This is my first year at Cornell, and let’s just say my transition was anything but smooth. Apart from frequently getting lost and having to ask random people for help, there were plenty of times when I did things completely wrong; even simple tasks like doing the laundry were a struggle. While I cannot possibly list them all, here are just a few lessons that, had I known beforehand, would’ve made my first few weeks a whole lot easier!
- Do not overfill the dryer
The first time doing laundry in college is exciting. Although it is tempting to try to get as much laundry into the dryer as possible, do not try to put all your clothes into one machine. Even if you think you’re saving money, you’re not. It will not dry after one cycle. It will not dry after two cycles. IT MIGHT NOT EVEN DRY AFTER THREE CYCLES.
2. You need way fewer meal swipes than you think
Me when choosing meal plan: “Only 10 meals??? That’s not enough for me. I need at least three meals a day, if not more. There’s no WAY I can last on that many meal swipes.”
Me now: False. So false. I am almost always running out the door in the morning with a granola bar for breakfast and going to Trillium or another place that takes BRBs for lunch. If anything, BRBs are what I need more of!
3. Do not miss your IDP meeting
I accidentally slept through my IDP meeting, and I realized this only after receiving an email from Canvas saying I received a zero. Considering this was my first zero in college, I freaked out and frantically emailed multiple people about making it up. After getting no response, I figured it was totally fine. Then, I got an email about two weeks later saying I have to go to a makeup session in January. JANUARY. Oh well.
4. If you are taking the bus to class, do not rely on the arrival times on the Ithaca Transit App.
The arrival times on the app do not account for stopping time. Most busses stop at every single bus stop in between the stop you got on at and the stop you want to get off at, so make sure you account for these stops when calculating what time you want to get to class. And yes, if you saw a confused girl sprinting to Morrison Hall a few weeks ago, that was most definitely me.
5. Do not put stuff in the microwave for too long
The first week of school I may or may not have burnt popcorn in the microwave and set off the smoke alarm in my room. Make sure you read the packaging and keep track of the food you put in the microwave. It is a double loss when you set off the smoke alarm AND burn your food.
6. In college you actually need to read the textbook
In high school, a lot of times it was not necessary to read every page of the textbook. In college, I realized pretty quickly that you have to do all the readings even if you do not want to. If you don’t, you may end up trying to cram 300 pages of reading into the three nights before your midterms.
7. 15 minutes is not enough time to get to every class
While fifteen minutes seems like more than enough time to get from one class to another, this is not always the case. Try to use Google Maps when making your schedule to make sure you can get to your classes on time. Cornell’s campus is huge, and if you have a class on the Ag Quad then your next class at the Dairy Bar, you will most likely get extremely good at speed walking. On the bright side, this is what I like to call my daily exercise.
8. Try not to get the same food every night
The first 20 times you eat it, the fried rice is great. After that, though, it starts to get not so great and you will get sick of it. Really sick of it. Instead of always getting the same thing, try new food at the dining halls and and mix up your dinner!
9. Yoga is a lot harder than you think
Yoga is way more than just stretching and meditating. After about 45 seconds of holding the warrior pose, my legs are always burning. I also do not understand how it is physically possible to balance completely on my head. I am constantly asking myself if I accidentally enrolled in advanced yoga, but no, no I didn’t. I am just highly unskilled.
10. Be okay with making mistakes
In the stress of it all, sometimes you forget that it’s completely normal to be making mistakes. College is a big adjustment, and it is totally fine to mess up. You are only just getting used to college, and chances are, most of your friends are also making mistakes. So make sure you aren’t too hard on yourself, and allow yourself to laugh about it. It will get better, and making mistakes is how you learn.
As a college freshman, I am constantly trying new things, learning, and making new mistakes everyday. Stay tuned for more freshman year fails! Afterall, It’s only October.
