20 Things No One Tells You About Freshman Year At The University Of South Florida

Freshman year at The University of South Florida is both exciting and challenging. Freshman year is full of new opportunities, but can be hard to navigate. There are plenty of things no one tells you about, but fortunately, I made it through my freshman year at The University of South Florida and have a lot of useful tips for you!

1. Time management is more important than you think.

For me, public high school was a breeze. I was the nerdy girl with three-inch-thick binders and honor roll ribbons. I never prepared for much because I felt like I didn’t need to. But this year really tested me— both figuratively and literally.  I learned that sometimes you should study for a test a week in advance. Sometimes you must dedicate hours upon hours in a cold library to ensure a good grade. Sometimes you should communicate with your professors instead of hiding behind your textbook all year. As much as people joke about procrastination, it isn’t very funny when you’re cramming for a test the night before. And college is already stressful enough, so don’t spend it stressing over deadlines.

2. You will miss your parents’ cooking way more than you would expect.

People always tell you that you’ll miss your parents and the security they lovingly offer, but not many students think about how much they will miss their parents’ cooking. Whenever I come back from break, I bring with me truckloads of leftovers for my friends and they eat it all before I can get my hands on them. And as for your parents themselves: it might have been cool to be distant from them in high school, but as a new adult, getting life advice is probably the thing you need most and who best to deliver it than the adults who gave you that life?

3. Sometimes the dining halls are worse than you imagined.

I wasn’t joking about the cooking. It’s not even cute. Take a look at #freshissketch on Facebook page.

4. You will get Post High School Sadness

Post High School Sadness is a condition where you miss the security and warmth of home and high school. Even if you weren’t Homecoming Queen every year or the star quarterback, you will find yourself missing the lack of responsibility you could coast on in high school. It’s really hard to adjust to a place where you suddenly have to figure out how to live on your own. But the only way to cure PHSS is to go out and make new friends, whether that be hosting movie nights in your dorm’s lounge or just doing it the old fashion way and stopping someone to say hello. No matter what you decide to do, PHSS will fade with time as you become more comfortable at USF.

5. You will find yourself turning into a coupon cutting scavenger for free stuff.

USF has a lot of on campus events that serve free food and entertainment so you’ll find yourself running towards the next free event like you’re Usain Bolt, but instead of a record-breaking medal, you get a free lunch and a T-shirt from an event you now hardly remember. So as expensive as college is, it’s easy to find free or cheap stuff at USF. During finals week, they brought llamas on campus to help students destress after studying. And there’s always different organizations selling really cheap food and coffee for really good causes, like to help abused animals or raise awareness for a certain cause. Pretty soon, you’ll have this radar for it and know all the hot spots for where to find all the free merch.

6. You’ll find that you forgot things you didn’t even think you needed.

I was lucky to have an older sister who already went through the dreaded college dorm packing. Everyone remembers the obvious stuff like pillows, blankets, and Ramen. But if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me for simple things like glue or scissors, I’d be rich. Remember to leave no stone unturned while packing. If you don’t think you’ll need it, trust me. You and your floormates probably will.

7. Your long distance, long term high school relationship might actually pull through.

I know. I’m shocked I’m saying it myself, but against all odds, long distance may have a chance. My roommate has had a boyfriend for four years and they go to different colleges. She still Skypes him every night and the two watch movies and sing songs together. It’s the most sickeningly cute thing I’ve ever seen.  So even though all odds may be against you and your significant other back home, with hard work and lots of long Skype calls, it’s possible to make long distance work. But even my incredibly single self knows that long distance college relationships take trust— more trust than one could think physically possible. But if you have trust and lots of patience, then maybe your relationship can actually last.

8. Not many people have heard of our herd, so you’ll find yourself explaining over and over where USF’s exact location is and what our mascot is to jog their memory.

No one knows about us because throwing a ball made of a pig skin isn’t our school’s number one priority. So you’ll find a confused expression staring back at you as you explain to your older relative that USF is in Tampa and yes, the “S” does stand for South. Even though it seems like we go to school in Narnia, as soon as you tell people about how awesome USF is, they’ll want to start attending even though they just found out about it two seconds ago.

9. People will constantly try and tell you what to do.

Before you start college, everyone is going to map out your entire four years in one drawn out lecture. There is no escaping it, so just let the advice come flooding in and see if it’ll help you. But when it comes down to your career and what you want to dedicate your time to, do not let anyone boss you around. This is not your parent’s experience, this is not your sister’s, your brother’s, your friend’s experience. Freshman year and what you decide to major in are experiences that belong to you and you alone. Have confidence in yourself and your choices, because no one can go to college for you.

