How to actually survive your freshman year at JMU

Welcome back, Dukes. And for incoming freshmen, welcome to the greatest school on earth and the best four years of your life. There’s no better place you can be than JMU, but here are some pointers for how to get by.

Don’t be afraid to talk to people

JMU is known for its reputation as a friendly campus. Everyone here is extremely welcoming and warm hearted, especially toward our new Dukes. Even after you’ve established your main group of friends, don’t limit yourself. You never know what lifelong friend may come from that simple “hi.”

Find your study niche

Personally, Carrier is my second home. Quiet spaces to get work done diligently and there’s a Starbucks downstairs – what else could a girl need? If you’re looking for total silence, the upper levels of Carrier and ECL are good places to go. For a little background noise, the Student Success Center and TDU have a good atmosphere. Not to mention Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Auntie Anne’s are conveniently located at each of these locations (this is why we have UREC). SSC also offers various Learning Centers such as the University Writing Center and the Science and Math Learning Center, which are really great ways to review papers, have help with homework and get assistance in any other assignment you may be struggling with.

Go to office hours

Our highly rated professors are more than teachers – they are mentors with your success in their best interest. Your professors are not mind readers, so they don’t know when something isn’t clicking for you. Go to them and express your concerns with a certain topic or exam and they will be happy to help you through whatever you may not understand. It’s also important to build a relationship with each of your professors because they are here for you, and can even help you out with great recommendation letters in the future.

 Get to the dining hall before the lunch rush

Try to get to lunch before everyone empties out of classes and into popular places like Dukes, Top Dog and SSC. Places start to fill up fast around noon, so if you have a class that goes a little later try to get friends to save you a seat so you don’t have to stalk people waiting for them to leave their table. Quizno’s in Mr. Chips is almost never full, so although not as glamorous as the Bistro at SSC it’s always an option.

Avoid eye contact at all costs

When you walk through the commons there will always be people handing out flyers, buttons or some other random trinkets you don’t actually want or need. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to promote your organization and get people to join, but getting bombarded by 10 people handing you pens and informational sheets at once gets real old, real fast. I like to rely on the good old ‘look down and shuffle quickly’ method to get through without a scrape.

Go to group fitness classes at UREC

One of my favorite aspects of our gym is the variety of fitness classes offered. UREC has many different options including yoga, body sculpt and cycling. I love the cardio dance party and kickboxing classes because it’s a super fun way to get a full body workout. They are free classes (still got tuition but whatever) with great instructors, so try them out!

Go to class

You pay thousands of dollars every year to attend an outstanding university with incredible professors, so you might as well learn a little. Trust me, I know how difficult it can be to get out of bed and go to a class where the professor doesn’t take attendance, and I’m definitely guilty of skipping in the past. But I find that even when I tell myself, “it’s all online, I don’t even need to go to class,” I end up not doing as well as I expect – go figure!

Have fun, but not too much fun

It’s no secret that JMU is big in the party scene. If you choose to party, just make sure you are able to find your own balance and limits to keep school first. Even if all of your friends are going out, you may want to reconsider Thirsty Thursday if you have a Friday 8am – getting through an early Bio class is hard enough without a hangover on top of it. On weekends, study during the day so you have time to do whatever you want at night. Hang out in downtown Harrisonburg, go to the puppy farm, skate at Funkey’s or go to Cook Out for the best milkshakes in the world (every night is a good Cook Out night tbh).

Be able to go out without needing a babysitter

If you’d like to go out and drink, be able to control yourself. Everyone wants to have a good time, but it’s hard to dance and socialize when you’re preoccupied with getting your blacked out friend to the bathroom before she throws up. They do it because they love you, but it can get a little pesky. So go out and have fun, but don’t make others watch over you who also want to let loose after a long week of classes.

 Learn how to use the bus system

When you have to get from Memorial to Harrison Hall in less than 15 minutes you’re going to need to rely on a mode of transportation other than your own legs. The bus system seems a little confusing at first, but definitely get the JMU Bus App – it tells you what busses are going where, and precise times they will be arriving at each location. JMU transportation also goes off campus to places such as Walmart and the Valley Mall, but make sure you check the bus times on weekends because there are fewer buses that run, especially in the evening.

Forget makeup, sleep an extra 10 minutes

When you have to wake up for an early morning class, sometimes the extra sleep might overrule makeup for the day and that’s completely acceptable. In high school people care a lot more about what their peers think, whereas in college they could care less whether you used mascara or not that day. Rocking the no-makeup look is honestly amazing, especially if that means sleeping a little longer.

Find where you can call home

There are countless clubs and organizations to choose from here at JMU. From Math Club to Intramurals, there is something for everyone. Having a community to feel comfortable in is essential to finding your own home, so play the field and try different groups until you find what suits you.

Go to Dog Pound when you need a cinnamon bun at 1:30am

For late night food cravings, Dog Pound is the place to go. Located at a window next to Top Dog, its menu includes cookies, pretzels, cinnamon buns, pizza, nachos and more. Personally, I recommend the chocolate chip cookie and chocolate milk combo, which is actually amazing. You may run into some drunk people stumbling up the stairs to get their prized nachos – but hey, it’s food and a show, what could be better?

If you hear the train, run

Village residents know the sweet sound of a passing train all too well. There are train tracks that run through campus right by Mr. Chips and Godwin, and whether it’s 6am or 3:30pm, if the train comes it will never fail to either wake you up or make you late to class. If you need to cross the tracks to get to class and hear a train coming, try to get across before it arrives because you never know how long it will take to pass. Sometimes it can take as long as five or 10 minutes before the gates rise and students scurry to their classes as quickly as they can.

Use extra punches to stock up on snacks

If you do not use all of your punches in a week, don’t let them go to waste. To use up those extra punches, go to Dukes or Festival and grab some yogurts, fruit, chips, etc. This is especially useful for anyone with 19 or even 14 punches a week, as people with those plans tend to have extras. You can also spend any remaining dining dollars left over at the end of the semester to buy food or toiletries at SSC Pod Market or a cute mug at Starbucks.

Most importantly: Don’t stress

College is an exciting and scary time, so it will take some time to adjust and get used to a new routine. Classes are harder than they were in high school, but don’t let them overtake you. Make time to de-stress a little by hanging out with friends, watching Netflix, going to the gym or whatever calms you. Don’t drive yourself crazy over a bad test grade or the inability to understand a subject matter. Although it may sound bad now, sometimes getting a C in an impossibly hard class is alright. Pick yourself up, go to office hours to see what went wrong, and do better on the next exam. It may be a process of trial and error, but that’s what your first year is for – seeing what works for you, and how you handle stress in a responsible way.

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JMU is truly a one of a kind place, so enter with an open heart and mind and get ready to find your home away from home. Once a Duke, always a Duke.