Tips for Surviving Your Freshman Year
Practicalities: A Heads Up
When I flew home from New Jersey to Florida for first year Christmas break, I realized if college has taught me anything it has taught me that I took many things for granted while living at home. For example: the ability to wake up and get breakfast without having to bundle up with a at least two shirts, long pants, a thick pair of socks, boots, winter jacket, a scarf, gloves, and a hat to brave the cold, the rain, or worse- the cold rain. My advice for soon-to-be college students is to stock up on food for the dorm because there will be times when you don’t want to trek across campus to the dining hall. Also ramen noodles really are a college student’s best friend. At three in the morning when no one will deliver food and you still have an essay to finish, you will be so glad to have ramen.
I also took for granted having a bathroom I didn’t have to compete for at eight in the morning when my roommate, suite-mates, and I all have class at the same time.
On the Job
One of the best things about my college experience, though, has been my time working for the Division of Volunteer Efforts (D.O.V.E.) at Seton Hall. I knew I’d have to get a work/study job when I got to campus, and I was pretty anxious about it. I checked the availability over the summer, and all of the opportunities seemed to be desk work or lab work for “experienced undergraduates.” I was going to bite the bullet and take a job as receptionist in one of the offices when I found out about the work/study position at D.O.V.E. While I still have some office hours, I get to coordinate volunteers for service programs. This past semester I took a group every week to a Cerebral Palsy New Jersey group home for activities and crafts with the residents. I also took another group to the local library weekly for a program called Seton Stories where volunteers read to children. I definitely couldn’t have asked for a more perfectly suited job for me. So, if you need to get a job on campus, don’t despair. If you look around, you should find something that's just the right fit.