Take Our Advice.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
7:43 PM  It's my world.

As part of our gift to Kaitlyn for her high school graduation (we got her a tv too!), Stephanie and I decided to combine our wisdomosity and create a list of advice for Kaitlyn's first year, which we presented to her at her graduation party this past Sunday.  Our genius list is below...

Wear your PJs more than one night. You will have way too much laundry if you don’t. And you don’t really get that dirty at night.

Stock your fridge before the weekend. On the weekends, keep your fridge stocked with the purple “Revive” Vitamin Water. You’re body will be begging for those vitamins and electrolytes after a long night of, uh, studying.

Steal what you can from the dining hall. You are paying for it! There is no way you eat $14 worth of food at the dining hall in one meal, so take the rest to go.

Charge your Ipod every night. You’ll need it for the long walks to class.

Use a backpack. Cute bags aren’t worth the pain of shlepping all those books around.

Join clubs and activities during your first semester. You won’t want to – you’ll be meeting so many new people that the last thing you’ll want to do is put yourself out there and meet MORE new people during your free time, but you’ll be so happy you have several different groups of friends by your second semester.

Don’t wear PJ pants to the dining hall. Sweatpants are okay, but don’t be one of those people…

Do the assigned reading. The professor probably won’t check, but it’ll really help you on the tests.

Always keep your door locked. Just remember Steph’s story about drunk, naked boy at UVM...

Know the attendance policies. On day one, figure out exactly how many classes you can skip without it affecting your grade. Plan accordingly.

If you’re going to skip class, REALLY skip class. Don’t spend the day feeling guilty about it. Plan ahead and take full advantage by spending your day in bed, eating junk food and watching daytime television.

Take your laundry out as soon as it is done. People steal things or dump your clothes on the ground. It stinks.

Become friends with your RA. The RAs in your building can make your time there great, or make it stink. Trying to be friends with your RA, like going to their events, is always a good idea. It only takes a little effort and there is usually a huge payoff.

Don’t nap for more than an hour and a half in the middle of the day. You’re going to have breaks between your classes – sometimes long ones – and you’re going to want to nap. Don’t exceed 90 minutes and DON’T take a nap if it’s already dark out, unless it’s a Friday or Saturday night (see below). You don’t want to screw up your sleep schedule.

Do take advantage of the ‘Going Out Power Nap.’ Early in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays, when you know you’re going out that night, but it’s too early to start getting ready, eat a solid dinner and take an hour long nap. You’ll wake up refreshed and ready to start your night!

Surround yourself with pictures. It is a happy reminder that you are loved.

DON’T give that guy your number. Your freshman year, when a skeazy guy asks you for your number, you’re going to feel obligated to give it to him. You can tell him that you have a boyfriend or whatever, but he won’t care. He will do everything in his power to make you feel like you were being presumptuous for thinking he wanted your number for any other reason other than to call you about joining his intra-mural soccer team. Unless you met him on a soccer field, DON’T GIVE IT TO HIM. Tell him you’ll take his number instead. Then never call him.

Exercise. Get in the habit of doing it from the get-go. You will thank yourself later. Not only is not gaining the freshman fifteen great, but you’ll feel extra skinny when all your friends come home FAT.

Just say, “No, thanks.” Lots of crazy activist groups with names like “Save the Fish” and “Hugs for Hunger” target college campuses because college students are young and stupid with their money, especially when it seems like it’s for a good cause (who doesn’t want save fish?). They’ll suck you into a conversation with them while you’re on your way to class. Whatever they say, respond with a smile and “No, thanks.” “Hey, do you like breathing air?” “No, thanks!” “Do you want to change the world?” “No, thanks!” “Do you want to help thousands of starving children?” “No, thanks!”

Have two sets of all your essential gloops and glops. One for school, one for home. It makes packing to go home so much lighter and less stressful.

Have an excuse ready. You never know when you’re going to find yourself in a slightly uncomfortable situation, and it’s good to have a believable excuse ready that will get you out of there fast. Here’s what you do: First, look at your phone and make a confused face. Act like you’re answering the phone and say, “Hello?” Pause for a minute, feign shock, and say, “Oh my God, is she okay??” before pressing your finger to your other ear as if you’re trying to hear better. Then, move away from the people you’re with and into a corner of the room, as if you need some quiet and privacy to continue this very worrisome conversation. Keep the conversation quick, then return to the group and say, “I’m so sorry guys, but I have to go! A friend of mine is passed out at a party at (insert name of frat house here), and I have to help my other friend carry her home!” When they ask you who the friend is, tell them it’s someone from high school who was visiting another friend for the weekend. When/if they ask you if you want someone to go with you, say “No, no. It’s okay. I just really need to go.” Grab your purse and BAIL.

Don't leave food wrappers lying around. You may not have to deal with mice or roaches but there are BEARS.

Go to the library. It’s SO much easier to get work done when you’re not in your room.

Wear flipflops in the shower.

Keep a budget. You won’t always follow it, but it’s good to get an idea of how much money you’re spending versus how much you’re making (i.e. none). At the very least, it’s probably a good idea to learn Excel…

Dress for the weather. You are walking everywhere and UConn is a giant campus so dress appropriately. It gets cold there so if it is snowing, wear a parka. Trendy and cute can quickly become frost-bitten and blue.

For every alcoholic beverage you consume, drink a glass of water before passing out… er, going to bed. Once you’re 21, of course.

Eat UConn Dairy Bar ice cream every day. We believe that this is the best diet out there. We like to call it... the happy diet.

Keep your hand over your drink.

If you’re at a party and the hosts made some sort of pink drink in a giant cooler DON’T drink it. Just trust Tara.

Be smart when planning your Friday morning classes. Thursday becomes “Thirsty Thursday” in college.

Don’t walk around alone at night. It may seem like common sense, but sometimes you’ll be somewhere and you’ll want to leave and none of your friends will want to leave and you’ll convince yourself that it’s okay because there are a lot of people out in the street and your dorm is only five minutes away anyway. Don’t do it. Yes, you probably won’t get attacked in the middle of a busy, well-lit street, but drunk guys are douchebags, and you never know when you’re going to run into a group of them who think it’s funny to block the sidewalk so you can’t get by or just hassle you and make you feel uncomfortable. You’re an easier target if you’re alone.

Call your sisters!

Love,
Tara (& Steph!)