Move-In Day can either be a hit or a miss. The worst part is over when you finally chuck the deuces up to your parents as they get back in the car (“Later, guys! No, I totally won’t give in to peer pressure. I’ll def study hard. Love you too!”). Trust me, missing them won’t be as bad as you think. It’s like ripping off a bandaid. Don’t do it slowly or you’ll both cry.

Now, may I be the first to remind you: just because your new friends take full advantage of the free beer and meal plan doesn’t mean you should, too. Keep that cute lil ass of yours in check!

That said, rest assured that everyone is friendly. So be outgoing, Hang out with your God-fearing RA’s rather…um…interesting roomies. Don’t freak out if you don’t instantly click with someone- you’ve got four years to make another impression. And also- this is important!- don’t be weirded out by the idea of tagging along with the crew you meet heading out at the same time as yours. Bigger crews = better fun. By doing this, you’ll make connections for next week as well!

Be prepared to introduce yourself upwards of 35 times whenever you go out. More if the music is nice and loud. Introduce yourself to the cute guy in the backyard of Phi Kappa Gamma if you’re so inclined (it works). And clubs (the school kind) are obviously great places to a) get free food that’s cooked by people instead of the machines in the dining hall and b) meet people with similar interests. Getting involved in every aspect is so much easier than you might have thought.

Waking up for class, you guessed it, sucks. If you’re smart, you will have chosen the classes that start at 10 AM or later, but if you’re one of the unlucky ones who had to fill the 7:30 class, my heart goes out to you. Stick it out, braveling.

Sit where the teacher can see you. Always have a pen in your hand. Look somewhat interested (even if you rushed out before grabbing your extra-caf iced coffee), and don’t answer questions with valley girl answers (“Tell us about yourself and why you decided to take this class, Susie Jones!” “Well, ummmm…. I don’t know? I like, needed it for a GenEd requirement? Um, I really wanna be an aaaaaactress, um…. *nervous laugh* I don’t really know what else?”). Just keep it short, sweet and matter-of-fact.

Here’s to an eye-opening blast of a first semester, fellow froshies!

So besides information I now know about the international criminal court and how to conjugate Spanish verbs, here is some life knowledge that I’ve gained:

Do not bring a lot of t-shirts from high school: This is more of a personal issue. I have so many Class of 2010/National Honor Society/Cross Country t-shirts that I don’t know what to do with them. After assessing my clothes situation the other day, I realized that I don’t even wear those shirts since they’re irrelevant and instead, I could fill that closet space with better clothes.

If you hook up with a guy that you know, make sure you see him the next day to avoid future awkwardness: This is a tried and true method, my friends. If you don’t see him the next day, the awkwardness and overanalysis of the previous confrontation just builds up and then explodes in your face later on. By seeing him, you re-establish a chill connection immediately after the hookup and it doesn’t give you (or him) time to overanalyze and freak out.

Take fruit from the dining halls: Guys, scurvy isn’t a joke. Neither is cookie addiction. If all you have in your room is junk food, that’s all you will eat at night. However, if you have some carefully and sneakily procured fruit on your desk, you could add a little bit of healthy vitamin C to your night-snacking diet.

Don’t be afraid to take early morning classes if you love the class: Yeah, you’ll be tired, but loving the class is great incentive to wake up for it. As an added bonus, being awake longer gives you more time to accomplish stuff. And yes, catching up on old episodes of ‘Teen Mom’ counts as accomplishing something.

Work out if you’re having trouble sleeping: If you typically don’t work out and find yourself being an insomniac lately, take that step into the gym and work out a little bit. Even if it’s just walking on the treadmill for half an hour, it’ll help you get to sleep at night (not to mention help your butt look better come bikini season).

Do not depend on other people to help you with your econ homework: While this can be tempting, because doing homework together helps both of you learn more, if one person starts to slack, the other person will typically start to slack. Do your homework on your own, and if necessary, check with another person who you know is dependable.

Have bonding nights with your roommates during finals week: Finals week can be a really stressful time and you’ll see your roommates a lot less than you usually do. Take a group study break and pop in Love Actually; it’ll be better than a massage.

Hopefully I’ll remember everything that I’ve learned from this portion of my life and use it for next year and beyond, but until then, what are some life lessons you guys have learned over this semester?

Margaret’s been through a lot during her first semester at college. Check out what else she’s been dealing with all semester long.

So I’m 3 weeks into my bright college years, and in between realizing that I have Spanish homework to do at 1 in the morning and figuring out how trash piles up so quickly when clearly I took out the garbage like, a day ago, there are plenty of Solo cups and pregaming parties to keep my thoughts occupied.

