Freshman Year Survival Guide

By Angie Baquedano on August 24, 2015

AHHHH COLLEGE! Finally away from the rents and on your own! Oh, the beautiful smell of freedom!

I remember my first year at UNC Charlotte, so here is your freshman year survival guide from yours truly.

1. Call your parents. I know it feels great to be away from their nagging and not having to ask permission to go out, but that grand feeling of liberation wears off almost immediately. Trust me, once you get sick and find yourself surrounded by cold walls and a twin bed covered in tissues you’re going to be crying out for mommy and daddy. Nonetheless, enjoy college — just don’t forget about the people who made you.

2. Decorate that new dorm room like it’s your job! I know this isn’t a problem for any of my girl readers, but boys come on, put something up on those walls; a depressing atmosphere is the last thing you need. Put a poster up or get a cool lamp, ANYTHING.

Here is a picture of my dorm from last semester. It was messy so don’t judge.

Welcome to my ex palace in the Queen City :) .

3. Go out and have fun but seriously put grades first. I cannot stress this enough, your GPA will always be higher on the importance list than that Hawaiian themed frat party you were thinking about going to. A lei is not going to help you pass your classes. Trust me, been there done that.

If you’re thinking about putting fun before school, don’t. Now if you finish everything early, and you’re free, by all means go on out and bring me a souvenir while you’re at it. I’ll be in the lib with all the other procrastinators.

Also when I say go out, I’m not just talking about going to a party or a gathering but get out there and meet people.

4. Join clubs or sports teams! Go to campus events! You’re in your freshman year, go explore! For example here at UNC Charlotte we have Rec Fest on Sunday. It’s an event where vendors come in to give out free food and advertise and the campus promotes different sports people can join.

Also after Rec Fest we will be having a free concert showcasing Asher Roth, the notorious “I love college” guy.

5. Try to make friends in class and at least have the numbers and emails of two people in each lecture. Make sure that they are reliable, in case you miss a day. My music professor last semester made everybody in the class get the contact information of two different people for three days, so by the third day everyone had six contacts within the class.

I thought it was a dumb idea until the end of the semester when I missed several days because I got sick, and all the contacts I thought I’d never use came to the rescue. They caught me up before finals, and I now owe a big thank-you to that professor.

Alright next on this extremely short (sorry) freshman year survival guide, I have a list of things you might think you’ll need to bring to your dorm but I promise you won’t need it, save your money! Also, I will list items that you should double check that you bring.

1. Do not waste your money on an alarm clock. If you do not use one at home then don’t even bother. You’ll end up using your phone as your alarm clock, and you’ll regret that $15 you spent on an alarm clock that could have been used on late night takeout or virtually anything else.

2. GET A MATTRESS PAD! DO yourself that favor, because those mats they pass off as beds will surely give you a welcoming backache.

3. Bring lots of pillows and warm blankets for the winter. If your state doesn’t get bad winters then you’re in the clear but if you get those harsh winters, please prepare yourself, especially if your bedroom has a big window or your bed is pushed up against the window. It may be a nice view, but the cold air always finds its way in and you’ll surely get a cold.

4. Do not bring pots and pans to your dorm. I promise that you will not go down to the community kitchen to make yourself something to eat. When you have the choice between a cup of noodles that take three minutes and going downstairs cooking, eating, and cleaning up, you will choose those three minutes every time. Save the pots and pans for an apartment.

Well, ladies and gents I wish you good luck in your freshman year. May the odds be ever in your favor (yes, that was a Hunger Games reference, I’m obsessed).

Also I really hope my little freshman year survival guide helps in some way! I wish someone would have told me these things before I went away!

Xoxo,

Angie B.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format