20 Things No One Tells You About Freshman Year At Appalachian State University

We all know, that ambassadors, and even AppolCorp (trust me, I am one) have pieces of advice and tips from their freshman year, that they aren’t allowed to tell you. Granted they try and give you helpful advice, however, we all know there are things about freshman year at Appalachian State University they don’t tell you.

1. Making friends can be difficult.

Most people hear that college is the time that you make the best friends of your life. Though this could be a possible truth, when first coming into college, making friends can be harder then you think. In high school you are thrown together with the same people for 4 years, in classes, sports, and clubs. College is different, you could have classes with 100 strangers that you are never going to see again. Making friends in college requires a bit more effort, which is why being involved with clubs and making study groups with people in class is so important.

2. You are either going to run out of meal plan money, or have too much.

There are two types of people at Appalachian. The people that run out of meal plan money by November, and the people that still have $400 on their account by December. So don’t just spend all your money on your friends or buy McAllisters every day because your meal plan money can go faster then your think. Here is a tip, you can transfer meal plan money over from fall to spring semester but once the school year is over, that meal plan money is lost. So, if you run out of meal plan money don’t put more on your meal account (unless its the middle of Fall semester), you’ll do better putting more on your Express account. Or you can sell it to other students. OR you could be nice and buy all your friends dinner but make sure you wait until Spring Semester to be generous.

3. The best thing you can do is have money on your Express Account.

Trust me, having express account money is the best. With it you can use it to do laundry (in certain dorms), buy items from the bookstore, AND if you run out of meal plan money you can use express account money. It’s a complete lifesaver trust me

4. By the end of the year, you are going to be wearing tank tops in 50 degree weather.

Trust me, at the beginning of the fall semester you are going to start pulling out your heavy coat in mid October (unless you’re from Minnesota or something) but by the end of your first Boone winter, you will be laughing at those wimps shivering in 45 degree weather. You aren’t truly Appalachian until you come home in 50 degree weather wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and your Mom yells at you for dressing like its summer.

5. You are either going to own an Eno, or want one.

Boone is Eno country, and you will witness that one your first day of classes, trust me. Once the temperature floats above 45 degrees, Sanford Mall will be full of Eno’s and Slackliners. Even if it is 30 degrees, if the sun is out, so are the Enos. Even when the sun isn’t out, you still see Eno burritos across the trees, trying to stay warm from the wind. Pretty soon, if you don’t already own an Eno, you will become jealous of those who do, and you’ll be begging for one for Christmas.

6. You are going to get sick.

Okay, lets face it. Dorms are basically a big germ bucket, and when one person goes down with the first cold, everyone goes down. So whether you get sick during flu season, or get Bronchitis in September, eventually you will come down with something while living in the dorm. Invest in some tissues and Lysol!

7. You are going to want condiments in your fridge.

Eating leftovers, and getting food to go is a whole lot easier if you have some ketchup or ranch already in your fridge. It also helps those late night pizza cravings, you have plenty of ranch to go around. Best investment for your dorm you will make.

8. You’ll find that the best places to hike aren’t the generic ones.

At the beginning of the year you will be so excited to go see and take pictures at all the spots you’ve seen. Rough Ridge is among the most popular, an you should definitely go visit it and take that generic picture. However, as the year goes on you will find that the best places to hike are those hidden gems that you find while hiking. Or those secret places you find when the place you wanted to hike had to many people. Price Lake is among one of the most beautiful, but I’ll let you find your own spots.

9. You’re going to end up wearing the same three outfits throughout the year.

One of the first things you learn at Appalachian is that people don’t really care what you wear. You could show up with no shoes on, a scarf wrapped around your head and no one would even bat an eye. So though you may have picked out all these clothes for the year, you are going to find a few outfits that are comfortable and wear those the rest of the year.

10. Getting drunk, or getting high isn’t all its cracked up to be.

Okay, we all know that college (especially freshman year) is the time that most people experiment the most with drinking and drugs. However, don’t feel pressured to do it, and don’t feel like people will judge you if you want to. BUT I will warn you that getting drunk in your dorm with your RA two doors down really isn’t the smartest thing to do. Also if you’re the kid that throws up in the hallway after one too many tequila shots, you will never live it down. So (I know I sound like a parent but hear me out) if you do want to drink or get high, just be smart about it, and DO NOT get caught doing something stupid that can mess with your future.