In the past year, I passed through the rookie stage of drinking. You know, getting over the fact that drinking isn’t such a big deal after all (I know some may beg to differ, which I totally respect, but step off for a sec, darlings) and then advancing into classic teen movie, drink up mode. It was like I was Cady Heron (a la Mean Girls) being de-innocentized, except minus The Plastics. There were chill house parties, high-ish quality alcohol bought by nice older siblings, and then classic senior year, I-don’t-give-a-f**k debauchery. Getting to a stage of happy drunk was part of the whirlwind of senior year and really, part of the fun. But I was good about it – no blacking out and never even vomiting.

So coming to college, I was under the impression that it would be the same, but something about drinking here just doesn’t feel settling to me. The glowy halo of happiness that surrounded drinking just totally disappeared.

I know, totally weird, right? Because, like, obviously drinking is much simpler here. There aren’t quite as many repercussions when you get caught, alcohol is pretty much readily available, and the number of boys who you would willingly drunkenly hook-up with has gone through the freakin’ roof.

But for some reason, after 3 weekends worth of pregaming and taking LMFAO seriously (shots! shots! shots!), I just don’t know if drinking is as worth it in college.

I mean, I don’t want to stumble around being known forever as That Girl. Also, both my roommate and I are mistaken for drunk when we aren’t drunk at all just due to our normal personalities, so I figured that adding drinking on top of that was unnecessary. And who needs the extra calories of a few cans of beer? Not I – the dining hall fries are good enough for me.

So I tested out this whole not drinking business last weekend, and surprise, life was perfectly grand. I had a Hollywood caliber night minus a Lindsay Lohan caliber hangover the next morning and I honestly don’t feel like I missed out on much. Debauchery? Check. Dancing? Check. Dudes? Check. I’ve got everything I need.
I’m not saying that I don’t condone drinking – I do, but I’m just not feelin it right now. And I’m not sue I ever will.

Alcohol free for the rest of freshman year? Maybe.

That’s kinda what freshman year feels like right now. I’m meeting a ton of people, but I’m just not sure how they’ll all fit into my lives. Who will be my bff? My Facebook stalkee of choice? My worst enemy?

It reminds me of the Jersey Shore, season 1: Snooki dramas out the first week and everyone hates her, The Situation and Sammie are an item, and Pauly D actually talks – things that are all highly unlikely and strange by now (we could never hate Snookums and you know The Situation would never settle down with just one lady). The guidos and guidettes of the Jersey Shore were just trying to figure out their niche in the house, to settle down and make some friends.

And much as some of you guys will hate to be compared to J-Woww and the crew, figuring out the beat in college happens very much the same way as the Jersey Shore squad approached it. You wander around, looking for potential friends and potential loverboys…and you learn that some are winners, and some not so much.

But unlike the cast of the Jersey Shore, we have to see these people over and over again for the next four years (without getting paid), so it’d probably be better if there wasn’t so much drama that called for big ass apologies.

Some tips for staying on good terms with new people:

Don’t Gossip: Gossip is always bad. Always. Especially if you don’t know the person that well. Because then, when she finds out you’re talking about her (which she will), you suddenly become that girl who not only gossips, but judges people without even knowing them. It’s so much worse, trust me.

Sit with different people for meals: Expand a bit – you don’t have to stick with one group of friends forever and always. I mean, what happens if you’re  3 weeks in and all your dinner buds have other commitments? What do you do then? Awkwardly sit alone? The first few weeks of college are about opening up and making new friends, so open up and make new friends. You never know who your BFF (or your BF) will be.

Don’t stress out about boys too much: A lot of guys are looking just to hook up in these first few weeks. If you start overanalyzing them, you’ll just get more acne and really, no one needs that. Plus, you don’t want to start some kind of rivalry with other girls who go after your man.

Play Frisbee! I know, it’s so cliché, but you guys, I’m pretty sure there’s a reason why dogs are always happy and well-liked. They all like to play frisbee. Frisbee is active, boys and girls like it, and other people always want to join your game. It’s easy and fun and involves just the right amount of talking. Just watch out for the college brochure photographers.

Keep yourself together: Don’t pull a Snooki and totally lose your shiz before these potential new friends really have a chance to get to know you. I imagine the story of the “chick who puked up Jimmy John’s in the hallway” will spread through campus quickly and that reputation will be hard to shake.

Do you have any tips for making good impressions on new friends?

Needless to say, the first days of college have been treating me well.

