- Football is a BIG deal. Despite the common misconception, you do not have to buy the football/basketball combo to get season football tickets. If you don’t buy the combo however, you will have to wait to the beginning of school. In my opinion, just get the tickets (whether you like football or not). It’s a great bonding experience, and is the ironic activity of college. Go to at least one game, and you can always sell your tickets! I also really suggest joining Tiger’s Lair, the student cheering section. It was the best $10.00 I’ve spent!
- Be friendly! Don’t just leave your door open, go introduce yourself. Try to at least say, “Hi,” to everyone on your floor. I’m sad to say that there are still a few people on my floor who I don’t recognize! Get active in your floor. If you see someone being shy invite them to dinner! You never know how cool they could be. I recently found out that this sophomore Greg on my floor, ran a marathon, with pneumonia.
- Stock up on expensive nonperishable’s like Kleenex, Shampoo, etc. If you can’t get to Walmart it can be expensive to have to restock every three months or so. Also, get your hair cut the day before you get to college. The longer you can hold off on beauty maintenance, the better. Girls, don’t be shy about dying your hair in the communal bathrooms either – everyone does it.
- Buy and sell your books online. The university bookstore has an “early bird” special where they’ll compile all the books you need. It’s convenient, but expensive. You’re not guaranteed used books either. Also, when selling books back online is usually the way to go. I tried to sell a set of books back and they offered me $11 for all four books! I looked up the price online, I could sell one book for $20! Sometimes the bookstore works out, but don’t limit yourself and always look for alternatives. If you’re taking a lab course though, make sure you buy the lab book new because you’ll write in it!
At the PostSecret event they gave away a bunch of free postcards. We didn't write secrets down, but we had a fun time crafting and making postcards to send home! That's another thing, bring craft supplies; you'll use them more than you think!
- Stop by the Mizzou box office and see what events are going on. I’ve always wanted to go to a PostSecret event, and this year I got to! So many performers come to campus that you definitely want to get tickets early! Also, take time to explore downtown. There are a lot of cute stores!
- Take your keys with you EVERYWHERE. It’s not uncommon for kids to get locked out of their rooms in just a towel and shower caddy because their roommates left. It’s a pain for both of you. In the older halls you only get three “freebies” before they start charging you to open the door. Even if you can just call up your roommate, they’ll get annoyed if they continuously have to come open the door for you.
- Take notes by hand. In my case, I’ve found that bringing your computer to class is 9 times out of 10 more distracting than helpful – to everyone. Facebook will always be there, but most profesors don’t publish notes!
After Obama got elected we went on a mini-adventure to go celebrate with our peers!
- Be adventurous! Take advantage of silly trips, because they can be really fun. You’ll hear about more fun places when you get here, but you must see the Big Tree. It’s about a 20 minute drive, but the Big Tree is an impressive sight. It has a circumference of NINE people. Also, come Christmas time make sure you go to the Magic Tree. Ask around, someone will give you directions to get to these places.
- Form study groups! I made so many friends just getting together to study. And NOT at the library. I hear you have to be quiet there, and where is the fun in that? A lot of halls now have study rooms on each floor and in the downstairs lounges. You can play charades to learn Spanish vocab without having to worry about people Ssshhing you.
- People may joke that anytime someone takes out a camera that they must be a freshman, but you’ll want to remember all the good times you’re having. Bring a digital camera and take lots of pictures! My scrapbook is expanding exponentially!
The semester has zoomed by! Mizzou has definitely become home to me! Sure, you’ll get homesick, overwhelmed, and broke, but it’s worth it!
2 comments:
Great post Kelly. Why don't you enable the follower function for your blog so other blog readers can follow your recent posts and link to you? I'll sign up!
Hey Kelly, fan of your blog! I thought I would inform you about the bookstore (since I used to work there). I'm not trying to sound pro-bookstore or anything, I just wanted to help your readers out with the whole textbooks issue :o)
The bookstore Earlybird Textbook Reservation program, as you mentioned, is convenient. It allows students to have their books boxed up and ready for them to pick up the week before classes start. The reason they can't absolutely guarantee used books is because, like any other college bookstore, they run out (Mizzou's bookstore is the second largest Used-book provider in the country). So the earlier the student signs up, the better chance for used ^.^ As for being expensive, it gets expensive if a student gets all or mostly new books. Also, textbook prices are rising as a result of tuition hikes, therefore even online books will not always be cheaper. Earlybird itself is a free service offered by University Bookstore, so there's no extra fees.
Returning books for 100% refund only occurs during the first two weeks of class. It will drop after that (following Mizzou's tuition-refund policies). By shopping at University Bookstore, students are guaranteed to have the correct editions, as well as the ability to return any books the teacher decides to change during the semester. I've heard you cannot return anything you bought from Amazon, Ebay or Half.com since it comes directly from another person, who wouldn't want it back, so the student would be stuck with that book.
As for buyback, it is conducted during the last week of classes and throughout all of Finals week. Students can sell a book for 50% of the books current new price IF and ONLY IF the book has been adopted/requested for a class for the following semester. If not, there is still a chance to sell it, as the buyback people buy for other providers besides University Bookstore.
Again, not trying to slam anybody or pick sides, I'm just trying to inform anyone and everyone who reads your blog. I do agree that students should be aware they have alternatives to University Bookstore when purchasing school supplies and books. I myself had purchased books online before I worked at the bookstore and got "the low-down". Keep up the good work on your blog, hope to hear more from you (o:
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