll make people want to come visit? (of course, they’ll come for the food and stay for my dazzling personality… and well, if they don’t, at least I’ll look cool cause I have people in the room! just kidding :))

another thing - did anyone go to a school where the dorms were entirely gender-segregated? As in, guys are allowed in the lobby of my dorm, and nowhere else in it. if so, where did you hang out instead? And is it really possible to have phone conversations that won’t drive your roommate nuts? (after curfew, it’s either IM or phone to talk to guys, or girls in other buildings)

thanks for all the encouragement!

38

Buy (when you get there) a popcorn popper, a bag of popcorn and maybe some flavored topping/salt. Partly because it’s a cheap way to feed yourself if you’re hungry and studying at midnight and partly because the smell draws people in: you can get an airpopper for about $10 at Walmart.

**

Nope: we were mixed floors, and in some cases, mixed suites. Can’t help ya there!

And I wasn’t offended by your southern comment - but I heard some similar things when I went from Tennessee to Maine for college (about Tennessee) and it bothered me then. Now, I don’t really care. :slight_smile:

39

Goodness, there are colleges that still have curfews? 'Fraid I can’t offer any personal experience with either curfews or gender-segregated dorms, but there’s bound to be a coffee shop or something where you can hang out, and of course libraries aren’t just for studying…

And no, it is not possible to have phone conversations that won’t drive your roommate nuts. Computers are a good thing.

40

My entire college was segregated by gender. No boys allowed. One guy did get in though, he was doing a sister school swap.

Anyhow, there’s usually a coffee shop on campus. Or there is a library meeting room. There’s always some place.

Watch your money though, it’s so easy to fritter away your cash on snacks and drinks at the bookstore/coffee shop. The popcorn machine idea is a fantastic one.

Don’t worry about figuring everything out all at once. Your parents can ship you stuff, you’ll be able to see how others do things, and you’ll be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas and can stock up on stuff then too.