After a month of worrying over whether my roommates and I would get along, I now believe that whoever does rooming assignments has some sort of magical touch because while we 4 are not best friends (does anyone really have a best friend after 5 days?) we do get along curiously well and sometimes I feel myself falling into Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Sex and the City mode… especially after we all bonded over some fro yo last night.

The question is: am I in a college-themed chick flick?

Possibly. The floor below and above us is dotted with various cute boys with whom we flirt and our dorm room kinda looks like PBTeen threw up in it… in a good way. Lax bros chill on campus in lax pennies and backwards lax caps in lawn chairs (can we just call them lax chairs?). Growing up in a lax-bro-less suburb, I really thought that they were a myth, but I am now a firm believer. And lax bros (despite being majorly douchey) are hot.

But all that aside, campus is incredibly gorgeous and full of like-minded people sunbathing in the grass while others Frisbee about. And the birds are chirping and I never have breakouts and my hair looks like The Little Mermaid’s lux locks every day. OK, that last part is a lie – my hair still hasn’t gotten used to the water in these showers yet. If only, right?

At times, life isn’t exactly the land of Elle Woods here (which, until I got here, was totally what I expected). For example, I’ve learned to not expect too much out of frat parties that are advertised via a college-wide emailing. They will inevitably be so crowded that you have no room to dance nor can you find alcohol, and unless you actually know people in the frat (which I feel like most freshmen here don’t), you just feel out of place. Also the people there are generally other people who got the email and had nothing better to go to—aka freshman who are trying hard to get their social lives on track. Desperate people are no fun.

But I mean, it is only the first week of college and everyone is kinda desperate to make friends, and I’m sure parties will get better as time comes. (And as consolation, the suite parties that I’ve been to are much smaller and much more fun.)

Meanwhile, the other question on my mind is the whole hooking up side of life. I mean, we’re not in high school anymore; condoms are in the hallways for a reason, right? In high school, hooking up meant making out, but in college does it automatically transfer to having sex? I feel like so much more is expected out of hooking up here. Do I just go with the flow or do I do the Oprah-style “right” thing and listen to my heart? The answer should be obvious, but it’s not.

In fact, nothing about this new college life is.

My first week of college has been jam-packed with new people, new experiences and a whole slew of new questions. It’s been exciting and exhilarating, but I just can’t wait to really settle in to the college life and have everything figured out.

Tell me about your first few days of college!

But before you unpack those Yaffa blocks and stock up on the highlighters, allow me to dispel a few of the myths your older, wiser and drunker friends have told you about your freshman year. Is freshman year awesome? Hell to the yes. But there are some things you just gotta prepare for.

“You’re going to become best friends with your floor.”
Maybe. Or maybe not. Yes, while the people on your floor are going to be the first people you meet and become friendly with, don’t feel pressured to become best friends with them. The only thing you may have in common with these people is that you live on the same floor in the same dorm at the same school. They’re great for trips to the dining hall, party wandering in the first week of school, and swapping hangover stories on Sunday mornings, but don’t feel bad if that’s it. You might find yourself laughing a month or two into school saying, “OMG, I can’t believe I used to go to breakfast with her” if your neighbor becomes “that girl” at parties on campus. Your real friends in college will be eclectic, and while many people find them on their floor, many do not. Friendships are rooted in a sharing of values, not a sharing of a hall. You’re lucky if you find both in the same place.

“Your classes aren’t that hard.”
Kind of a lie. Senior year you don’t do any work at all, and it’s really hard to turn your brain back on and retrain yourself to read and understand 60+ pages of reading a night. This lie depends on the school you go to and the classes you take, but the way I experienced it and the way most of my friends experienced it is that your classes are kind of hard. Especially when you’re trying to decide on a Tuesday night between $1 pitchers of beer and making notecards. You need to do a lot of the learning on your own and if you’re not careful, it’s very easy to fall behind. You might have floated through high school, but college is an entirely different ball game. You’re going to have to retrain your study muscles for those college classes!

“Being a freshman in college is nothing like being a freshman in high school.”
Such a lie. Everyone knows you are a freshman. Everyone. Between the maps you carry, the way you lug all your books to the first day of class, and the way you travel in huge gaggles down the streets of your college town trying to find parties, you’ve got freshman written all over you. But the thing to remember is that everyone has to experience that. Carrying the maps and traveling in the gaggles teaches you how to adjust to college life so that second semester, you don’t scream freshman. You definitely have to pay your dues a bit as a freshman, just like you did in high school, but don’t expect any mean seniors to shove you into lockers or try and sell you tickets to the pool. Unless someone’s having a pool party and they charge you for alcohol and you end up getting so plastered that you wake up in a locker.

