Hey all! Hopefully you’re reading this in a very comfortable T-Shirt dress as I advised last week and if not please brace yourself before I dish out some more advice you won’t listen to! Do I have any idea what I’m really talking about? No, probably not but I did survive my first year of college. I have been feeling extremely nostalgic this week since I started my college journey exactly a year ago. Not only am I writing this post as I wonder if it’s too early to start my mid-life crisis, I am also writing this post to share the 15 pieces of advice I wished I knew my Freshman year. Move in day is quickly approaching for many people, unless you’re one of the unfortunate ones like me, who is already crying over a stack of syllabuses.
So sit back, relax, and close out of Pinterest because I promise you that you’re dorm is never gonna look that perfect. Pinterest is just socially irresponsible for setting us up for failure in the first place. Seriously though, do the owner’s of those picture perfect dorms ever sleep? There’s just no way you can keep your dorm that clean while still being able to eat, sleep, breathe, and go to class. I’m just not buying it, Pinterest!
1. You do not need to bring every piece of clothing you own, seriously.
If you have not worn it in the past year than you do not need to bring it to college with you. While I was packing for school I was bringing shorts with me that I had not worn since the 7th grade (they also stopped fitting me back then too). I had some irrational logic that I would desperately need whatever item I had left at home and began creating ridiculous scenarios to justify bringing each piece. I felt like I needed the white leather jacket my mom bought me in 6th grade just in case I might need to bust it in in a Michael Jackson Look-A-Like competition for extra credit points! That never happened and I didn’t need that jacket. I would recommend packing by season and if you are too far away from home then I suggest packing you most worn pieces per season. It makes it easier on everyone to keep move-in day light and easy. You’ll thank yourself later.
Seriously though but down that Sombrero, don’t be ridiculous! You won’t need it until Cinco De Mayo anyway.
2. Set boundaries with your roommate
I lucked out and got along great with my roommate but I have heard many horror stories. Let’s face it – living with a complete stranger is terrifying. I do not care how many hours you’ve spent messaging each other on Facebook, creeping their social media, or taking “roomie” meet-up pictures with them. You never know what someone is ACTUALLY like until you are actually living step by step in a dorm room that makes a shoe box seem spacious. Let them know what your comfort zone is and make sure you respect theirs as well. Don’t be afraid to talk about what you will not tolerate just to avoid a confrontation. As the saying goes, you are better safe than sorry in this situation. It is better to air out your grievances in the beginning rather than keep too deeply infested in a friendship, and build up resentment towards their bad habits. Also, I feel a lot of people are disappointed by the common misconception that your roommate must be your best friend. That is honestly completely false and you have to understand that you are two separate people on your own journey’s. Give your roommate their space, make your own friends, and be your OWN person.
3. Stop talking about High School
This is a piece of advice that I got from my older cousin, and I have found that there is absolutely nothing that drives away new people more than someone who is too caught up in the past. Think about it for a minute; would you want you new boyfriend/girlfriend to constantly be comparing your relationship to their experience’s with their ex-partner? Absolutely not. Making friends in college is exactly like that. You’re all entering a new chapter of your life together, and constantly bringing up the past will only hinder your new experiences. Don’t compare your old friends to your new friends, don’t compare past your past experiences to new ones, and don’t give up because something doesn’t meet your already existing standards before you give it a real chance.
4. Put the Easy Mac Down, put your hands behind your back and slowly step away from the Ramen
I never thought the Freshman 15 would happen to me. I’ve been on the slender side since I hit puberty and I have been blessed with a pretty fast metabolism. I use to be able to put away an entire Chipotle burrito (for those who do not know, it is the size of a newborn baby) without putting a dent in my appetite. My mom had dinner on the table every night and I never had to fend for myself in the cooking department prior to college. I never really thought once about what I ate until I gained a very noticeable amount of weight my first semester. Although I did a lot of walking, I was still consuming your typical college kid specialities. I thought pizza rolls counted as a main course if you had some vegetables (french fries) on the side. I think I kept Kraft in business completely with the amount of Easy Macs I bought. When I had to eat on the go I would grab a bagel, a Pop-tart or six, and chase it down with an IV drip of diet coke. My awful eating habits started to catch up with me not only physically but it really took a toll on my well-being. I felt too tired and sluggish to complete most of my work, and my skin was absolutely suffering the consequences too. My best piece of advice would be to peal your meals during whatever free time you have available. Cook your meals for the week on a Sunday and freeze them if you are fortunate enough to have a fridge. If not, just steer away from the mystery meat in your dining hall and may the odds be in your favor!
5. Don’t wear heels to class
My priority was always to wear my most fashionable shoes but looking back now, I wish I invested in a sweet pair of Heely’s. I am here to say that wearing anything with a heel to class will end in blood, sweat, and tears. Not really but please prioritize your comfort when it comes to getting ready for class. Nobody wants to be the girl who is limping to give a presentation. Invest in comfortable shoes for the sake of your soul/soles.
