What it’s like being a Rutgers freshman

How’s college going? That’s a loaded question. I could tell you about the headaches from midterms, and the headaches from hangovers, and the headaches from RU screws… and I could tell you about the fun I’m having, and the people I’m meeting, and that in the midst of it all, I really am learning so much more than I imagined was possible, whether it’s educational or about myself.

I mean, this is kind of like practicing for Christmas dinner, when I will be surrounded by relatives asking me the same question: “how was your first semester of college?” To be honest, I don’t know where to begin. But luckily, this year’s answers will be much more interesting compared to last year’s when they asked me where I wanted to attend school, and I responded with “I honestly have no idea.” Although my semester technically isn’t over with yet, I’ve already got plenty of stories, highlights, and memories I can look back on and think, yeah, college is amazing.

When people ask you about college, they really just want to know about the frat parties, underage drinking, and drug use going on. I can answer those questions, and be brutally honest. Or, of course, I could entertain you with all of the facts about how great my school is, our academic ranking, our great internship programs, and all the clubs I’m trying to join. I don’t mind talking about either.

Move-in day

So here I am on move-in day, super impressionable with no idea what to expect of the adventure ahead of me. I had been waiting for move in day for what seemed like forever. All of my friends from my hometown had left already, and it was just down to me, impatiently waiting to be moved into school already. Remembering move-in day really isn’t that difficult. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago. I can promise you that the scariest part of moving into college is watching your family leave: I remember the exact moment they were gone, and suddenly feeling scared, excited, and confused. I laid in my bed, all alone, and kept thinking to myself holy shit this is happening.

The first frat party

Here I am on the night of move-in day. My friends and I went out to our first frat party. We were those freshmen that showed up at 10:30 p.m., obviously in crop tops, and my one friend even went to knock on the front door to get in. Basically, we did everything you could possibly do wrong.

My first football game

I’ll never forget my first Rutgers football game. Obviously, I had a great time with my friends – because how could you not? The chants were really easy to learn and seemed to get everyone going, even though I remember it being super hot out. By the end of the game, we were all drenched in sweat, which wouldn’t be the first time we were drenched at a game.

The stadium

I remember my first time walking into the High Point Solution Stadium. I was so impressed by how big it was, and so excited about my decision to attend such a large school. I’d say that one of the most memorable games of the season was this year’s Blackout game against Michigan. Even though we lost 78 to 0 and were soaked by the rain, the turnout was insane and everyone still had so much fun.

Dages

As if parties at night weren’t enough, there are parties during the day too. I’m a nerd so I didn’t know that was a thing until I came here.

Beware of Brower

When you come to Rutgers, everyone will tell you to beware of Brower. And you’re going to ask yourself, can it really be that bad? The answer is yes, yes it can. I did not eat the first week of school. After having home cooked meals my entire life, transitioning to Brower was very difficult. However now I can confidently admit I am obsessed with bite night and sub night and whatever other take out nights there are. To be completely honest, I don’t care what I eat any more I’m just starving and tired of eating bagged popcorn to survive.

Halloweekend

My first night of Halloweekend was weird, to say the least. At this specific party, I vividly remember there being a lot of people dressed up as bananas and chickens. Being unprepared to go out that night, I was forced to get creative with my costume. I ended up being dressed as an evil Where’s Waldo/devil hybrid.

Now, the rest of Halloweekend went a bit differently. The second night of Halloweekend, we paid girls to be our ratio so that I could get my boyfriend in, and then had to pay again once the frat guys approached us at the door. So basically, if you’re a guy, getting into parties is a process and when it comes to going out I am so thankful I was born a girl. Also, since my boyfriend and I were dressed as Jasmine and Aladdin, continuously throughout the night people kept screaming “goals” at us – which was quite the experience.

Playa Bowls > Everything 

If you come to Rutgers, and you don’t already know what Playa Bowls are, then you need to find out and get one asap. My friend and I were already huge fans of Playa Bowls, and when we found out they were on campus, we were ecstatic. They might seem a little pricey for what they are (ranging between $9-$12) but believe me, they’re so worth it.

Coffee addiction

As a coffee addict, finding a place to get the perfect caramel macchiato was a struggle. I used to drink coffee every single day back in my hometown, but now I don’t because first of all, I don’t have a paycheck anymore and secondly, I don’t know where to go. Halfway through the semester I still don’t have money, and I still don’t really know where to go, but every once in a while I settle with the seemingly endless walk to the Barnes and Noble and buy a coffee.

The appearance of the random cupcake

After one of our first nights out, I woke up the next morning with this plush cupcake in my bed. I don’t know who’s it is, how it got there, or why it got there, but my roommate and I have adopted her as our own and named her Malibu.

And random shoes and wet socks

So apparently, random things have a habit of magically appearing in our room. Just the other day, someone’s salmon pink crocs were in our room. I don’t know who wears crocs anymore, but I know they aren’t mine, I know they aren’t my roommate’s, and I know they aren’t any of my friend’s. There was even one day where my roommate and I kept coming back to our dorm only to find wet socks on our door handle – which is pretty weird and really gross if you ask me. We never found out who did it.

“That’s my girlfriend”

One time I had to pretend I was dating my roommate to stop a guy she was not interested in from hitting on her. That didn’t work. To be honest, nothing really works when it comes to persistent guys. They just grab you and pull you onto them, and all you can do is awkwardly make an escape.

I learned to Tango

Although, don’t always make your escape so quick because something good may come out of you sticking around for a second. On another night out, a guy grabbed me and taught me to tango while listening to top 40’s remixes. He also attempted to teach me to salsa, but I tripped over my feet about ten times. I’m not coordinated at all and a good amount of jungle juice may have also been involved. Shoutout to him, though, he was pretty good.

Work your ass off

Although I’m having a lot of fun and continuing to keep some stories to myself, I’ve also been working really hard. Being a freshman you need to be able to adjust to the dramatic change as you transition from high school to college. The course load is dramatically different, and much, much harder. Nobody is going to be telling you what to do, and most of the work you have to do yourself.

Lecture halls

Get used to lecture halls. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in them. In classes I like, I sit in the front so I can observe the material. In classes I don’t like, such as psychology, I find myself sitting more towards the back, and sometimes even on the floor. If you want to do well, I seriously recommend sitting close to the front to make the room feel smaller, and the class seem more intimate. Or you could just put in headphones and catch up on Netflix; I see this happening more frequently than you’d expect.

Overview

Thanks to Rutgers, I’ve met some amazing people. To the group of girls I am constantly with – whether we are hanging out in my dorm, getting dinner together, sleeping in each other’s beds, or literally taking showers at the same time – I am so glad we have met, shared so many amazing memories, and have become absolutely inseparable. Out of everything that has happened these past few months, freshman year has introduced me to new best friends that I know I can rely on. And above all, the times I’ve shared with these girls has definitely been my favorite.