Every struggle NC State students will face in their four years here

Being an NC State student is awesome, but there are also some downsides

All true NC State students have a certain pride for our school. We respect the university, support all of our sports teams (even when they make it really hard to) and we’re always howling with Wolfpack pride.

However, there are also certain struggles of being an NC State student that everyone knows and experiences in their four (or five) years here.

Riding the Wolfline

The Wolfline seems like a great means of transportation to get you around campus, but if you’ve ever actually been on one of the buses, you know it comes with its challenges. If all the seats are full and you have to stand, you should go ahead and prepare for your fall.

Buses are constantly last-minute braking for pedestrians or making quick turns, so when you have to stand, you are practically doomed. And if you get the chance to sit down, you’ll be squished in on both sides and someone will probably be standing on your toes.

Dodging the skateboarders

You can’t walk anywhere on campus without hearing the dreaded sound of skateboard tires rolling against the bricks. You have to stay constantly alert for who’s going to be whirring by you and cutting you off; otherwise, you’ll most likely suffer from an awkward collision.

Avoiding the Brickyard Badgerers

If you have to walk through the brickyard – and trust me, you will, seeing as it is the central point of campus – you have to learn superior avoidance techniques. Whether it’s the brickyard preacher, a campus organization, or someone trying to promote an outside group, there will always be someone yelling for your attention and trying to hand you a flyer or convince you to buy a baked good. Throw in your earphones, keep your head down and speed walk your way through it or you’ll end up with business cards and flyers that you’ll have to throw away.

The 15-minute cross-campus dash

Let’s face it, we have a pretty large, spread out campus. Undoubtedly, at least one semester you will be forced to schedule classes on opposite sides of campus 15 minutes apart. Your inner track star will break out and you’ll learn all the best shortcuts on campus. You could just ride the Wolfline, but you already know that’s a struggle in itself. Keep your eyes out for skateboards and your head down in the brickyard and you just might make it to class on time.

Finding the perfect spot in D.H. Hill

D.H. Hill is our main campus library, so you’d expect it to be an oasis of quiet, study space. Unfortunately, this is almost never the case. Unless you ride the elevator way up in the book stacks, you’ll have a hard time finding the perfect space.

Every table, computer and whiteboard is usually occupied on the main level, and even when it’s not, there’s always the inconvenience of the noise level. A lot of groups meet in the commons area, so it’s definitely a talkative spot.

Waiting for Chick-fil-A

If you aren’t prepared to stand in line for 15 minutes waiting for a chicken sandwich, then you should probably pick a new venue for lunch. Chick-fil-A lines are always wrapped around the building unless you find the perfect time to go. If you’re in a hurry to get to class, you’re going to have to pick something else to eat or else you’ll probably be pretty late.

Finding your classroom in Winston/Caldwell/Tompkins

Every student has faced the awkwardness of searching for your classroom in either Winston, Caldwell, or Tompkins Hall. Whose idea was it to connect these three buildings together and to number them all in different ways? This is definitely one of the most confusing places on campus.

Each building has “G” level classrooms and then the numbering starts like normal on the next floor up, but good luck finding the stairs. It never fails that in the first week of classes these halls are filled with students wandering around with confused faces. If you’re in CHASS and know these buildings like the back of your hand, it’d be nice to help out the rookies.

When Moodle shuts down…

…your whole word does, too. For almost every class, you will have homework on Moodle. It’s best not to wait until the last minute because it frequently shuts down and teachers will have no mercy.

Tripping over the bricks

When your campus is made pretty much entirely of bricks and one of your traditions is to steal a brick, you know you’ll be tripping a lot. You learn to keep your eye out for uneven bricks, but even a veteran will experience a trip every now and then. The best thing to do is just walk it off casually. Even if people witnessed it, they won’t be judging you because they’ve done it too.

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