6 Must Knows Before Heading Off to College

There are some things that you should know before you leave the comfort of your parents. Your parents do a lot of things for you, some of which you don't even realize! Here are six things you must know how to do before leaving for college:

1) How to do your own laundry

      You have to know how to do your own laundry before going to college. You are now living without your parents. You shouldn't (I’d say can’t, but people do it) let your laundry build up until you take a trip home and bring ALL your dirty laundry for your mom to wash for you.

       Doing your laundry is really easy:

Take the dirty clothes and separate the dark ones from the light ones.

Put the dark or light clothes into the washing machine. Make sure to NOT overfill the washing machine! It will break.

Put laundry detergent in.

Start the washer.

Wait 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.

Put in a dryer sheet & make sure there isn't lint in the lint catch.

Start the dryer.

When it’s done, take your clothes out & put them away.

2) Buy correct medicine for illness

Don’t buy Aleve for a stuffy nose. It’s for Joint pain.

If you are having any sort of muscle pain – take Tylenol or Midol.

DayQuil and NyQuil are fantastic for colds, flu, and so much more.

If you’re unsure – go to Health Services! It’s a cheap (or free) doctor’s office on campus!

3) Buy personal products without getting embarrassed

Personal products are birth control (of any sort - condoms, the pill, anything), and feminine products.
If you are buying birth control of any sort, you need to own it! Be proud of yourself for having safe sex! No babies or STDs/STIs for you!
Ladies - if you are in need of feminine products, get the courage to buy the ones you like. Guys - if you are commissioned to buy some for your girlfriend, do it. You are being a great boyfriend. Add her favorite chocolate while you're at it.

4) Wash your own dishes

      You most likely won’t have a dish washer in your dorm. Learn how to scrub down those dirty dishes to avoid ants and other creepy crawlies!

5) How to control yourself from over-spending in a store

      Remember: You are a poor college student! You really don’t need that extra shirt or another pair of shoes. There is no room in your wallet nor your closet! Learn how to walk away from that irresistible buy!

6) How to dress for an interview

      It doesn't matter if you are interviewing for a fast food job or an internship, you need to dress well. First impressions matter. Ladies - Wear a nice pair of pants or a skirt with a good blouse. Guys - Wear a good pair of pants with a polo or a button down collared shirt with a tie. Make sure you are wrinkle-free and spot free. Don’t wear jeans and a t-shirt. It shows that you don’t care about the interview. 

What are some things that you think you should know before heading off to college?

6/27/14

Packing List

If you go on Pinterest or even Google and look up “College Packing List” you will find thousands and millions of different lists that will give you either too much or too little to pack. Here I hope to give you a true list for all the things that you need for school. A clothing list and a food list are soon to come.

   ~REMINDER! If you don’t use some of these things on a regular basis – Don’t pack it! It’ll just waste space!~

For Clothes
For Food

For the bathroom:

• 2 bath towels, 1 hand towel, 1 wash cloth
• Shower loofah (if you use one)
• Shower caddy (I used this one from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but I know a bunch of people used different sized ones, plastic and cloth ones. It depends on what you’re going to put in it.)
• Flip flops (Those showers can and will be nasty!)
• Face soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body wash, Razor, Shaving Cream.
• First Aid Kit: cold medicine, migraine medicine, band aids, Neosporin, prescription meds, Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, Midol, wraps or braces (If you used it in the past 2 years), birth control, condoms, tissues, tampons, pads.
• Cotton balls/pads & Q-tips
• Deodorant
• Floss, Toothbrush, Tooth paste
• Glasses, Glasses case, Contacts, Contacts solution & Contacts holder
• Hair clips, ties, head bands, and bobby pins
• Nail clippers & file
• Lotion
• Desk Mirror
• Full Length Mirror
• Lotion, Perfume or Body Spray
• Nail Polish & Nail Polish remover
• Sun Screen
• Make up kit

For Cooking:

• MICROWAVABLE plate and bowl
• 1 cup & 1 mug (Travel mugs are great for taking coffee and hot chocolate to class & the library)
• 2 forks, spoons, and knives. (Dollar Store has some great cheap kitchen supplies – all for a dollar each!)
• Plastic containers for left overs or snacks (Five & Below also has some very awesome containers)
• Plastic sandwich, snack, and freezer bags – for all that left over pizza
• Mini Fridge & Microwave – Decide between roommates who will bring what
• Bottle opener, Pizza cutter
• Water Bottle
• Water Jug
• Dish soap, sponge or brush, Dish towels x2
• Paper Towels
• Coffee Maker – Keurigs work wonders, but a good single pot of coffee makes some good boiled water for soups and pastas!

