Every semester a bunch of people graduate, and every semester (especially fall) we get an influx of students who are excited to be in school. Now that you are here, you might be thinking there isn’t much here. (And you would be right.)
But all of us students who stuck around have made the best, or worst, of the small town life.
College isn’t as hard as everyone says it is. Yeah, there are loads of studying, and it does determine the rest of your life (no pressure). And as I am about to get ANOTHER year older, it is my duty to give my wisdom to the newbie Lions.
I count the two most important life-learning exercises to be my freshmen year and the year I transferred here.
My freshmen year, I learned how to be myself. It was my first year away from home. Granted, I wasn’t that stupid … but I did learn more about who I was. (And it won’t stop. The voices in my head are speaking again – just kidding.) Some of the things I learned were: I don’t like eggs by themselves, I like to go out to rock concerts – both local and national – and I need to manage my time. (This one is kind of important.)
Another thing I learned is how to eat cheap. There are lots of good, cheap foods out there – like ramen noodles or hot dogs or sandwiches. And remember, kids, if you don’t have money for rent, it’s probably not a good idea to go get food and drinks at Molina’s. (I am guilty of this one, too, I had to start budgeting myself.)
Last year when I transferred here, I, like many others, locked myself out of my dorm several times. So I learned the art of breaking and entering into my own property. Once you have been here for a while, you learn all the secret nooks and crannies of the campus. You will know how to save yourself from an embarrassing trip to the Resident Assistant’s counter by November.
Another thing I took from last year was the art of hiding things. Every one of us has personal items we hide from roommates and other people who come into our rooms. Your dorm rooms may not look like much, but there are loads of little hiding places all around, and if you can’t find them there are some bins at Wally World. (And a safe to lock up special family heir looms and gifts.)
I am not saying this is all I got from two years, but these were the ones I thought everyone could relate to. (Too bad I didn’t mention riding in shopping carts.)
Anyway, welcome to the new ones, and welcome back to the familiar ones (I don’t like the term old – I’m getting there slowly, but surely). I hope you have a good year, and, remember don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.