Everything freshmen at Rutgers now understand

We are literally broke all the time

Class of ’19 – it’s been a rough semester. We’ve got a lot to learn, but we’ve had a rude awakening and come to these main conclusions already:

Time management isn’t just a funny concept our parents warned us about

We had our downfalls. We tried writing our expos papers and submitting them at 11:59 in hopes of getting a good grade. We knew if we spent time on it, we wouldn’t be so scared of receiving an NA paper. Remember when we walked into class not realizing that we had a quiz too? We now spend more time on Sakai then anything making sure we’re on top of our shit because we don’t want to become shit. Procrastinating is still our enemy, but at least we know how we can juggle a paper, a graded homework, and a project all at once while attempting to catch up on Game of Thrones with our friends.

Our best friends in high school may not  be our friends now

Remember how we had vows to visit each other every weekend? Though we know it’s a busy time in our lives, we know we can always catch up after the whole process. Distance has taught us to cherish the ones we were always with. Our roommates aren’t always our best friends either. We realized our true friends here are the ones who don’t mind hearing you complain about your life and always want to hang out even though we can’t.

The freshmen 15 is real

Living in campus, we discovered the vast variety and greatness of foods we have at our hands. Whether we’re eating at the dining hall or using ScarletMenus for a delivery, we all pigged out; especially post-exams. Our parents thought we would have been deprived of foods so they bought as much junk to hold us steady for the year. Takeout is deadly. Fat sandwiches are literally death. If we squeeze in alcohol, at least we know we have gyms to go to.

The bus system isn’t that fucking hard to navigate

Eventually it became as habitual as brushing our teeth in the morning, or afternoon; whenever you fucking get up. But seriously, we all made the mistakes of getting off at the wrong stops, or just taking the wrong bus in general. We all secretly looked at google maps to make sure we were going the right way. No shame, no harm. We learned. Well, at least I hoped we all learned.

We shouldn’t have skipped class

We know once we skip our Gen’ classes for a week, it will just build. We know they’re based on a midterm and final. But sometimes we found sleep was better, or hanging with buddies, maybe just having a movie day to yourself felt good too. We know we can’t cram what we don’t know too. Skipping class is the gateway to failure. Even if we think we knew what we’re doing,  were better off just attending classes.

We are literally broke

Even if we spent $5 on a Starbucks frap, we kicked ourselves for it. All the money spent on coffee to get through class could pay off some student loan debts before they get too big but we really don’t want to think about that too. Even if we have a job, chances are we’ve spent it on a vacation or will spend it on a vacation cause we all know we deserve one for working so hard.

We’re on our own here

Remember back senior year of high school when our guidance counselors were literally on our heads 24/7, or at least during school time about what we want to do, and how to do it? That doesn’t exist here until we reach senior year and have a phone call reminding us that we never completed a requirement needed for our major. No one is telling us what to do. We figured out what worked and what didn’t our first semester, so we adjusted our schedules and classes ourselves. We created a study schedule. We decided on our own to get more help through professors. We talked to advisors. We’re pretty fucking independent now, and it’s great.

We love it here

We were overwhelmed the first day, especially since we weren’t sure if we’d survive but we did and still are. Maybe our first semester didn’t go so well but there are many left to go! There are many opportunities at reach! Whether it’s because of your organization, sports team, sorority/fraternity, or even your hall, we all are family here. We will always be the class of 19′.

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