For the Bed:

• 1 set of Twin XL sheets (some things will say 2 and that was a complete waste of money and space! Whenever I washed my sheets, I put them right back on.)
• Mattress pad & Mattress protector (NO BED BUGS)
  
• Comforter (Don’t forget this, it is great for being warm and for decorating your room.)
• 1 or 2 blankets (For watching TV for friends. I’m a blanket person and I brought way too many blankets!)
• Pillows and Pillow cases (1 or 2 for sleeping, 1 pillow with arms, and maybe even a body pillow)
• Bed risers – if allowed in your dorm
• Under the bed storage – whether it be a trunk to hold clothes and shoes, or a plastic storage bin to hold all your food, you have so much space under your bed – use it!

For the Desk:

• Binder clips or paper clips
• Pens & Pencils
• Colored Pencils or crayons
• Highlighters
• Dry erase markers & erasers
• Sharpies
• Pencil sharpener or lead for mechanical pencils
  
• Stapler & staples
• Scissors
• Post-it notes
• Index cards
• Tape: Scotch tape, masking tape, and duct tape – just one roll of each
• 3 hole punch
• Waste basket (I recommend a small fully plastic one. You can use it for more than just trash – if you get sick, it’s a good container!)
• Book bag – whatever type you like, just make sure it can hold some books, notebooks, and a few pencils and pens. I'd also recommend one that can hold a waterbottle. I left too many water bottles laying around in my classrooms because I forgot it next to me. 
• Calculator (Scientific at the least)
• Notebooks, Binders, Loose leaf paper
• Text books
• Dry Erase board

For Electronics:

• Alarm Clock
• Cell phone

  

  My old Notebook before I got my new Laptop

• Laptop
• Chargers for phone, laptop, & anything else
• Portable battery charger (You charge it and then carry it around so you can charge your phone or tablet while away from an outlet!)
• Ethernet cable
• Surge protectors (I brought 2. One I kept by my bed and one I kept by my desk. A smaller one was great too for when I went to the library)
• TV – check with your roommate first to see who is bringing it
• Speakers that connect to your laptop
• A USB drive or 2
• Headphones
• HDMI cable to connect laptop to TV
• DVDs for movie nights

Miscellaneous:

• Bank Info
• AA & AAA batteries
• Broom (ask roommate who will bring what) & Dustpan
• Debit cards
• Driver’s license & Student ID
• Social Security Card
• Insurance cards
• Febreeze 
• Lysol or Clorox wipes
• Flash light
• Pepper spray
• Small sewing kit
• Sunglasses
• Umbrella - Nice sturdy one because it does rain and could be windy. Wind destroys umbrellas.
• CDs, iPod, Books (don’t bring too many personal ones. You probably won’t have any time to read them or space to put them!)
• Drawer Dividers
• Storage Drawers

For Laundry:

• Laundry Detergent
• Easy to carry hamper
• Hangers (The thin ones are FANTASTIC!)
• Stair remover
• Lint roller

For You to Decide:

• Sleeping bag/air mattress. – Okay, I brought a long cushion that rolled up and could be used to sleep on if I had (or anyone who asked to borrow it) had any guests. You can have your guest use a body pillow or even a decorative one and an extra blanket. It’s so much easier than having a sleeping bag and air mattress and we took it out whenever we needed extra seating in our room. However, a sleeping bag could be great for going on retreats and even camping trips (I didn’t go camping, but doesn’t mean people don’t!)
• Iron/Ironing mat – I didn’t use my iron or ironing mat every week, but I did need it a couple times, and so did a few other people on my floor! I’m glad I brought it.
• 2 cup glass measuring cup – I used this to boil noodles in for homemade Mac & Cheese and boil water in to make Hot chocolate
• Pots/Pans/Baking utensils – My dorms did not have access to a stove & oven but there are some schools that do have access to a small kitchen. If you like to cook or even want to make a home cooked meal instead of eating at the dining hall, you might want to eat there. 

Is there anything else that you would bring that I didn't list?

6/18/14

Hello There!

Welcome to Truth About Nursing School!

I'm Kathleen, a sophomore nursing student at Duquesne University. I have a ton of school spirit for the Duquesne Dukes! Starting this fall, I will be living on a floor with a bunch of my friends from last year. While I didn't join a sorority last year, I plan on joining two this year - a professional nursing sorority and a service sorority. I'm a goofy person who has tons of school spirit. I'm also pretty geeky about my love for Marvel Superheroes, Disney, Doctor Who, and so much more. 

I want this blog to cover everything about college life and about nursing school, from friends to classes, and from Freshmen Orientation to College Graduation, and maybe even beyond. I hope that people find this blog relatable, even if they aren't in nursing school. However, I do want a good few posts to be about nursing, like the clinicals and deciding what type of nursing to focus on. I hope to keep this blog updated every other week, at the very least.

I was convinced to do a blog after sharing my experiences with my cousins - I am the oldest of my cousins so I have to share my knowledge! There was a lot that I experienced during my freshmen year and I know there is so much more to learn and share. I hope, as my readers, you find my posts to be helpful!

Until next time,
Kathleen