10 Things To Make FSU Orientation Infinitely Better
Now that Summer C is over, most people have gone back home, having last minute get togethers with friends they won’t see until Christmas, and picking up any necessary dorm accessories before the fall starts. While Summer C was amazing, the freshman class owes it all to our beloved OLs – that is, our Orientation Leaders. These people already make orientation amazing, but here are 10 more ways (talking to y’all FSU Class of 2022!!) to make orientation amazing!!
1. Get to know people before you get to FSU.
The worst feeling is standing awkwardly outside of DeGraff with your luggage, staring at your phone and pretending you are texting someone when, in reality, you are praying someone you met through GroupMe or the Facebook will show up. The best feelings is when someone you met from online does show up and y’all hug and scream obnoxiously. Yay!!
2. Do not forget your pillow.
Seriously. This may seem like common sense, but I forgot mine and had to have my parents scramble to the nearest Walmart while I waited in line with my orientation roomie. To avoid this anxiety, bring a pillow. Make a list. And thank your mama and daddy if they are kind enough to go buy something you forgot at the last minute. God bless their souls!!
3. Be open minded!
People go about orientation roommates and suite mates in different ways. I personally planned who I was going to room with months before orientation and ended up ~loving~ her to death. However, I have friends who roomed with randoms and they ended up becoming best friends!! Whether you get someone random and think “Oh my gosh this kid has green hair…” or “This person’s taste in everything is trash.” remember that y’all both have at least one thing in common – being a Florida State Seminole!!
4. Bring an actual bed comforter AND a blanket.
I totally recommend those “Bed-In-A-Bag” packs that you can get for cheap at Target or Walmart. The dorms are absolutely freezing, and you will definitely regret it if you’re that kid who is too cool for a comforter and brings a throw blanket and sheets. You’ll probably end up with a cold or the swine flu, so stay warm kids!!
5. Go out!
No, I do not mean sneak off and go to The Strip in the middle of the night. Leaving campus is grounds to get removed from orientation and getting caught with alcohol is immediate expulsion. So what should you do when you’re done with Seminole Small Group and have one and a half to 2 hours of free time at the end of the day? Go bowling at the campus bowling alley (I hit so many strikes y’all)! Go catch a movie at the on-campus movie theater (going to the movie extends your curfew ~nudge nudge wink wink~) or go to Club Down-under!! Yes, it kind of is like being at a middle school dance, but you’re going to be so tired from the lectures and talking that you will take any outlet you can to have fun!
6. Be social.
This comes easier for some than others. I myself am a social butterfly and earned the monikers “Southern Belle Mel” and “Melanie From Texas” during orientation because I talked to literally everyone. But if that isn’t something you’re comfortable with, start by trying to find something in common with someone from your Seminole Small Group and hang out with them during orientation! Who knows, you may even meet friends of friends!
7. Bask in the glory of Seminole Small Groups.
Yes, you will think they are ridiculous and waste of your precious freshman time, but orientation will be over in the blink of an eye, and I promise you will miss your newfound family. Your OL is like the cool/hip mom or dad and you and everyone in your group are like siblings. You will argue, you will laugh, you will exchange social medias, you will (probably) feel the urge to slap each other, but when it is all over, you miss your dysfunctional family. Some of them might end up being your best friends!!
8. Leave all your super cute, super expensive clothing and shoes (and bags) at home.
Besides the fact that literally everyone else will be in Nike shorts and an over-sized FSU shirt, you will be immensely uncomfortable. There is a ton of walking, and sometimes you’re walking and the skies will open up and pour down rain. Trust me. I wore a a nice white blouse, Lilly Pulitzer shorts, and my white Tory Burch Miller sandals on the last day. Yeah, I wore this adorable outfit and that was the day a torrential thunderstorm decided to come through Tally! I also stepped in a huge clump of mud in my white Torys..yeah just stick to FSU apparel and athletic gear.
9. Be yourself.
I cannot express this enough. Be unapologetically you. Let your personality shine!! First impressions are super important, and you don’t want to put on a facade . Being yourself will take away some of the stress of orientation because trust me, there is a looooot.
10. Bring a Yeti or Camelback.
You will walk for hours in the sweltering heat, and you will get tired. Bringing a pair of sunnies is a cute way to keep from having UV rays burn your corneas to a crisp. Refill your water bottle, drink lots of it, and keep it in your Orientation bag that screams “Hi! I’m a freshman here at FSU!! What year are you?!” I still have mine.
