I wish I had known.....

I felt that I was pretty prepared for Iowa State and college life. I was lucky enough to get to “practice” ahead of time for college life this summer while I was at a university in China. I had talked to many of my friends who were older about what to bring, what to expect, etc. However, there were definitely some things I would have liked to know before I came here. The first one being that I should not expect or plan on going to bed at any time before 11. It just isn’t plausible with roommates coming in and out, people in the halls, and last minute homework details. I have always been a night owl, so the late hours don’t necessarily bother me, but I am not a morning person at all and need at least 8 hours to be pleasant in the morning. In fact, it is currently a Thursday night after 11 as I write this. In the past, I have always chosen to go to bed early, so my mornings run smoothly.

Another thing I wish I had known about was the intense scheduling I would need to do. I have always been an organized person. I use my planner and make sure I can plan for my day according to the various things I have going on or the homework assignments that are due. This year however, I have had to go so far as to schedule out my whole day ahead of time to get everything accomplished in one day. There are so many meetings for various clubs and organizations, classes, studying, homework, eating, going to the gym, and of course hanging out with friends that needs to be done every day. The first week I just used my planner, but I was afraid I would miss something important by forgetting to turn the pages back to see my big calendar every day. The second week I bought a big laminated calendar that I could hang up on my wall and look at every morning, but that got confusing, and it was impossible to organize. Finally, I resorted to scheduling my whole day out on my computer and leaving it open all the time. It has worked thus far. I am by no means going to rigidly stick to it, of course, but it does provide the organization I need and is easy to look at.

I thought I had everything I needed when I moved in, but when I went home for Labor Day weekend, I ended up bringing an entire carload of things back with me that I thought I would need. It was like I moved in all over again. It was just that I wasn’t sure when the next time I would go home would be, so I wanted to make sure I had enough sweaters and jeans for when the weather begins to cool down. Everyone had told me not to take too many clothes because I wouldn’t have enough room for them, but it turns out that I have a rather large wardrobe in my room. I also didn’t realize that my high school notes would come in handy, especially in these fast paced courses. I dug them out over the weekend and brought them back with me. They will really help me during my math classes because I can’t always remember the little details that I have already learned that my professors aren’t necessarily covering during their lectures.

Looking back at when I signed up for housing, I realize I was very naïve. I was looking through the descriptions of the various residence halls. I remembered hearing that Union Drive was near the engineering college, so that was where I wanted to live. I discovered that Eaton and Martin had suites where I could have my own bathroom and only have to share with three or five other girls. I thought it would be so nice not having to walk down the hall just to use the bathroom or shower, so these were the residence halls I signed up for. I put Friley and Maple on the bottom of my list since I knew Eaton and Martin would fill up fast. It never occurred to me that the suites would be more expensive than everywhere else. I just thought it was first come first serve and everywhere was the same price. I ended up getting one of the most expensive dorm rooms on campus because we have a loft. It’s really nice, but I wish I would have thought it through before I signed up though. I will definitely be downgrading for next year!