6. You’re going to change, you’re relationships with other people are going to change and that’s okay!
I really thought I had everyone I knew figured out when I left for my freshman year. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that no one is completely good or completely bad. Every single relationship in my life has changed in someway or another and that’s just the way it goes. College is a tremendously enormous adjustment and people are bound to drift apart, have different interests, or just become the complete opposite of who they use to be. Growth and change are two natural parts of life so rather than dwelling on the changed relationships in your life, go ahead and appreciate the ones that have grown stronger. Who wants to remain completely the same forever?
PS: My research has officially concluded that there is a Hill’s gif for everything.
7. Stay on top of your student loans and keep yourself educated about the interest
If you are fortunate enough not to have to pay for your own education please do not take that for granted for a single moment. Student loans seem somewhat harmless we’ll you are in college but four years goes by extremely quick. Take it upon yourself to try and apply for every single scholarship you possibly can while using all possible resources, i.e.: guidance counselor’s, your school’s Financial Aid Department, and the good ol’ internet. When taking out your loan please try and keep your interest rates in mind. I was completely negligent about repayment options last year and let my interest accumulate when it could have been easily paid off in installments. Work during the summer or your breaks and set money aside solely for the purpose of paying off your interest alone or make a payment plan with your parents. A little bit now can save you A LOT for the future!
8. PLEASE STOCK UP ON THE VITAMIN C THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Your immune system will likely never take a harder beating than it will in your first year of college. Dorms are already a breeding ground for germs but the sleep deprivation and nutrition alone are enough to weaken one’s immunity. Once your roommate so much as sneezes, go ahead and grab that Lysol, and chug that Vitamin C. Getting sick in college is not a “free” day like it was in high school. Instead you have to spend the time on your death bed emailing professors to excuse your absence and bothering classmates for the lectures you missed. Stay on top of your game; try to get as much sleep as a college student possibly can (so 2 1/2 hours), utilize Vitamin C, and clean/sanitize as regularly as possible.
9. Get involved
The only way you’re going to meet new people is if you put yourself out there. There is going to be plenty of opportunities to get involved at your school whether it’s through a mentor program, Greek life, a club or simply going to a school-sponsored event. Step out of your comfort zone at least once. I use to think getting involved was “lame” but I really feel like I missed out on the chance to meet other people and feel a sense of accomplishment that comes along with being apart of something. There is literally a club for every interest you could possibly have. If you just put a little effort into looking, you will get a lot of joy and camaraderie back in return.
10. Become friends with your professors
Believe it or not, professors really take a lot more slack than you think. Imagine 50 kids sitting on their phones, talking, or being disruptive while you were trying to give a presentation. I am pretty sure you would be upset or in my case slowly slither away into social anxiety driven embarrassment. Ok, now imagine facing that almost every day of your life! I am sure you would be more than a little cranky on a daily basis. I’ve found that most professors favor genuine effort and mutual respect regardless if it is a general education class or a major-related course. If you make it a point to get to know them, show you’re actually paying attention, and put just a little effort into their work then you will build a strong relationship with them. These strong relationships can grow into networking opportunities outside the classroom. Please don’t misinterpret that I’m not talking Pretty Little Liar’s strong student/teach relationship! You do not know who your professor knows outside the classroom and what other ventures they pursue when they are not in front of a chalk board. That professor everyone complains about could be just the person to land you an internship or job upon graduation. Respect them, put the effort in, and see the results!
11. Call your parents: tell them you love and thank them often
You spend the majority of your teens telling your parents how much you hate them and how you cannot wait to get away from them but once you finally do, I can almost completely assure you that you will miss them dearly. If your parents are paying for your education then you should already be bowing down to them. We all want our freedom but we never think about how much we’ll miss the small luxuries like coming home from school to a hot meal on the table, our laundry already being done for us, and not having to buy our own toilet paper. Regardless of what your relationship is like with your parents, you will be grateful for the sacrifices they made to get you to college and you never know what you have until it’s gone.
12. Don’t buy all your textbooks (YOU WON’T NEED THEM ALL)
Pretty much everyone professor is going to tell you that you NEED to buy every textbook but I do not thinking paying for a book you’re going to open once is worth an entire paycheck. At my school, we have a good amount of textbooks in the library and if you sneak in at the right time you can borrow it to photocopy the chapters you need for the week. You can save by splitting the cost of a book with a friend/roommate taking the same course. I would rarely recommend buying your textbooks from your school’s bookstore unless you absolutely have to. Amazon, Chegg, and Valore are all websites that offer books for a fraction of the price that they are sold at most college bookstores.
13. Don’t judge a book (not talking textbooks in this one) by it’s cover
When it comes to meeting new people your first year of college, it is extremely bizarre to go from being around people you have known your entire life to people you’ve barley known for a month. Reading people is difficult when you do not know what their “norm” really is. I look back on my first impressions of a lot of the people I have gotten to know at school and laugh at how intimidated I was by them. Give everyone a chance regardless of their outward appearance. It’s a saying that has been drilled into our minds since Kindergarten but college really is a perfect example of why you should never judge a book by it’s cover. Different people will have different things to offer you and their friendship could end up meaning more to you than someone you’ve known for ten years. You never know what someone’s story is and what they are going through so be tolerant, and be willing to listen because you never know when that person might be there to offer you the same.
