10 Hacks to Make Life Easier at Northeastern
Sail through campus life like a seasoned professional with these hacks that will make your experience at Northeastern much easier and, in a few cases, cheaper. From free food to maneuvering the jungle that is Snell, you’ll gain some insider knowledge on serious game-changers when it comes to being a professionally lazy college student.
1. Rebecca’s free food on Fridays!
These little-known Rebecca’s tricks will save your butt when your fridge is looking as barren as the Sahara Desert. Swoop in at just around 4 PM on Fridays when good ole Becca’s is closing, and there’s a chance that with the purchase of a panini you’ll be granted access to the “free food” cart—from which you’ll be able to take as much free food as you want. Also, it’s a little-known fact that you can get three of those candy tubs at checkout for one meal swipe, perfect for when you have WAY too many swipes per week and a little sugar craving.
2. Coffee cups are your new best friend.
Let’s be honest…the dining hall’s opaque coffee cups can do much more than just perk you up after a long night. Stack a whole pile of heavenly Steast cookies, Lucky Charms, or some tasty Tater Tots in a cup (or four) and nonchalantly walk out the door. If you’re feeling ballsy, go challenge level and bring tupperware to stuff in your backpack with a serious four-course meal inside. No shame.
3. Courseoff
When the time rolls around to schedule your classes, nothing is worse than trying to make sense of myNEU’s non-user-friendly layout. Courseoff.com COMPLETELY changes the game, allowing you to plan out your schedule, view it in a weekly layout, and even color-code your classes (which are pre-uploaded into Courseoff’s system). This also comes in handy during your first week or two of the semester when you don’t know your schedule like the back of your hand yet.
4. Northeastern’s Tunnel System
This is an obvious one, but the tunnels at Northeastern are SO AWESOME on rainy or snowy days when you have three classes and just can’t be bothered to bear the elements. Unfortunately, the tunnels don’t run all the way to the Centennial area due to an underground river beneath Forsyth, but for those students who are primarily located in the Krentzman/Snell areas (cough cough business kids), you’re in some serious luck.
5. College Convenience
Too many nights at around 3 or 4 A.M, I have been fiending for snacks only to find my fridge and cabinets sadly not filled to the brim with Cheez-its and/or guacamole. For the longest time I didn’t know about College Convenience on Huntington, which is open 24 hours—a stark contrast from the many places in Boston that close at 2 AM. This place has seriously been a life saver while I’ve been at Northeastern.
6. Alternative study spots
For those who are so over battling for tables on the third floor of Snell, try an alternative study spot. The law library near Chicken Lou’s is a hidden gem at Northeastern—sometimes the doors are locked, but if you find your way in, it’s seriously so relaxing and has a very productive atmosphere. Another option is to wander around until you find an abandoned classroom, perfect for chilling and “studying” with your friends—AKA drawing funny pictures on the whiteboards for future classes to find.
7. Snell computer chargers & laptops
This one’s quick and easy, but can save your life in a pinch if you didn’t know about it before. If you ever find yourself a lengthy walk away from your apartment and in Snell without your computer charger, don’t fret—they lend out nearly every kind of charger at the front desk. On top of this, in the event that you ever find yourself laptop-less, they lend out laptops too!
8. Do. Not. Buy. Textbooks
You should seriously only be buying textbooks in an absolute dire situation. Step one: Google the textbook title with “filetype:pdf” next to it. Step two: delve into the depths of sketchy pirating websites that are a little scary but very worth not paying an arm and a leg. Step three: ask your friends if they have the textbook you’re looking for and if they will sell it for cheap (or better yet give it to you for free). Step four: take a risk and see if you can coast throughout the semester without using the textbook. It’s not always plausible, but it’s definitely possible. Or, you could avoid this hassle altogether and visit this site for discounted student textbooks!
9. Buy floor chairs
Since the beginning of freshman year, I’ve had two of these floor chairs and they are seriously AMAZING. Living in the Northeastern dorms, you’ll find you and your friends sitting on the floor quite often, and these are the comfiest way to do so. Pro tip: lay two chairs flat on the floor length-wise, and they actually make a pretty comfy alternative to a huge air mattress that will leave literally no room to walk in your tiny dorm room.
10. Steal toilet paper from dorm lobby…
For when your apartment has four squares of TP left but nobody can be bothered to walk a block to the nearest store—it happens more than we’d like to admit—take a gander to your on-campus dorm’s bathroom lobby and swipe that roll of toilet paper right from the wall. The cardboard-like quality is terrible, but beggars can’t be choosers.