11. The Freshman Fifteen is real, but its hard to gain here.

The Freshman fifteen can very well happen to you HOWEVER, at App its a lot more difficult. Not only do we live on a mountain 3,333 ft. in the air, but walking around campus (especially if you only have 10 minutes between classes) can make you break a sweat. THERE ARE STAIRS EVERYWHERE. Therefore, gaining those extra few pounds is a lot more difficult. Be sure to show off those new toned calves at Fall Break. But, I will warn you the Freshman Fifteen usually doesn’t strike until Spring Semester so don’t surrender and order Boone Takeout! Also if you want a good workout, just go up the stairs to the LLC, that’s enough for one day.

12. Dating can feel uncomfortable.

Dating in college is very different then in high school, especially freshman year. You live in a dorm with a roommate so getting some alone time with who your dating is a lot more difficult then it might have been before. On one hand, you don’t have to worry about parents, but it can lead to more pressure to do things and be a little uncomfortable as you both might live on campus. Freshman year is also a big time for change, so dating someone while going through that can be a bit weird. No one is saying don’t date, but it isn’t all its worked up to be, especially during your first year.

13. Hungry Howies has an after midnight deal on pizza.

Okay, this doesn’t necessarily have to do with freshman year BUT LISTEN. Hungry Howies is probably the cheapest pizza you can get for those late pizza nights in the dorm, and it is also REALLY GOOD. And they offer deals to students after midnight (the discount code is ‘munchies”). You’re welcome.

14. Make sure you take a fun and EASY Freshman Seminar.

Freshman Seminar is a necessity for all freshman, and there are loads of topics to choose from. But I am warning you now, take an easy one or at least one that you are interested in. Freshman Seminar is built in to Gen Eds to help your GPA not hurt it. So take something fun, you will have plenty of hard classes to take that isn’t this one (I would personally recommend Into the Wild but CHOOSE WISELY.) Also, don’t feel like you have to take it first semester, you will have a better chance of getting into a good one if you wait until Spring Semester.

15. Part of having a good, fun freshman year means making relationships with people on your floor.

Okay, I know most people tell you to make relationships with people outside of your dorm. And that is important however, having a fun close floor is part of what can make freshman year so great. Living on a floor where you can go into each others rooms to watch movies, play board games, or kick a ball down the hall makes living in a dorm SO MUCH FUN. And if you don’t have people on your floor you can connect with, thats okay, BUT living in a dorm is so much better when you can have friends that live right across the hall.

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16. You’re going to get tired of just eating Chick-Fil-A.

I love Chick-Fil-A as much as the next person, in fact I’m probably their number one fan. However, if you only eat Chick-Fil-A nuggets at Central, YOU WILL GET SICK OF IT. So, from the beginning make sure you branch out and try other things so you have other options.

17. The AppalCart is going to see like the scariest thing in the world, at first.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was absolutely terrified of the AppalCart when I first arrived. So much so that I had to take someone with me when I wanted to go to Walmart. However, after taking it a few times, you figure out the routes, and the times, and it becomes easy. And it leads to a lot of interesting experiences when you get off at the wrong stop the first few times.

18. If you already don’t like the cold, you aren’t going to learn to love it.

I HATE THE COLD. I always have, and I probably always will. And being at Appalachian doesn’t make you like the cold like some say. But you do learn how to tolerate it. It becomes something you learn how to deal with. So no, you won’t fall in love with the cold if you already hate it. But it becomes something more tolerable then it used to be. And if you live in a warmer place then Boone, you become a lot more appreciative of it when you go home for winter break.

19. DON’T SHOP AT THE MARKET (unless you’re getting rid of meal plan money).

Yes, the market is convenient and its easy. But they make everything overpriced because its convenient and easy and they know how lazy we can be. So if you are trying to save money and not run out of meal plan money in October, go to Walmart for your groceries.

20. You WILL get addicted to McAllisters.

When you finally end your freshman year at Appalachian, the thing you miss most when you go home won’t be the snow, or the beautiful mountains, or the friends your make IT WILL BE A MCALLISTERS FOUR CHEESE GRILLER MARK MY WORDS.

Featured photo source: theappalachianonline.com and performanceimpressions.com