Whether it was at COM Open House, at Orientation, or even at FYSOP, someone has read you their laundry list of Freshmen year advice. You all know to “Surprise your parents with a phonecall,” “Ration your dining points,”etc.. But what about all the stuff that you only learn from years of fighting tooth and nail to score GSU booths? Here’s my niche little list of things to live by.
If you need to charge your laptop in Warren Dining Hall…
There are hidden chargers under the tables against the windows by the front entrance. Like, when you swipe in and go directly left or right. Those windows. I don’t know if it’s common knowledge, but I only found out at the end of my sophomore year. I wish someone would’ve told me earlier 🙂
For all y’all tea drinkers out there…
Rhett’s in the GSU will fill up your re-usable mugs with hot water for free! So if you’re packing your own Teabags or Swiss Miss, you don’t have to spend a dollar more.
If you want GSU Starbucks but not the GSU wait…
Rhett’s also carries Starbucks Pike Roast coffee and Tazo teas. The line for actual GSU Starbucks is always crazy long. So if you just want a quick caffeine
An Uber Pool is usually the cheapest and quickest way to get to Harvard Square.
Taking the T all the way east to Park Street to transfer and head northwest takes 30 minutes longer than it should. Then again, if you’re up for it, the walk down the Esplanade to the heart of Cambridge is a very nice one.
Before you apply for an internship…
Go to COM Career Development and get your resume looked over. All you need to do is make a free appointment. The fifteen minutes with a counselor could save your life from a grammar disaster.
Stay hydrated.
Seriously. People carry around those ridiculous Camelback water bottles for a reason. The first few weeks of school are really hot, and you’ll be sweating a lot.
Google Keep is a godsend!
I found this app in the middle of my freshman year and it really helps keep me organize. It’s great for making bulleted “to-do” lists you check off. There’s also great sticky note and reminder functions. It’s a good substitute for a day planner.
Optimize your walk to class with…
Podcasts! If you didn’t read my last post, I LOVE a good podcast. Recently, I’ve been listening toNPR’s Up First Podcast in the morning to keep me up-to-date on the news. It’s less effort then skimming the newspaper and the light analysis is very nice. The best part: each episode is 10 minutes, which is the exact amount of time it takes to walk to CAS from South Campus.
If the COM Lounge printer is busy…
You can use any of either of the two computer labs on the second floor (if there isn’t a class going on).
Warren Dining Hall has a two-fruit take-out limit.
Max it out. Earn your tuition back in apples, two at a time, baby.
This may be terrible advice, actually…
But Domino’s Pizza takes dining points. Yeah, I think I entered an abusive relationship with Domino’s my freshman year. She hurt me bad, but kept telling me how much she missed me–she’d leave her number at the foot of my door. Although I swore I’d never see her again, I took her back in… Anyways, you would’ve found out eventually.
These are just a few golden nuggets to share. If you’d like some more wisdom, feel free to reach out!
