Every Spartan’s rookie mistakes

Freshman year: we’ve all been there. While it may be an exciting time – a new you in a new place full of new people – some classic freshy mistakes are inevitable. Being a new student at Michigan State University this year, I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing moments, and I’ve watched plenty of others do the same.

Some are funny; most are just unfortunate. Where do I even begin?

Finding the right building

I remember very vividly my first day of classes on this enormous campus. I left an hour early for a class that was 30 minutes away, just to be safe. I’m just that kind of person.

Anyway, I had my Spartan Guide app up on my phone to search for Bessey Hall (sooo freshman). Naturally, I was assuming big letters would cover the building to help me find my way, but I went in a circle three consecutive times before realizing it was the white plain building directly in front of me. I only found this out after I asked a boy walking down the street, “Hey, where’s Bessey Hall?” and he pointed to the building right beside me and said, “Uh, right there.”

I think I made a great impression. Not embarrassing at all.

Biking on campus

Let’s start here. Now, I’m not saying that riding a bike on this busy campus is a mistake (okay, I kind of am). It might just be because I am personally not coordinated enough to successfully maneuver my bike to avoid every oblivious person on the Shaw sidewalk. I’ll admit it, I’ve ran into another biker with my bike. Yep, I was that person. In my defense I gave her the “I’m going this way” eyes and head nod, but she neglected these signs and came right toward me instead.

I tried to laugh off the collision, but she seemed legitimately frightened – maybe because a large group of students saw this all go down. I went on my way, acting as if nothing had happened…but to be honest, I haven’t ridden my bike since. Scarred.

One-way streets

There are multiple issues with my unawareness of which roads are one-ways. I find myself looking the wrong direction before crossing the street, and start to walk before realizing oh yeah, the cars are coming from that direction, as I narrowly avoid death by CATA.

Another issue arose when my friend borrowed another girl’s car and drove through campus for the first time. The car was soon filled with shouts from us (the backseat drivers) yelling things like, “YOU CAN’T TURN HERE,” or “STOP A CAR IS COMING,” or “DUDE THIS IS A ONE-WAY WHAT ARE YOU DOING.” …And that’s why I didn’t take the wheel.

Leaving the dorm in themed-party wear

Living in a dorm has many downsides, and this is just one of those unfortunately inevitable situations. Leaving the dorm at 9pm in a Hawaiian shirt and wearing a fanny pack is bound to get you some looks – or let’s throw it back to Halloween weekend when we had to walk through the lobby on a Sunday night as a witch, a devil, or a cat.

While most people were writing essays or working on WebWork, we rolled through decked out like your typical sorority girls on a holiday. Mildly awkward.

Being oblivious about local restaurants

One of the easiest ways to spot a newbie is if you hear, “What’s Conrad’s?” or “I’ve never heard of Hopcat,” or “I haven’t had Insomnia, is it good?”

Spartans of most ages will probably look at you with utter confusion, because those are just things everyone should know here in East Lansing. While I’ve still never been to Conrad’s – crazy, I know – I’ve learned that it’s an MSU staple when it comes to late nights out on Grand River. I’ve also learned that Hopcat has killer fries and that Insomnia cookies are probably the major source of the dreaded freshman fifteen.

I could go on and on about the embarrassing moments we’ve all likely experienced here at MSU, whether it be asking where the Union is (again) or pronouncing M.A.C. Street like “Mack Street.” We’ve all been there. But the older we get, the more we might look back on our first year here and miss our naive younger selves. Freshman year is full of mistakes – some funny, some outright terrible – but it’s one of the most memorable years of our lives. So, embrace being a freshy. Your rookie mistakes will be funny someday.

Probably.