Advice for College Freshmen

[Kristina]

Seeing as how I never started a team or really worked with one in college, I can't discourage people from doing so. What I can say are that there are other options, options that are far less time consuming and more friendly to the college-schedule. It was definitely hard moving from being so immersed in the FIRST atmosphere to minimal activity in college but I found so many other things I enjoyed as well. Volunteering and helping to plan off season events, scrimmages, and regionals are very fulfilling ways to help out in this organization that everyone loves so dearly. There can never be enough volunteers, whether it be referees, field crew, scorekeeper, etc. It'll be weird being more on the sidelines than out there building a robot, I just thought it was a nice way to transition so you can settle into the new atmosphere.

Anyway, the advice I gave before was pretty pratical, here are a few more random bits of advice...

-If you have a "friendly" roommate, be sure that you work out the code from the start. Tape over the keyhole usually works well...also make sure she (or he) sticks to the code. It's also nice to be really tight with your neighbors incase you need a place to crash for the night there.

-I believe Weedie asked for entertainment advice. 80 people living on campus? Watch the movie Rounders and find 4 other people to play poker. Hours of good fun there.

-Your printer will always die on you when you have a 20 page paper to print out, always have a second cartridge.

-There is no better investment than a Brita water filter.

-A second good investment is headphones. Not everyone likes listening to Japenese techno music 24/7...argh, roommate.

-If meat is concealed by a toritilla or in some other kind of wrap and you can't see it...don't eat it.

-At UCLA there's Bruinwalk where people hand out tons of flyers and try to recruit you for clubs. One hand with the cell phone the other in your pocket and sunglasses to avoid eye contact and you'll make it through these kind of zones free of harassment.

-If you're messy and must throw your clothes somewhere, at least aim for a hamper. Your dorm room is your living room/mini-kictchen/office/bedroom. It's seriously gross to have dirty clothes all over and have no space for visitors to sit.

-Know how to do your laundry, you can even make money off of desperate guys (and girls) who always had mommy do it.

-If you frequent Tigerbolt and/or this board often, don't go there during midterms/final week. One of the easiest ways to procrasinate so ask to be banned if need be (like I did with Tigerbolt, and I believe JVN did with these boards) and voila, temptation's gone. Helps a lot!