School is back in session, which means new bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshmen. Here’s some unsolicited advice from an upperclassman that learned these lessons the hard way – take some notes.
- If you hate your major, change it as soon as possible. There are not many things worse than sticking to a major that you despise. Even if your friends love the major or your family wants you to stick with it, it’s your college experience. Don’t be that person who’s constantly complaining, cheating off friends and dealing with sleepless nights when you could just find a major that doesn’t put you through hell. You’ll thank yourself later, trust me.
- Clean up after yourself, ya slob. The people that work in the cafeterias on campus aren’t your personal maids. You don’t need to wipe the tables clean when you use them, but make sure to throw away your trash in the garbage cans and take your plates/glasses to the wash counter.
- Remember your laundry. If you’re doing laundry, remember to take it out of the washers and dryers on time. It’s annoying when someone’s laundry sits in the laundry room taking up a machine for hours on end. If you forget, someone may have been nice enough to put your wet clothes in the dryer, but don’t be surprised when you find your clothes on top of a machine. Hopefully you also know to separate the darks and lights.
- Take a shower, dude. Seriously. This might be common sense, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who think it’s OK to change their underwear every three or four days. Be sure to shower regularly (with soap), brush your teeth and wear clean clothes. And deodorant … please wear deodorant. If you can’t do it for you, do it for the rest of us. If you get up late for class, at least try to wash up – Axe/perfume and funk don’t mix too well.
- And lastly … drink responsibly. OK, this is college. People will drink, whether they’re underage or not (if your parents say they didn’t drink underage, there’s a 72 percent chance they’re lying). If you choose to drink, please do so responsibly and with people you trust. Don’t loudly stumble into your dorm or be that person who is crying uncontrollably every time they drink. And for the love of god, if you barf anywhere but the toilet, please clean it up. Most importantly, if it’s late and you don’t feel like walking home (or home by yourself), use the campus Safety Cruiser/Patrol services. If you happen to be intoxicated and underage, don’t worry – it’s a student-run program, so you won’t get into trouble.
If you’re worried about making mistakes, don’t be. They’re gonna happen regardless: just make sure you learn from them, and make sure to enjoy your college experience – it goes by fast.
