20 Mistakes Every Cal Poly SLO Freshman Makes
Everybody always says, “College is the best four years of your life.” And while that very well may be true, nobody warns you about all the mistakes you’ll undeniably make during that time. Especially as a freshman, it’s easy and common to mess up every once in awhile. Here are 20 mistakes every Cal Poly SLO freshman makes… Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.
1. Showing up to Starbucks way too late.
There is no greater feeling of defeat than when arriving at Starbucks to find the line extended all the way back to YoCre. Odds are, you’ll have to kiss that delicious chai tea latte goodbye. Any experienced Mustang knows you need to arrive to the Starbucks line at least 30 minutes before your class, if you want any chance of getting your morning caffeine fix.
2. Bringing things you don’t need.
No, you probably don’t need your high school yearbooks, six different white tank tops, or fifty of your favorite DVD’s. But you’ll bring them anyways, and have a heck of a time trying to store them in your tiny dorm room (especially the people in the Red Bricks).
3. Signing up for a 7 A.M. because you’re an “early riser.”
This one sounds like a great idea at first. You might’ve been able to pull off early mornings in high school, but in college, you’ll be sleepwalking to any class that starts before 10 A.M.
4. Running out of Plus Dollars.
It seems smart to buy Starbucks three times a day, but once you have four weeks left in the quarter with no Plus Dollars left on your PolyCard, you’ll feel the regret. Your friends probably won’t be thrilled when they have to loan you their card every day so that you won’t starve to death.
5. Putting off laundry day for far too long.
It’s almost a thrill to see how long you could go without doing laundry, but re-wearing underwear and socks is not your proudest moment. Let’s be real—you stink.
6. Showing up to Chick-fil-A on a Sunday.
We all have suffered the emotional turmoil of showing up to Chick-fil-A on a Sunday. Especially after a long weekend, nothing sounds better than chicken nuggets, but your cravings have to wait until Monday.
7. Hanging out with people from high school.
Cal Poly is a pretty popular school, and chances are, you’ll know somebody from home when you move in. While it’s comforting to have a familiar face, you’ll regret not branching out sooner.
8. Eating an unearthly amount of frozen yogurt.
It is both a blessing and a curse to have a frozen yogurt place on campus. Going to YoCre every night with your friends isn’t the best decision for your physical health, but it is good for the soul. You regret it, though, when the “Freshman 15” starts to catch up with you.
9. Trying to find a spot in the UU or Lib after 11 A.M.
There are few things worse than pressing snooze a few too many times, then arriving to the UU or Lib at noon to find every table and chair already taken. I swear, those places are busier than Times Square.
10. Using your monthly spending money downtown
I get it, you need that $10 acai bowl and that $75 sweater from Urban Outfitters. And how could you resist Ambiance or Lulu Luxe?
11. Pregaming the pregame.
Taking five shots before you even arrive at the pregame probably isn’t the best idea, but you will do it anyways, and absolutely regret it later. These nights usually don’t end well.
12. Showing up to the Health Center late in the day.
The three-hour lines for the Health Center are a real inconvenience, but can be avoided if you wake up and arrive at 8 A.M., right when the doors open. Do you know this? Yes. Does it motivate you to wake up early and avoid the lines? Not even a little bit.
13. Eating a lot of crappy dorm food.
Eating that EasyMac in your dorm is definitely easier than walking all the way to Campus Market to get a proper meal, but remorse always follows the cheesy goodness. You will ingest so many Cups of Noodles throughout the year that even the sight of those Styrofoam cups will make you cringe.
14. Forgetting to take care of your health.
Despite having the biggest Recreation Center on the west coast, you often choose to binge watch Netflix rather than hit the gym. If Fusion Pilates or Body Pump is full, no big deal… you just take the day off!
15. Hooking up with somebody in your dorm.
The Resident Advisors warned you it would be weird, but you just can’t help yourself. Hooking up with that first floor cutie is fun in the moment, but the thrill dies when you can’t comfortably make eye contact for the rest of the year. #towercest
16. Enrolling in Friday classes.
You’ll tell yourself that you will stop going out on Thursday’s and practice more self-discipline. But you lack self control, so you always go to that Thursday night party… you just don’t always make it to Friday morning class, the next day.
17. Not calling home enough.
Even though college is the most independent you’ve ever been, sometimes you are too ashamed to admit you miss your parents. In hindsight, you should swallow your pride and pick up the phone. After all, our parents are missing us too.
18. Skipping class reading.
Everybody tells you that college is harder than high school, but you won’t believe them until you fail that class quiz because you were too busy watching the sunset at the “P” the night before, so naturally, you didn’t study. Needless to say, you’ll feel a little ashamed.
19. Losing sight of what is really important.
When you get too caught up in the chaos, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. It takes a reality check to remember that one bad grade won’t matter in a week, but our health, our friends, and our family will.
20. Forgetting to laugh at yourself.
Freshman year is stressful, awkward, and straight-up embarrassing at times. Sometimes, you’ll take yourself too seriously, but let’s be real—we are all stumbling our way through college, just figuring it out as we go along. So, be willing to have a laugh every once in awhile.
Any tips to avoid these mistakes as a Cal Poly SLO freshman?
Featured photo source: nicolethorpeblog.wordpress.com
