Advice to pnms beginning their College/University experience…

[Little E]

Shower (yes I'm serious, and this really goes for people w/co-ed showers) If you aren't comfortable with the showers, find a time of day that you are comfortable using them. If that doesn't work, talk to your RA, but for the love of everything and your roommate SHOWER!!!!!!

Find the laundry room and don't forget to wash your bed sheets. Learn how to do laundry BEFORE you leave.

If you move from Hawaii to Wisconsin they do have stores up here, you can buy winter stuff here. A Hawaiian sweater does not cut it in Wisconsin. Find someone who has been through a winter to help you find the apropriate weight jackets and sweaters. If you go w/others freshman Hawaiians, it is the blind leading the blind (I love my hawaiians though)

Be careful if you are eating snow...

Don't sleep w/the first guy to hit on you. I swear there will be others.

Do NOT, take open drinks from strangers. (well you shouldn't be really drinking underage but if you are going to) If someone is getting a beer or drink for you, watch it get poured and keep you hand over the opening to prevent stuff from being put in.

Don't let others pressure you to drink, sleep around, or do drugs, you have to live with the consequences later.

Say Hi to people,

Enjoy it, college is an amazing four years and you'll never experience anything like it. try new things, figure out what you like and don't like. You'll never have so many things at your fingertips again in your life. Don't letb your friends deter you from doing what you are interested in.

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by Little E

If you move from Hawaii to Wisconsin they do have stores up here, you can buy winter stuff here. A Hawaiian sweater does not cut it in Wisconsin. Find someone who has been through a winter to help you find the apropriate weight jackets and sweaters. If you go w/others freshman Hawaiians, it is the blind leading the blind (I love my hawaiians though)

tee hee. Where'd you go to school?

My best friend's roommate busted out her "winter" jacket the first weekend in October. We immediately took her to the North Face Store, because she thought that jacket would last her all winter.

In all seriousness, if you're in a different climate than you are used to, it's really important to make sure you have the proper clothing to be comfortable. You can't make friends/study/enjoy college if you're constantly too cold/hot. If you're moving from the south to the north, a good pair of socks will honestly make the difference between skipping class when it's cold and being able to go.

Other advice:
1) Take the syllabus on your first day of class and write ALL your due dates on your planner. I can't tell you how many times that's saved me. Professors WILL NOT remind you you have a paper/midterm in one week.

2) On this same planner, WRITE THE DROP DATE. It SUCKS finding out you failed your calculus exam and can't drop the class.

3) Find out all the free things your campus offers: health care, safe cabs, gym membership, tutoring, etc. These things are awesome and your tuition pays for them. My campus has a program avaliable to all students that does a paper's bibliography for you. Barely anyone knows about it.