Freshmen Orientation Tips

I loved Duquesne’s Orientation. It was so much fun. We met every day and did everything from touring Pittsburgh to having multiple dances to having comedians perform for us! I was up all day and practically all night! It was so much fun and I got to meet a ton of people.

Now not everyone’s orientation will be like mine, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun. Here are some tips for enjoying your freshmen orientation:

  Go to as many events as you can.
They're just fun and they were scheduled to make you happy.

Try to take a small step out of your comfort zone.
By branching out of your comfort zone, you get to meet more people. You don't have to befriend every single person, but getting to know people is the first step to friendship!

Don’t have anyone to go with? Ask your roommate(s).
Your roommates are as new as you are to the school. You guys may not know anyone else. It's a great way to start out a good year while living together.

Participate!
These events were planned with you in mind. Don't just sit in during the events. Ask questions, call out, dance, and sing! 

.     Introduce yourself to everyone you meet.
Like I said above, you don't have to be friends with everyone you meet, but the first step to friendship is introducing yourself. 

Get ready to say your name, major, and where you are from.

This happens ALL THE TIME.

Take a step back.

Shy personality? Introverted? Step back. There are going to be crowds everywhere. This is the entire freshmen class and more going to these events. It's okay to take a step back and relax. Leave early or show up late. 

Sit out in your lobby, lounge, or even outside and talk to the people who walk past.
This is pretty self-explanatory. Sit out and get to know people.

 Above all, have fun and try to get to know people. Orientation was made with you and your classmates in mind. Enjoy it and participate. 

Are you excited for your orientation? Tell me about it!

Roommate Contract

When you first move in with your roommate you may have to make a roommate contract. If not, you should still make one. A roommate contract outlines the rules that you two both agree on. Having and following your ground rules will help avoid conflict.

 Here are some things to take into consideration:

• What time will quiet time be? 
• Quiet time could be during the day for studying or naps or for going to bed
• What can you do while your roommate sleeps?
• Will we sleep with the TV on, music playing, or in silence?
• What temperature should we keep our room?
• Do we expect the room(s) to be completely spotless?
• How long is too long to leave chores undone? Includes:
• Doing laundry 
• Doing dishes
• Taking out the trash
• Who gets control of the TV and when?
• Can I borrow your stuff without asking or should I ask first?
• What can NOT be shared?
• Can we share clothes? Shoes? Food? Snacks?
• How long can we borrow it before we HAVE to give it back?
• Can we have parties in here?
• When we bring someone (romantic) back to our room, how long can we have the room to ourselves? 
• How should we tell each other we’re going to have guests (romantic or not)?
• How many days before I have an planned overnight guest should I tell you?

Promise to ask nicely for things you would like, whether it be silence, food, or clothes.

Agree to say something right away about a person your roommate spends time with in the room or something your roommate does that bothers you. DO NOT BOTTLE IT UP! It helps out a lot. You should not be uncomfortable in your own room.

Is there anything else that you would request of your roommate? Or is there something you would expect your roommate to request of you?

Roommates

"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen." - Winnie the Pooh

Roommate Contract - What to think about while making a contract with each other

The MAJOR Choice for Roommates - Choosing your roommate based on her major

12 Questions to Ask Your Roommate - What to ask your roommate before you move in 

Packing

"You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... Get on your way!" - Dr. Seuss

Packing List - A real list of things to pack for school  

What Clothes to Pack for College - How to fill your closet right 

Food to Bring to School - How to satisfy your tummy at school

6 Must Knows Before Heading Off to College - Important things to succeed in life

12 Questions to Ask Your Roommate

Before you move in with your roommate, you should ask her some questions that'll make your life easier. If you do some of these things without asking beforehand, you may end up with some unnecessary conflict. 

**** These are great questions to ask someone you are considering as your roommate. ****

There are some things you should ask your roommate before you move so you can get to know each other a bit better and so you can prepare yourself.

• Do you watch TV or listen to music to fall asleep?
• Do you need some light or pitch black to fall asleep?
• Do you go to bed at a certain time each night?
• Are you a heavy sleeper or light sleeper?
• Do you study in silence or do you need noise?
• Are you a messy person or a clean person? Or somewhere in between? 
• Give a scale with 1 being hoarder-like messy and 10 being incredibly too clean. And when they ask you, answer honestly! 
• What are you bringing to the dorm?
• Are you bringing a mini-fridge? A microwave? A TV? A broom or vacuum? A rug?
• Are you comfortable sharing:
• food and drinks?
• clothes and shoes?
• Do you smoke? 
• What are some ground rules you want to set?
• Are you allergic to anything?
• ~If you’re comfortable asking/they are comfortable responding~ Do you have any health concerns I should know about? If so, how do I help you with that?