10. Join a sport.

Other than school and new friends, you’ll find that you have more free time than you think. Instead of watching Netflix and shoving cookie dough into my mouth, I thought that I should spend my time doing something worthwhile. I was never particularly athletic, but it’s important to stay in shape during college and I thought that intramural sports would be my answer. I had always thought that fencing was pretty cool since I had seen it in films and on the Olympics and I thought that I would give it a try. USF supplied the equipment and membership was totally free. When I attended my first practice, I was so incredibly nervous that I hardly had the courage to open the door. But I’m so glad I opened that door because I met these crazy, awesome friends who I look forward to knowing better, and I found a sport that I love. I’m not saying you’ll see me in the Olympics anytime soon, but I now look forward to practice every week. So don’t be afraid to throw yourself out of your comfort zone.

11. You will meet weirdest, coolest people in the strangest, funniest situations.

As I watched my friend twerk and perform magic tricks in the dining hall, I thought about how happy I was that I met someone so wonderfully weird. He had bonded with me over food, the greatest conversation starter, and we have been talking ever since. Sometimes people like him will come up to you and have the most outlandish conversation, and that strange event can blossom into a new friendship. Another friend I met was through a new experience. I found myself going to an event I would never normally attend, a tuba festival, and I met one of the coolest guys there. I now consider him a close friend and it’s only been a semester. If you just sit in a place that people walk through like a dorm lounge, people are more than willing to start conversations with you. It’s a big campus, so don’t be shy.

12. The people you meet at orientation are usually people you never see again.

They are people you avoid in dining halls and maybe watch their snap stories but it’s just hard to keep in touch sometimes even though they are on the same campus. Both of you feel too weird to be the first to reach out and the connection just dies. It happens. No hard feelings.

13. You don’t have to join Greek life to fit in.

Joining a frat or sorority won’t make you better than anyone else and just because you wear Greek letters doesn’t mean you will automatically fit in. You might know where a lot of parties are and it’s a good way to meet new people. But don’t expect college to be like the movies, with sorority girls ruling the campus as they claw and scratch at each other as they clamber up the social ladder and frat boys crushing beer cans on their foreheads as they chant a series of Greek letters you never heard of. A lot of Greek life involves philanthropy work, so if that sounds like something you would dedicate your time to, be my guest. But do not assume that Greek life makes you socially superior.

14. A lot of work goes into keeping your room clean.

Sometimes it’s easy to be messy. Leaving clothes laying around and empty dishes by your bed might have been fine when you had your own room, but now that you share with someone else, you should tidy up your pigsty. The best way to do this is to set up a cleaning schedule with your roommate and try and clean a bit every week. It’ll be annoying for both of you, but neither of you will regret it the RA stops by for room checks.

15. People in college are way more open about their intentions.

When you go to your first college party, it’s important to know what you’re in for. You should never go drinking alone if you decide to drink. Even if you’re just planning on stopping by and not drinking, go with a friend, especially if you’re going to a frat party. The kinds of boys you would meet at a frat party are either too inebriated to function or trying to chat up girls with cheap beer. Some of these boys are very frank with their intentions and what they want. I was surprised at the candidness of college boys specifically, who do not hesitate or beat around the bush, sober or otherwise.

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16. Carry something to defend yourself.

Now for the serious stuff. Walking around campus at night can be dangerous. USF has a golf cart service that carries students around at night, but it’s always good to be prepared. Pepper spray isn’t very expensive and easy to conceal, perfect for long walks alone. Although USF is generally a safe campus, it is still technically open to the public. No one likes to talk about disasters  that could happen, so being prepared and proactive is the best way to prevent them entirely.

17. Explore the city outside your campus.

Getting to know campus is essential, but exploring the surrounding city is important. Having a car is good for exploring and it can be nice to eat outside your normal dining hall grub. There’s nothing more fun than finding hidden gems in your city with new college friends.

18. Save your dining dollars!

I’m not saying don’t eat to save money, but sometimes you can put the saved money towards some cool stuff. My friend saved up all his dining dollars and bought a long board at the P.O.D. Market on campus. Use the leftover money to treat yourself for all your hard work this semester.

19. We worship Judy Genshaft.

Before you attend USF, make sure you know that Judy Genshaft is our university president. Every student probably has a shrine to her somewhere and there are so many memes about her, it’s a little weird. One of my friends literally started hyperventiliating when Judy stood within five feet of her. I wasn’t sure who she was and was very confused when students started praising a woman I never met. But she’s honestly so wonderful and sweet, so I guess I was converted into the Judy fan club.

20. No one else knows what they’re doing either.

It may seem like everyone else but you knows what they’re doing. But they don’t. Everyone changes their majors and suffers through all-nighters just like you. Every other freshman is just as confused as you. If you’re anything like me and enroll into college as an exploratory and undecided major, you will realize that you aren’t alone. As you sit through required exploratory courses encouraging you to follow your dreams, but only if it fits into your Myers-Briggs personality type, you’ll look around the room and see other students just like you. Pained expressions on their faces, wishing they had declared something, anything, if it meant not doing busywork that seemed to have no end. You’ll strike up a conversation because now you have something to mutually complain about, and you will realize that being confused about the future isn’t so bad if it means that other people can be confused with you.

Featured photo source: favim.com and pinterest.com