“If you don’t go out every weekend, you totally miss out.”
Definitely not true. While partying is really fun at college and very different than at home, you do not miss out at all if you decide to skip a night out or go somewhere else for the weekend. If you feel like sitting in your bed in sweatpants and catching up on your shows, do it! There is always going to be a party, and there will always be an opportunity to go to the bar. Don’t burn out. If you need to study, study. You might miss out on making a few drunken memories, but you have four years to make more. Your report card, mental health, and physical health will thank you when you follow your instinct if you don’t feel like going out. Plus, your friends will be excited to tell their stories to you the next day and start planning the next time you’re all going to go out together.

“You’re going to love everything about school right from the get-go.”
Doubtful. You move into this tiny dorm room in the unbearable heat of your non-air conditioned dorm with a stranger. Your stuff is a mess and everywhere, and your parents kiss you goodbye and are on their way. And then you’re there. And you don’t know anyone. While yes, the first few nights of college are exciting, fun, and usually pretty drunk, they’re definitely uncomfortable. You need to be awkward (all the time) and put yourself out there to meet people more than you have ever tried in your life. Sometimes you just want your mommy to hug you at the end of the day, make you dinner, and ask you how your day was. But all you have is your roommate and the ice breaker games your RA facilitates. It’s rough at first, but the thing to remember is that everyone is in the same place as you. Everyone is feeling the same way, but most people won’t admit it.

Here’s the deal: The word “lie” is subjective, meaning a lie is found in the mind of the individual. What I view as a lie, you may not, so don’t put too much stock into what you read about freshman year. Just because I view these comments as lies doesn’t mean that you will feel the same way. Everyone has a different experience in college, and no matter what happens, you’re going to enjoy parts of freshman year and you’re going to learn a lot about yourself. So get ready, because you have a lot to look forward to.

College: a time of growing up, trying new things, and, of course, meeting new people. From the bitchy girl in Chem class to the hot guy from a frat party, freshman year brings a slew of different characters. While no two people share quite the same college experience, there are a few archetypal personalities that, without a doubt, can be found on a freshman floor.

The mom
Armed with maturity to boot, the mom is a super-nurturer. Her room is always clean and she looks out for everyone on the floor as if they were, well, her kids. She suggests the healthy foods from the dining hall, has a fully stocked First Aid kit, and is always there to hold hair back when a friend drank a little too much (but how often does that happen in college anyway?)

The study freak
It’s 4.0 or bust for this super studier. Weekends come and go as she is holed up in her room preparing for her next exam, group presentation, you name it. You getting the hall together for a movie night? Count her out – she’s got reading due next Thursday. Want to throw a little pre-party in your room? Keep it down, because this girl’s in bed by 10 p.m. to prepare for the rigorous study day ahead.

The trust fund kid
He’s used to getting everything handed to him on a silver platter, and has no problem letting people know it. This guy’s “subtlety” involves mentioning the trips he’s taken on his yacht and boasting about his entirely Brooks Brothers wardrobe. His sense of entitlement often means his self-presumed right to get with any girl on the floor.

The guy with the guitar
Convinced he’s the next John Mayer, this guy carries his guitar around and is ready to rock anytime. From the common room to a crowded frat party (to alone in his room at 3pm on a Wednesday), he doesn’t see any limitation on when or where to bust out a jam sesh. No, everyone doesn’t always want to hear your Dispatch cover songs, bro.

The party animal
Always up for a good time, this girl has her mini-fridge stocked with cheap vodka and beer at all times. She’s what you’d call the life of the party. That is, until she passes out on a couch, floor, or lawn by 11:30. Even after a rough night, though, no hangover will keep this gal from getting her party on the next night. And the night after that. And the morning after that night.

Speaking for myself, the past 2 months of blissful relaxation have been more or less bitchin, and the thought of buying textbooks and attending freshman seminars feels like a dagger to the heart. I’d rather not waste my last few weeks with my darling high school summer friends just bumming around and drowning my sorrows in queso dip, so in between buying dorm room supplies and re-reading all the Harry Potter books, I’ve been looking for ways to truly relish these memorable last days:

I’ve had a Toast Night: I decorated my backyard with paper lanterns, candles and tons of Christmas lights and invited about 12 friends over to be merry and toast the past years of our lives, the wonderful summer and our hazy futures. It was the perfect balance of totally precious and disgustingly cheesy, something we all needed to commemorate 12 years of schooling… and an occasion to drink outside.

I’ve been soaking in the sun: I don’t know if it’s just me, or if it’s everyone, but I aspire to arrive at college the shade of a well-toasted marshmallow. This is the last span of time to get natural sun and Vitamin D (which we all lack come wintertime) and a perfect excuse to lounge around the pool and gossip and hang with your pals. Just make sure you slather on some SPF.