14. You don’t have to have it all figured out
Before college, you are constantly bombarded with the “Where are you going to school!?” questions and I am here to say it does not get much better once you enter you first year. What freaked me out most my freshman year was realizing I had to now worry about figuring the rest of my life. I realized the decisions I was making now, the major I selected, the internships I decided to take and every other decision would somehow shape the rest of my life. I got to a point that I was so miserable on the path that everyone else had chosen for me to take that I decided to take a detour. Instead of getting nervous by the, “What do you wanna do with that major?” or “What’s your next move towards your career goals?” questions, take a deep breathe and let them know you are uncertain. There is no shame in uncertainty. You have no one to answer to but yourself when you end up forcing yourself into something you have no passion for simply because it was the safest or easier option.
15. Watch your social media
I don’t mean to sound like an old goat here but social media is now becoming a big part of what employers look at. I know I may sound hypocritical based on my last item on the list but five years after you graduate your future boss might search your name, and that picture of you doing a keg stand might come up on their search engine. I want you to have your respective amount of fun but limit what side of yourself you let other people see. A guest speaker came into talk to one of my seminar classes my first semester and I was absolutely shocked by how closely possible employers monitor social media before selecting a candidate. This particular speaker was Emmelie Del La Cruz, a very relatable young professional who built her own brand and discussed how she selected her interns. You might think tweeting about how your always late is hilarious and might get you a bunch of favorites but you do not stop to think about how poorly that will reflect on your work ethic if a possible employer looks you up. Del La Cruz suggest you make 90% of your social media business related and 10% personal but I feel like those percentages are flexible as long as you are responsible about what you are putting out there.
I wish you all the best of luck on your journey’s and get ready to experience some of the best years of your life!
To channel my inner Emma Robert’s, I would just like to say SURPRISE! I’m back from an exhausting vacation full of tedious tasks including sitting poolside and stuffing myself full of authentic Philly cheese steaks. Don’t shed a tear for me just yet! I do not want your eyes to be too full of tears before you read the important information I’m about to generously bestow upon you all. I am aware that not everyone was raised with the healthy shopping appetite that my mother unfortunately passed down to me, but the evil genius who birthed me did teach me how to recognize a good deal. I truly think I have developed some sort of complex for paying full price for absolutely anything, and that is why I have selflessly decided to share the tips and tricks I’ve developed to help convince those with Kardashian taste living on a Lindsay Lohan budget that it is possible to stay stylish (love you girl, I’m sorry about that one). 
Trends usually come and go just as quick as they were introduced which usually leaves our wallets empty and our closets in need of a complete makeover. For example if you did not have a matching juicy couture track suit with a North Face and a Coach bag draped over your arm, you were most likely a social outcast in Middle School. Bonus cool points if you had an Ed Hardy snapback with a matching belt! Okay, I am getting a little distracted here trying to recap all the trends I missed out on because my level-headed parents refused to spend hundreds of dollars on fad clothing. Although I longed for a pair of Uggs to partner with skin tight Hollister jeans at the time, I can now look back and say I am completely grateful. You do not have to skip a week’s worth of meals trying to keep your closet up to date. If you want to stay stylish and still afford your groceries then all you need to do is get creative.
2. TRADESY If you decide you do not want to leave the comfort of your own home than you can always try 
3. RENT THE RUNWAY Here’s how you really trick people into thinking you’re an socialite with no responsibilities other than instagraming photographs of yourself all day. Rent The Runway is perhaps the greatest concept ever invented to help out the fashionista on a long-term budget. I shutter to think how much money goes into formals, weddings, and proms and how many Chipotle burritos could have been bought with that money (R.I.P). This website offers designer dresses straight off the runaway and the red carpet! It’s like you’re shopping in a celebrities closet except it’s a lot less creepy because you’re probably a crazed fan who snuck into their home in that case. Imagine living in a world where you can get your cake and eat it too…but you might bust out of the dress so maybe wait until you take it off. Here’s how it works: You rent it, you own whatever event you’re going to like Angelina Jolie circa the 2014 Oscars, and you send it back. Their pricing is extremely fair and to be honest most formal dresses cannot beat a $40 Monique Lhuillier dress especially when you are not even going to be wearing it for a full twenty-four hours. I am getting excited just thinking about their wonderful rentals. I know it’s a little early but does anyone need a prom or formal date? I am really low maintenance as long as you keep me fed. 
4. EARN EXTRA CASH ONLINE We all feel you girl. If you need some spare change for real stuff like gummy bears, eyeliner, and clothes then you do not have to sell your organs on the black market to keep yourself looking fabulous. All you need to earn a little extra cash is some free time and some sort of electronic device with internet access. Websites like 
whywearthat.wordpress.com 