By Sadie Barend
Somehow I have survived my first year at Boston College — don’t worry, I’m as surprised as you. I thought I would pass along my wisdom, from the past two semesters, to the incoming freshman.
I learned a lot this year and so I decided to write down my top 10 lessons from my first year of college. At least two of them are decent, maybe.
Ten Lessons From My First Year of College
1. If you think you’ve met enough people, you probably haven’t.
2. Learn how to do laundry. You do not want to receive the reputation of putting laundry detergent in the communal dryers, that’s just embarrassing. At that point you’re making the kids who still wear velcro sneakers look good.
3. Say yes to everything, but also know when to say no. Say yes and no. Okay, I can see how that’s complicated.
4. Please don’t bring a headboard, or a brita, or the IKEA dishware your mom adores.
5. Be prepared to wait in below freezing weather to get a seat at a basketball game only for your team to lose by over 30 points. That one might be Boston College-specific.
6. Make sure to do thorough research on your prospective professors before the semester. I can confirm that mentioning your professor’s Facebook post from 2011 certainly leaves an impression on the first day of class.
7. Midterm exams will sneak up on you, almost like seasonal depression. The second the leaves begin to turn brown, it’s time to crank “All to Well” (10-minute version) and make good use of your box of Kleenex.
8. Buy every possible medication. Consider purchasing the eternity of your local CVS’ supply of Advil.
9. The college dining halls aren’t that bad as long as you can handle a little uncooked meat. In all honesty, there’s a stronger likelihood that you’ll obtain salmonella in your first semester than any resemblance of a relationship.
10. Do not listen to college advice columns. They have no clue what they’re talking about, except for “Life After North.”
Well, if you abide by my top 10 list then I can confidently say that you will have a successful freshman year. Now if anyone tries to go against my advice, well, you’ll probably be fine.
Thank you for reading my 10 lessons from freshman year, and I wish you all the best on your first year at college.
Until next time!