Freshman year at any college can be very interesting, and very different than you’d expect. This year I started school at Slippery Rock University thinking I knew it all. Boy was I wrong. Here’s a list of 20 things no one tells you about freshman year at Slippery Rock University, or even just about college in general.
Lanyards do not go over well in college. This is something true at many universities, not just SRU. Why don’t you just ditch the lanyard and wear an “I’m a Freshman” sign around your neck instead?
When I say a lot, I mean A LOT! Whether it’s in a parking lot, somewhere in your room, at a party… it happens all the time. The good news is it is free to get a temporary card at your dorms front desk, and usually people who find your card return it because there’s not much they can do with it. Personally, my friends and I have gotten temp cards many times for accidentally locking our cards in our rooms.
The campus dining hall, Boozel, will kill your stomach for a while. Once you get used to it, it isn’t too bad. One great thing is that boozel express is open 24 hours…that’s right, 24 HOURS! Take advantage of that!! A chicken wrap or potato skins at 3 am is the perfect end to a night out.
Only about two places on campus accept meal swipes, which sucks because you have limited flex money. If you count boozel and boozel express as one place, there’s only one other place, which is the Campus Drive Grille (or “the meal cart”). Not many people know or use this place, but don’t underestimate it. I’ve gotten some great sandwiches there.
When picking a meal plan, GET A LOT OF FLEX! Flex is the money you can use at Rockies, Weisenfluh, Starbucks, Quaker Steak & Lube, The Flatz at Watson, or T & B Naturally in the Library. These are the places with the best food, and eating there a lot is not smart when trying to save flex. The last thing you want is to be out of flex with a month left in the semester. By the second semester, you learn how to better balance your meal swipes and flex.
When you’re up to spending real money, these are the 3 places that seem to be the most popular. Personally, Dominos is always my go-to. They, along with Coffaros, deliver and offer food such as pizza, wings, and subs. Sheetz is always amazing if you can get there. It’s a pretty far walk, but if you have a car or have a friend with a car, you’ll love it. You’ll need these places.
I. Love. Sleep. I always have, and going to college made me love and appreciate it even more. Those people who say “sleep is for the weak” clearly never had an 8 am three times a week. The only bad thing about college is your sleep schedule will get wrecked. Going to bed at 2 am, getting up at 7:30 am, then taking a nap at 2 pm… something like that usually becomes the normal routine. No matter how your schedule turns out, just always remember to get enough sleep.
If I had to give any one piece of advice to anyone living in dorms, it would be to get earplugs. The walls are thin and people are assholes. So when you want to take that afternoon nap, but the guy above you wants to vacuum and walk like bigfoot, earplugs will be your savior. I use them every time I take a nap… sometimes I even use a sleeping mask, too.
The water at Sru isn’t the best. It could kill your hair and make you break out, but not if you buy a filtered shower head. My roommate and I bought one and replaced it ourselves (nice thing about residential suites, you only share a bathroom with 1 person). Not only does it protect your hair and skin, but it increases the shower pressure tremendously.
As a college student, you may have some alcohol or other illegal things stored in your dorm room. Like “candles aren’t allowed” but I burn one every day. Definitely, DEFINITELY, hide it in a bin or container you brought yourself when you need to. No one can search anything you brought because it is yours. Try hiding something in a dresser provided by the school, and when inspection time comes you’ll be caught. Not that I’m promoting these illegal things but let’s be real… it’s college.
When looking at housing, SRU makes the traditional dorms seem kind of nice. They help you get the “real” college experience and you’ll be closer with people in your building are two arguments they love. But take it from me, the residential suites are awesome. You have a shower and toilet and sink in your room, along with a fridge. I have a 4 single suite, meaning I have my own bedroom, I share a bathroom with one person, and I have a full sized fridge with a kitchen area and living room. That’s my dorm room. It is basically an apartment.
There are so many things we’re told when coming to Slippery Rock… like wear green and white on Fridays and “rub the rock” for good luck. Honestly, people wear green and white every day and no one does it specifically for Friday, unless you’re in green and white society. And I actually heard once I got to Slippery Rock that you should never rub the rock.
The ARC is the gym on campus. We pay for it in our tuition, so use it. It’s a beautiful facility with new equipment with a workout room, multiple gyms, a pool, an indoor track, a spinning room, and free fitness classes. Everyone should try to take advantage of this gym.
So there’s a bus, called The Happy Bus, that runs on and off campus. No, it is not happy. It’s a regular school bus and usually people on it look miserable. But when having a class in McKay or needed a ride off campus, it’s necessary. We’re actually very lucky to have a bus service, but not as many people take advantage of the bus like they should. I know I’ll be using it in the snow this semester!
Ah, Building F. The nicest building, with the biggest rooms, but the farthest walk. No one tells you how far it is until you get there and see it yourself. I’m blessed to not live there, but I’ve talked to people who do, and it sucks. It was originally built for graduate students so it is further away from the regular residential dorms. The only thing that makes this building better is the fact that it is the nicest out of all the dorms.
Can you believe that? SRU? A dry campus? It has a pretty great party reputation for it being a dry campus. This is because all of the drinking is really done at our off campus housing. The Grove, Ivy, Heights, South Rock… all great party venues. Despite the fact that it’s a dry campus, drinking still happens behind closed doors.
It is weirder to dress up for class than it would be to dress down. I love this. I think everyone’s on the same page that we all just want to be comfortable. If you feel good in jeans, wear ‘em! If you like sweats, wear ‘em! If you just rolled out of bed and don’t want to change out of your PJ’s, wear ‘em! No one cares and no one judges. College is cool like that.
I have gone out in yoga pants before and been perfectly fine. Don’t dress up to impress people, because really, no one cares. Dress up if you want to strut your stuff a little extra one night. When it comes down to it, we’re all just there to have a good time. So where what you want and have the time of your life.
The Grove is a great party spot off campus, but can be tricky to get into. They just put a parking policy in place, so now you can’t even park there without a pass. Even walking in is hard, as you need your ID and someone who lives there to sign you in. Sometimes, if people are nice enough, you can ask to hop in their car through the gate and they’ll let you. But like I said previously, people are assholes. The ivy, the heights, and South Rock all have strict parking, but are very easy to get in to.
Whether you’re a resident or a commuter, parking absolutely sucks. There are not enough spots and the campus police give tickets out left and right. I have a parking pass and still have paid $90 in tickets. Some people never even purchase a pass and don’t get ticketed. Then some people with a pass have to park 10 minutes away from their building. Honestly, I’ve parked in a 15-minute parking spot all day before and never got a ticket. It’s all about learning how to work the system!
College can be a lot different than you’d expect. But whether that’s good or bad, it’s still a learning experience. Those are only 20 of the many things no one tells you about your freshman year at Slippery Rock. I guess you’ll just have to enroll to find out the rest!
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