2008 Woodie Awards
Freshman Tips: Advice from a Learned Sophomore
Morgan Nederhood
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Features
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Every meal of every day last year, I would eat cereal or pizza (and yes, the Freshman 15 owned me.) After 18 years of meals being ready the minute I sat at the dinner table, I was unwilling to stand in line for food, let alone wait 30 minutes in said line.
However, I don't actually recommend my dining choice to anyone: parents aren't too pleased to find out they've paid thousands of dollars for you to eat an unlimited amount of Captain Crunch, and they're likely to revoke your meal plan for next year. Trust me.
Instead, I advise you to avoid the dining hall rush altogether. Usually the most crowded times are at 12:30 p.m. (after people get out of their 11:00 - 12:15 classes) and from 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. for dinner. Try arriving at 12:00 p.m. for lunch, and around 5:00 p.m. for dinner to avoid lines. Plus, you'll have the chance to grab a good seat for people-watching when the main flood of students arrives.
Every day after lunch, my friends and I would walk down the hall to the post office. And, nine days out of ten, we would return down the hall with empty hands and heavy hearts. This was one of many 'Walk of Shame's that can be found in college. Having no mail could only be made worse by walking next to a friend who is carrying a package the size of a large child.
So, to combat my constant lack of mail, I took a proactive approach: I solicited myself. I signed up for every catalogue in which I had even the slightest interest, and I started writing my friends who were away at other colleges. Like me, they were grateful to actually find mail in their mailboxes, so letters became a way for us to boost each other's morale.
The catalogues were especially nice because they were like fake plants: you never have to care for them, but they improved your décor and morale nonetheless. I never actually ordered anything, but DELiA*s would ever-so-faithfully send me a catalogue.
Understand that being packed into a crowded cab is not only one of the most traumatic and uncomfortable car rides you will ever have, it is also a right of passage. You're drunk, the three people you are lying on top of are drunk; hell, everybody's drunk (but underage drinking is bad, so shame on you. Shame.) A ride in a Po-town cab is a comedy of errors, where you are bound to experience horrible misfortunes that turn into hilarious stories. Just watch the drivers, and make sure they give you back to right amount of change.
However, I don't actually recommend my dining choice to anyone: parents aren't too pleased to find out they've paid thousands of dollars for you to eat an unlimited amount of Captain Crunch, and they're likely to revoke your meal plan for next year. Trust me.
Instead, I advise you to avoid the dining hall rush altogether. Usually the most crowded times are at 12:30 p.m. (after people get out of their 11:00 - 12:15 classes) and from 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. for dinner. Try arriving at 12:00 p.m. for lunch, and around 5:00 p.m. for dinner to avoid lines. Plus, you'll have the chance to grab a good seat for people-watching when the main flood of students arrives.
Every day after lunch, my friends and I would walk down the hall to the post office. And, nine days out of ten, we would return down the hall with empty hands and heavy hearts. This was one of many 'Walk of Shame's that can be found in college. Having no mail could only be made worse by walking next to a friend who is carrying a package the size of a large child.
So, to combat my constant lack of mail, I took a proactive approach: I solicited myself. I signed up for every catalogue in which I had even the slightest interest, and I started writing my friends who were away at other colleges. Like me, they were grateful to actually find mail in their mailboxes, so letters became a way for us to boost each other's morale.
The catalogues were especially nice because they were like fake plants: you never have to care for them, but they improved your décor and morale nonetheless. I never actually ordered anything, but DELiA*s would ever-so-faithfully send me a catalogue.
Understand that being packed into a crowded cab is not only one of the most traumatic and uncomfortable car rides you will ever have, it is also a right of passage. You're drunk, the three people you are lying on top of are drunk; hell, everybody's drunk (but underage drinking is bad, so shame on you. Shame.) A ride in a Po-town cab is a comedy of errors, where you are bound to experience horrible misfortunes that turn into hilarious stories. Just watch the drivers, and make sure they give you back to right amount of change.
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