Those first five minutes after your parents leave on move-in day are the scariest: ‘Do I have everything?’, ‘Will my parents miss me?’, ‘Do I even like my roommate?’. All valid questions that may pop into your mind while you are wondering aimlessly around your new abode. Fortunately, here are some tips to ease your mind for a bit while you transition into your new college life! These are 20 things no one tells your about freshman year at Rowan University!
We all know that Holly Pointe Commons is depicted as Heaven on earth by everyone at Rowan but really it is not a necessity. Ultimately, the dorms are secluded and you pay an extra thousand dollars just so you can have more showers and air conditioning. Don’t get me wrong, Holly is beautiful but college is about making due with what you have and a normal dorm (Magnolia, Mimosa, etc) is the best way to do that. I am so much happier in Magnolia than I would have been all the way out in Holly.
The term RA normally has a ngeative connotation and you think that they are truly out to destroy your young lives, however, the opposite is more true than you think. My roomate and I hangout with our RA all the time: we go to trivia together, watch movies, eat, etc. They may be seen as a higher up but they are just normal college kids trying to have a good time while saving money. I strongly advise to make friends with your RA’s: it will benefit you in so many ways.
College is one of the biggest transitions someone will ever encounter in their life: independence, new friends, new surroundings, new courses, etc. Every one is trying to make friends, pass their classes, as well as get involved while remaining healthy. Before you know it, your first month is gone, then the second, and suddenly you are sitting in your Chemistry class about to take your final exam. The days feel long but the weeks seem short; time truly flies when you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your life.
Obviously, a student’s number one worry is food on campus-right? The dinning hall will get old after about two weeks of binge eating there for three meals a day, but fear not, because you can use a meal swipe at the various eateries within the Student Center and at PRIME on RoBo. Jersey Mike’s, Green Zebra, SoNo, Grill Nation, etc. are all great places to eat (in the Student Center) without having to spend the money you already do not have. So stop eating that questionable pasta from the Marketplace and go get a sub!
Every Rowan student receives their own ID card that magically lets them do all necessary things within the campus: eat, get into buildings, sign in to clubs, etc. but they do not really tell you how to use it. It is more of a trial and error situation. I found out on my own that there are two separate ‘money’ accounts on that card: Dining dollars which can only be spent at places on campus and RowanBucks which can be used on and off campus. Another thing about Dining is that it does not transfer over between semesters so make sure you spend all that money on unnecessary things last minute just like every one else does when they find out they are non-transferable!
Being on campus 24/7 for months at a time is great and all but eventually the food gets boring and sometimes makes you sick. Fortunately enough, you can eat off campus! Rowanbucks can be thrown away at many eateries that are around the off campus area: Hunan Wok, Ciconte’s, P&B’s diner, McDonald’s, etc.
Picture this: you just finished your meal of cardboard pizza with luke-warm french fries and now you’re on your way to get some delicious soft serve because you think ‘How can they mess up soft serve?’ Well somehow Rowan figured out how to do just that! No matter what time of day or day of week, that machine will not dispense ice cream – it will only cause you to dispense tears.
Eventually class takes over, you forget to eat regularly, sleep is lacking and then one morning you wake up for that 9:30 am and suddenly it feels like the devil himself is actually setting fires within your throat. Between being in a new environment and constantly being surrounded by new people and their new germs, you are bound to obtain some sort of sickness. The wellness center may seem like a terrible idea but it truly helps and you usually get candy at the end so it is worth the trip for at least a free candy bar. All in all, take advantage of the center and take your vitamins!!
If you don’t live in Holly Pointe, unfortunately, you will be struck with the deadly heat of the beginning and end of the year. You’ll be laying in bed, sweaty and sticky, wondering if your education is really worth this heatwave. To avoid this situation, bring as many fans as you possibly can and cover your room from top to bottom with the cooling air. There truly is no such thing as too many fans.
Yes, obviously, there are scarier bugs than cute little red ones with black spots but when they are crawling all over your bedroom walls, it is a little unsettling. So far the ladybug apocalypse is only occurring within the Mimosa dorms but there is always the possibility of a transition to other dorms, so if you’re afraid of ladybugs I strongly encourage you to live in Holly (for your own safety).
