tips for college freshmen

5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Roommate Happy
Living with friends is fun and there’s (almost) never a dull moment. There’s no awkward “Hi, I’m Alex” stage where you don’t know really how to act around your new roommate and none of that awkward/hesitant asking “if it’s okay if your roommate, you know, turns off the lights because it’s four in the morning, maybe.” But with any roommate no matter if she’s a friend or random, disaster strikes because you left your hairbrush out for the third time in a row.
The Starting Line: Ready to Go Home
Amidst naked trees, pee on the toilet seat, and icy treks from the shower to the dorm room, the happy charm of college is beginning to wear thin. Right now, I just want to go home and watch Desperate Housewives with my mom and not wear flip-flops in the shower! Ah, such are the woes of homesickness.

The Starting Line: I’m a Little Lost
I am sort of floundering right now. I mean, high school was easy. All throughout high school, I had one goal: Get into a good college. I knew I had to turn in my homework, to get A’s on tests, to play sports, take on leadership positions, etc. Everything I did, I did with the idea of, will this help me get into college? But now, I have no idea what I should be doing.
A Freshman’s Guide to Halloween
Halloween in college is a big deal. Major, really. You may have thought you hit your trick-or-treating peak in the 3^rd grade when you wrapped yourself in tinfoil and went out as leftovers, but think again.
The Starting Line: My Very First Midterm Season
So I’m new at this whole midterms thing. The idea that I’ve been more or less lounging around for the past 6 weeks and then – wham! – I’m hit with a test that’s worth 40% of my grade…that’s kind of crazy.
An Open Letter from an R.A.
Dear Residents, Now that your boxes are unpacked and you’ve begun sneakily drinking and smoking illegal substances in your rooms, I feel it is time we had a little chat. There are a few things that we need to get clear right now so that we can all happily coexist for the remainder of the year.
The 7 People Who Will Drive You Crazy Freshman Year
Freshman year is an incredible experience. For many, it’s the first taste of Keystone freedom, the first foray into frat parties out into the world. You‘ll drink with meet people from all walks of life. You’ll quickly wonder how you ever survived without your newfound friends. But be warned: for every awesome new friend that you make, you’ll find yourself face to face with an enemy.

Starting Line: Shots, Shots, Shots… or Not?
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.
Don’t Be That Girl
No one likes a hot mess. Okay, well that’s not exactly true. We looove LocaLohan and anyone who…
Surviving Your First Tailgate – A Guide
So, you’ve moved into the dorms, made it through syllabus week in class, and you’re feeling ready to get your day drink on. Tailgating before the big game is a rite of passage every freshman should look forward to. It’s a chance to bleed (insert your school’s colors here) and act like it’s five o’clock somewhere… even if it’s only nine in the morning.
The Starting Line: My First Week of College
So here I sit in my dorm room listening to Shakira’s Waka Waka playing on repeat and sweating from shaking it like a She Wolf. Needless to say, the first days of college have been treating me well.
An Insider’s Guide to the College Party Scene
I’ve done it all. I’ve been to clubs, bars, frat parties, porches…you name it, I’ve been drunk there. And my favorite of all party scenes? The infamous house party.
The Five Lies Your Older Friends Told You About Freshman Year
So you’re going to college. You got your GPA up and your admissions essay down, you got in, and now you’re out! Happy times are here. Your final days are characterized by blasting Lil’ Wayne with the sunroof open and going to lunch with the people with whom you’ve spent the last four, eight, or even 12 years of your life in school.
5 (Unofficial) Rules to Dorm Living
As we speak (type? read?), freshmen across the country are moving into dorms for the very first time. Woooo! (Don’t forget your flip flops!) We wanted to help them out by providing some basic rules to dorm life (that won’t be covered in the first floor meeting).
Roommate Selection Goes All EHarmony
Trending on campuses all over the country are websites that allow you to cherry pick the “perfect” roommate. Gone are the days where the punky goth ends up living with the preppy, bubbly cheerleader. No longer will the study bug bunk with the party animal. The revolution is upon us, and now you can select your own freshman fate.
Goodbye, Parents! Seriously, Get Out
s an upperclassman, your parents have probably learned the ropes by now. They call when they know you’re going to be sober, and you call when you need your debit card refilled. The youngins, on the other hand, have yet to teach their folks these difficult lessons. Forget that they have to deal with Mom checking in at 7:30 on a hungover Sunday morning.