I’ve been going to any bonfires I happen to come across: Bonfires are the epitome of the end of summer. They’re so chill and usually the guest lists are varied, so you get a chance to wrap up loose ends, recount some good memories with random acquaintances and perhaps cuddle up with the boy you’ve been texting all summer long and will probably never see again once you skip town.

I’ve been eating out less and eating at home more: Not gonna lie, I’ll probably miss my mom’s cooking before I miss my mom. So in order to prepare, I’m stuffing my face now.

I’ve been spending less time on Facebook: Instead of chatting my friends (or stalking them via Newsfeed), I’ve been hanging out with them, taking walks with them, hugging them. Pretty crazy, right? It makes things way more special, plus you’ll probably burn more calories, which helps you achieve that bangin’ bod in time for school.

Win/win.

The end of summer has potential to be so stellar; what have you been doing to celebrate it?

Try telling that to my wobbly knees and trembling hands.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m totally excited about going to college. But, at the same time, I’m nervous as hell. My type A personality is rearing its ugly head in the form of innumerable “what ifs” and “holy sh*ts.” While most of my friends have been counting down the days with New Year’s Eve-esque anticipation, I’ve put a 24-hour ban on talking about college in my house and can hardly look at my suitcase without having a mini-freak out.

For me, it’s a combination of doubts, fears, and just plain nostalgia. Going to college is a huge deal for me, perhaps more so than it is for many of my peers. It’s my first time being away from home for longer than a five week stretch, and since I’m generally a homebody and have a very close relationship with my family, the idea of going from seeing them every day to seeing them once every few weeks is hard to deal with. Plus, I have the general anxieties that I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling: coping with the workload and stress, making new friends, living on my own.

That being said, I’m also very excited for the new opportunities ahead of me. I know that, once I get settled in, I’ll find my niche and have the best four years of my life. It may take a couple of weeks, but I’ll find my place eventually.

Do you current college students and grads have any advice for an anxious prefrosh?

[The following post was written by the smart, savvy and totally rad ladies over at SomeoneSpoilMe.com]

August is here and it’s time to gear up for back-to-school.  In preparation, we, the gift experts at SomeoneSpoilMe.com, have compiled our list of the Top 7 Products Every College Student Must Own. This includes the latest gadgets for dorm rooms, cool devices to take to class and sentimental items to make home seem not so far away.

Video Camera Pen
Yes, we are serious.  This James Bond-like device can record up to two and a half hours of footage! While it may look like a ballpoint pen (it is), it has a built in video camera that records video and audio. It’s great when attending lectures.  If you need a bathroom break, leave behind the Video Camera Pen to record what you have missed!
Read more… $130

USB Classical Fan
The dorms are always sweltering in the summer and, depending on where you go to school, can be throughout the whole year.  You can bring your own cool air with the USB Classical Fan.  Whether studying or just hanging out, plug it in to your computer to help keep your dorm room cool.
Read more… $25

Ceiva Digital Photo Frame
The further college is from home, the more you will appreciate the Ceiva Digital Photo Frame.  Unlike a traditional digital photo frame, your family back home can remotely upload the pictures they want to share with you.  If you can’t fly home for Grandma’s 75th birthday, you can still feel like you were a part of it when the photos upload to the frame in your room.
Read more… $128-$199

Flip MinoHD Camcorder – Personalized!
The FLIP camcorder has been voted the best pocket sized camcorder on the market.  It is easy to use and records in high definition. The best part about it…you can personalize the outside with your favorite photo!
Read more… $230

Logitech Webcam Quickcam
You can talk in person to friends and family every day with the Logitech Webcam Quickcam.  It works with Skype, instant messenger or iChat and is really easy to use.
Read more… $44

Noon Solar Bag
The Noon Solar Bag is a great alternative to the traditional backpack.  It has a solar panel on the back so you can charge your phone and iPod when on the go.  Simply expose the solar panel to sunlight while outdoors or through your dorm, class or car window and you will never be without power.
Read more… $377

GPS Homing Device
If you have a bad sense of direction, then the GPS Homing Device will be your new best friend. It helps you find your car in an unfamiliar parking lot or can help you find your way back to your dorm room (after a night of parties).  Push a button to mark the location you want to be able to get back to (your car or room), and while you are out the device will point its way back to your stored location.  It’s great if you are starting at a new school or moving to another part of campus.
Read more… $80

For more innovative products and college gift ideas, visit SomeoneSpoilMe.com.

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