Everyone always hypes up Halloweekend to be the craziest time of your life but they are truly not kidding, especially when it comes to Rowan. For some reason getting dressed up and going out with all your friends really starts a fire within you and just makes you want to drink everything in your path. Waking up the next morning you’ll wonder where your fake eyelashes went along with how you got out of your costume last night and into your pjs. After some self -reflection you’ll get ready for night number three and then the next morning you’ll wake up with the worst hangover of your life, a little bit of regret and a mind full of awesome, crazy new memories.
Speaking from personal experience: check all your school related websites before you go to your first couple of classes to make sure you do not have any homework!! Look on blackboard, connect, pathfinder- anything that you have that might have work uploaded already. Speaking from experience, I had two homework assignments in my Chemistry class due the first day of class that I had no idea about so there were two zeros in the grade-book to start off the semester. To ensure that you start off strong, be studious ASAP. Doesn’t adulting seem so fun?
It’s Friday night: you’re wearing your new velvet bodysuit with those black jeans that make your booty pop and you’re feeling yourself as your whole gang walks towards SAE. Suddenly, the brother at the door, Brad, says, “no more guys; ladies are welcome.” You and your girls look back at the devastated faces of your three guy friends and you all walk back to your dorms sad and unfortunately, still sober. Here at Rowan, ratios are taken very seriously and there is almost no way guys will get in to any frat or sport house after 11:30 pm. However, usually, if you go out before 11:00 pm everyone will get in but guys still need to throw fives or tens. Along with the money, a ratio is also necessary; most places are either 3:1 or 2:1. So either leave your guys at home or make loads of girl friends.
Your first weekend as a college freshman might be the most exciting/nerve-racking time of your life. It’s (most-likely) your first college party and so you’re dressed to the nines, ready for the time of your life, following the crowd of people to the closest party. Unfortunately, the Rowan police are going around like hawks writing up everyone that looks like they are having even the smallest amount of fun. Not getting into a party immediately is a little discouraging but the next couple weekends the popo dies down and everyone can party their faces off whenever they want. Don’t get upset over the first weekend because Rowan parties are legendary.
In high school- at least for me- online homework was few and far between but college is the complete opposite. Written homework is rare and 90% of my workload is online; quizzes are online, chapter reviews online, textbooks online, etc. There is barely an hour that goes by where I do not use my laptop. Rowan is all about their technology and their online resources. So decorate your computer with a bunch of stickers because you and her are going to be by each other’s side constantly for the next four years.
For any one who does not live in Holly, the weekends are a struggle to find food. The dining hall in the student center as well as the food court are both closed on the weekends so the only two options for normal dorms are walking all the way to the Holly dining hall or Prof’s Place. Eating in Prof’s place is not so bad but after a while of eating subs three meals a day for two days straight, it starts to get old. Honestly, the walk to Holly is well worth the good meal you will get there, compared to greasy Grill Nation. Weekends at Rowan are the definition of starving college students.
Normal colleges allow tapestries and decorative lights so that you can spice up your dorm and make it your own. Unfortunately, here at Rowan those things are not allowed because they are a ‘fire hazard’. Fire proof tapestries are welcome but those are slightly hard to find and must be approved by the Glassboro fire department. All these rules make it seem like it would be impossible to decorate but pictures and paintings are the perfect way to make your room look great while still following the rules. Another option would be to put whatever you want up and then just take it down when inspections come around but you didn’t hear that from me.
Coming into Rowan, I knew we were D3 but the school still seemed like it would have a lot of school spirit; quickly, I realized that that was not the case. No one really goes to the football games (maybe because they’re all still hungover from Friday night) except for the first one and even then, they are not that exciting. It’s not that our football team isn’t good because we are really not that bad, it’s just that no one cares enough since we are D3. There is not a lot of spirit in sports but overall every one that goes to Rowan truly loves it and so it does not really negatively impact anything – it is just a disappointment. No matter what I will always be proud to be a Prof (whatever that is).
Printing on campus is not free but nicely enough every one at the beginning of the semester is given $40.00 of free printing mixed in with their RowanBucks. We spend thousands of dollars on classes and room and board so forty bucks seems fair- right?
College is truly all about making life-long friends, figuring yourself out and just having the time of your life. Along the way, you will encounter these new people that have these new stories/ life views and you will stick with them for a while. Strangers eventually turn into best friends who you cannot go a day without seeing without it feeling weird. Just be optimistic and be yourself because that stranger in your math class could eventually become one of your bridesmaids.
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