Well, hello there! Welcome back to the October edition of Life After North. It has officially been over a month since I was shipped off to Boston (College), so I thought I’d share some advice with those of you applying to college.
In a previous column, I gave you some incredibly groundbreaking tips on crafting the perfect college list. But now, as a current college student, I want to share some additional things to consider when choosing a college and dealing with the transition.
So without further ado let’s get into it!
Five tips from a current college freshman to set you up for success – potentially:
#1 – Be prepared to try new things – to an extent
You all know the cliche, “Say yes to everything!” To me, that is insane. Definitely get out of your dorm room and socialize. I mean, you had all summer to scroll on TikTok. Now it is time to finally put those college advice videos into practice!
But do not feel like you have to take crazy risks the first few weeks just to have people to be around. True friends probably won’t pressure you into bungee jumping off the dorm building at 3 a.m.
So to guide you in the right direction here is a short list of things to not do once you get to college.
- Finally utilize your micro fridge to make popcorn, but then forget to take off the plastic wrapper.
- Throw a party in your dorm, armed with only Spotify Premium, LED lights, and a disposable camera
- Walk through the emergency exit door in the library just because it is more convenient.
- Set off the eye wash station in your chem class simply to impress your lab partner
#2 – Make sure to test out the dining hall food
Do not expect your mom’s homemade cookies to suddenly appear on the menu every night. Actually, please anticipate the worst meals of your life. I’d recommend that you try exposure therapy before going off to college by eating raw meat, leftover chicken, and only honeydew for a week.
In all seriousness, if you can visit campus, try the cafeteria food. Keep in mind that it may not taste like home, but it’s not that bad either.
#3 – Choose a school not built on a hill (impossible?)
I’m pretty sure the inventors of college proposed that all universities needed to be constructed on a hill out of concern that their students would become lazy bums if they relied heavily on elevators.
So here are a few colleges that are notorious for not being on a hill:
- The Maldives National College — The Maldives is ranked #1 for the flattest country in the world. Now I know where I am going to study abroad!
- Anywhere in Florida — You would not have to deal with any hills, but be on the lookout for an astray alligator.
#4 – Pack more medicine than you think!
Within the first month of school, the start of the sniffling in the back of your 8 a.m. class will commence and in a matter of a few days, you’ll be struck ill with the freshman plague. I’d like to think that college students know how to cover their coughs, unfortunately, I stand corrected. So please be aware that no amount of Purell can prevent this inevitable disease.
On that note, I would recommend that you storm the aisles of Target like it’s Black Friday and stock up on your go-to medicine products before leaving for school. Do not just purchase the first aid kits on Amazon, no, we need high quality – this is war.
Regardless, you will definitely get sick at some point during your freshman year, but at least try to be prepared so you aren’t the person with the runny nose during your philosophy presentation.
I hope my few tips give you some insight into my freshman year at college and give you a little motivation while finishing those college applications.