These are some questions that you should ask to avoid conflict with your roommate. You don't have to be best friends with your roommate, but knowing these will make for a much easier time living with her. 

7/16/14

Food to Bring to School

Whether your meal plan allows you to eat in the dining halls for every meal, you are not going to want to. Here is a list of some foods you'll want to bring along for early mornings, late nights, or snacks on the side. 

First, determine how many meals you have with your meal plan. Do you have enough to eat almost every meal in the dining halls or do you have to fend for yourself sometimes?

Second, will you get up each day for breakfast?

• No - Get some breakfast bar and juice for your room.
• Yes - You may want cereal and milk in your room or eat in the dining hall

Pack Snack Foods!
In case you missed dinner (or are having a midnight meal) you may want some microwaveable meals like Easy Mac or Digeronos personal pizzas.
Water bottles are a must or get a reusable one with a water filter

Here is a list of foods you may want to bring to school:

• Cereal
• Breakfast bars
• Bagels
• Cream Cheese or butter
• Microwavable pancakes/waffles
• Bread or Tortillas
• Lunch meat
• Nutella
• Jelly
• Peanut Butter
• Fruit – Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Grapes
• Pasta
• Shredded cheese
• Spaghetti sauce – jarred or in resealable container
• Microwavable pizza or pasta
• Pretzels/Chips
• Salsa
• Water bottles or water bottle with water filter
• Drink Mixes (Mio, lemonade)
• Soda
• Coffee/ Hot Chocolate, Tea
• Juice
• Milk - Quart
• Condiments (salt, pepper, mayo, ketchup, mustard)

Hope this list helps you decide exactly what you'll bring to school this fall! What else would you bring?

7/15/14

What Clothes to Pack for College

College is a time to develop and grow. One of those ways is with your style. While I give you this list, shape it to your personal style! This list is just a guideline. Take what you find comfortable and wear it! Your closet isn’t going to be that big, so take what you want to bring, and cut that much in half! Bring what you know you’ll wear! Don’t bring that shirt that you never wore in high school but might wear someday. You won’t wear it.

My style changed each day. My nursing specific classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my GenEd classes were on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So for my GenEd classes, I wore a t-shirt and jeans or even t-shirt and leggings. But for classes with my nursing professors I wore jeans and a nice sweater. I would even do my make-up and hair.

The way you dress gives an impression to your professors. While my GenEd professors would be very helpful for schoolwork, my nursing professors are the ones that will be seeing me more often as a student and as a prospective nurse. If I dressed well, I would give off an appearance of having my life together, so if they want to recruit students for an internship or research, I could be more desired than a classmate who looks like she doesn't care because she rolled out of bed before class. Now your grades have to show that your appearance isn't just an illusion, and you have to get to know them, but the way you dress will help you a lot!

Pack:

• 2 pairs of PJs 
• Underwear Galore! Socks galore! Bras Galore! (You can never have too much underwear)
• Winter coat, 2 pairs of gloves, scarf, winter hat/earmuffs, snow boots.
• Bottoms:
• 1 pair of dress pants
• `3 pairs of jeans
• 2 pairs of shorts
• Leggings
• Skirts
• 

   Tops:
• 3 Blouses
• 3 T-shirts
• 3 Sweaters
• 3 Cardigans
• 2 Long Sleeved Shirts
• Camis
• Denim Button Down
• Blazer
• 2 Sweatshirts
• Jean Jacket
• Leather jacket
• Dresses
• 1-2 sundresses
• Semi-formal dress
• Professional dress (for church, presentations, or job interviews)
• Workout clothes – if you work out, you know what you’ll wear!
• Belts, Scarves
• Bathing suit
• Shoes: Flats, converse, sneakers, work out shoes, toms, heels, boots, flip flops.
• Small purse
• Wallet
• Something to make into a costume (80s with neon leggings & cut off sweatshirt; black dress with cat ears, jersey with eye liner to be a football/soccer player)
• 2 or so cute but cheap shirts to get paint, sharpie, and anything else on. (Wet Seal’s 5/$20 sale is awesome for this)

A lot of people I know (that includes me) brought too many clothes or shoes to school! I really only wore about 1 pair of flats, my converse, 2 pairs of boots, rain boots and snow shoes. I used my heels a couple of times. In total, I brought triple the amount of shoes I wore. I did NOT need all of that. I also accumulated a t-shirts and went shopping a couple times so I left school with a lot more clothes than I came with. Limit your clothes to mainly your favorite clothes. You know you'll wear them & you'll have room for it all.

For a full packing list, check out my packing list post!

7/10/14