EASY AS………….
Imagine sloshing through
a foot of snow in tennis shoes, stuffing one dresser drawer with two weeks
worth of clothes, hunger pangs at
No course exists to prepare you for the unsettling experience of college life, but here are some ideas to help…
Apparel
Bed and
Pull up a comforter, and you won’t have to make the bed. Lots to lug to the bathroom? Put it in your beach pail – with holes in the bottom for drainage.
Call up
You may need your own plug-in phone. Check with the housing office. Set up a time for family and friends to call you direct, it’s cheaper.
Desk Supplies
Stationery and stamps – more fun sometimes than email, and cheaper than “phoning home”.
White
out – because nobody’s perfect!
Electrical Appliances
Hot popcorn fresh from the microwave is sure to attract new friends. Rent or buy a refrigerator to save time and money – check with your roommate first. And check requirements within your dorm.
Financial Aid
File every year. Mail in the renewal form, this is NOT your SAR. Keep copies of EVERYTHING!! Come back & see Ms. Groden if you need help.
Get up and Go
We all need a change of scene, take an overnight bag for weekends away. Your roommate may invite you!
Hardware
An octopus plug, because there are NEVER enough outlets – or even safer is a power
strip. Hang things up with poster putty,
adhesive squares or push pins.
I.D.
Identify everything – even the bikinis. Don’t forget books, and of course, your umbrella.
Klean Ups
Once a month, whether it needs it or not, remove stale food, run the vacuum, change your sheets.
Laundry
Smooth away those wash day blues with a laundry basket or bag, quarters and dimes, hangars and an iron. Don’t let anyone kid you – laundry rooms are a great place to meet the opposite sex.
Music
If your roommate likes Mozart and you prefer Puffy, include earphones along with your stereo and CDs. Again, see if your roommate is bringing a stereo – one may be enough.
Necessities
Sleeping through an exam is risky; a VERY LOUD alarm clock is a must. Whip up a term paper in no time on your own computer – some colleges require these days – check it out.
Outside
War and Peace, The Tasteless Jokebook, magazines, comics – “ABAB” – always bring a book in case you are stuck in long lines, or on long bus/train rides.
Don’t
forget those “outside clothes” if you are headed north. It will be less expensive to buy winter
clothes in northern climates.
Posters and Pictures
Add pizzazz to your room; make it “you” by hanging your favorite pictures, posters, MKHS senior panorama photo. Keep track of visitors you missed with a wipe-off board on your door.
Questions
Sheet size? Bike storage? Cars on campus? Transportation home? For info. read all manuals given to you, housing bulletin, tour maps, and then ask upperclassmen, roommates, Ms. Groden.
Recreation
Whatever you love – volleyball, skating, Frisbee golf, be sure to bring your equipment with you.
Storage
Find a place for everything by using underbed boxes, milk crates, stackables, cardboard drawers and trunks. Bricks & 2x4’s make excellent bookcases that can leave college with you.
Thoughts of Home
Homesickness in not incurable, treat it with photos of friends and family, school yearbook, or a phone call home. Join a support group, others gets homesick. Maybe you can help someone else.
Unnecessary
Vehicles
Wheels – the quickest way from one end of campus to the other. Try bicycles (lock up!), skates, scooters, mopeds, and if applicable, a car. Sometimes the closest parking is miles from class!
Wisdom
Get a little from a dictionary, thesaurus, style manual and high school notes.
Xtra
If you can’t leave home without them, bring a T.V., VCR, and answering machine. Remember to check with your roommate, two may be too many.
Yourself
Don’t
leave home values, self worth and identity!
Remember, the most important person is YOU!
Zany
Let yourself go with a water gun, bubble gum machine, glow-in-the-dark decals, fish tank, dartboard and a kite. Have a ZANY time – but remember why you are there!