Don't be "That Guy"

So upon arrival of my wonderful campus I notice the flourishing diversity. Upon living here I've noticed the ever growing amount of male douche bags. Now don't get me wrong girls have plenty of issues too and I will get to that later but upon talking to many class mates and faculty over the last two weeks I've noticed a trend in what really just grinds peoples grits. I figured I might pass a little knowledge along to you guys so you don't end up being "That Guy"

 Okay so we all know who I'm talking about. The guys in high school that just have something against the world, no one can stand them, and they seem to be everywhere. Well I'm sorry to say that they're in college too. So here are some things to avoid doing so you don't become one of "Those Guys"

Tip 1: Don't wake up or irritate the room/suite mates
            You're in college, people expect you to be a college student. Guys are expected to sneak in and spend the night and other things. There is no problem here. It's expected. However just because you're expected to be a guy doesn't mean your expected to slam doors, come over at ungodly hours of the night or make insane amounts of noises inevitably pissing off the roomies. Also socks on the door are a nice gesture but if it's 10pm and the roomie is coming back from studying she/he is not going to want to sit in the hall till your done. So don't be a douche! Plan accordingly and take people into consideration other wise you and your one nighter or life longer are going to have more problems than rather or not you have pillows or condoms.

Tip 2: Be a Gentleman
           Girls (especially in the south) are usually raised expecting doors to be held, seats to be offered, and all the other lovely chivalrous things we rarely encounter now a days. I've been here two weeks and have only had a door held for me twice. It was the same guy in a time span of two seconds. This guys now stands higher on my list than previously. Hold doors and if your on campus transportation like our lovely Cat Tran and their are ladies standing offer them your seat.

Tip 3: DON'T HOG THE PARKING SPACES
           College campuses are notorious for sucky student parking. Basically our whole campus minus resident halls is faculty parking until 5pm. Some people will park their cars in our res. hall lot and not use it all week. These people will walk everywhere and never even use their car. I've spent 30 minutes looking for a spot. I've been here two weeks and their are cars in our lot that haven't moved since move in day. I'm surprised no one has keyed them yet...So don't be that guy. If you're not going to drive all week, or two weeks don't take spaces that people could actually use. If these people really needed to go somewhere they could walk their active butts down to freshmen over flow and use when they do actually drive somewhere. So don't park close to your res. hall if you don't plan on going somewhere off campus at least three times a week.

Tip 4: Help a Sister Out
             Some girls will say no but if you see a girl struggling with bags, or maybe a rude guy, or anything offer to help. Yes we can take care of ourselves but sometimes three bags is too much, or a rough boyfriend needs some straightening out. So don't walk by and let it happen. Even if she's not pretty, girls shouldn't have to pretty to get help.

Tip 5: PUT DOWN THE TOILET SEAT
           If you're over at a girls dorm, or suite don't use the toilet and leave the seat up. She lives with only girls and you coming in and leaving the seat up is bound to catch someone off guard and piss them off. Trust me you do not want a suite or hall full of girls mad at you. Just put the seat down.

Tip 6: Don't Be a Jerk
           For the most part girls don't enjoy being treated like pieces of ass. Whistling, hollering, shouting rude names is not something we look forward to. The terms sexy, foxy, damn baby, look at that ass, hey mama, oh shit baby, etc. are not something that should ever be considered an appropriate way to speak to or address a girl or woman. Respect should be your number one priority otherwise you'll be labeled for what you're being. A pig, A jerk, an Ass.


Well that's all for now. I'm sure as the semester continues I'll find more to add to the list for both males and females but for now take these into consideration. Thanks y'all till next time!

First Day of Classes

So it's Monday here on campus and everyone with a Monday class is bustling about. I however don't have any classes until tomorrow so I thought I'd take some time and give you hints for the first day of class. Since I've never attended a university before all of this information comes from my sisters and friends who have all attended universities for more than two years.

Tip #1: Check your student e-mail for syllabi
            So unlike a lot of community college teachers, university teachers send you the syllabus in an email for you to print out on your own. So before you head out to class make sure you've printed any out that were sent to you. It'll help you out and could impress your teacher or help make a friend.

Tip #2: Get a tiny notebook
            I'm talking like tiny ass little notebook. Think the size of Steve's on Blue's Clues (am I the only one that thought she was a he?) Take this to class your first day. Most teachers will just go over the syllabus and send you home so take any notes or reminders in this little notebook. Also you can get classmates numbers or emails incase you forget to write something dow someone will hopefully know.

Tip #3: Scope out your classes the day before
             You don't want to be late the first day to class so the day or two before classes start take a friend or roommate and walk around campus and look for your classes. My sister always times her walk from her dorm so that she leaves on time the morning of.

Tip #4: Always carry an umbrella with you. ALWAYS (Harry Potter)
             This actually counts for any day, especially if you live in the smoky mountains. You never know when you'll be walking and the sky will fall out. It's the first day of classes here and guess what? It's raining!!! Lucky Hannah let our suite mates know to take an umbrella.

Tip #5: Pick your seat carefully.
             Knowing college it may change every day or you could sit in the same chair all semester, but seats are important and people will read you based on where you sit. Sit up front and you'll either be labeled a nerd or a suck up either way you'll probably have a lot of slackers bothering you to let them copy your homework. Sit in the middle and you'll seem interested but so much that people will bother you for answers all the time. Of course slackers do get desperate. Then there are the back seaters. These people usually slouch and aren't very interested in class but show up not to be dropped. These are usually the ones who ask for answers because they fall asleep in class. Now remember this isn't solid but can help as a guideline. Some people may just be near or far sighted. Or they may be like me and get distracted easily.

Tip #6: Eat breakfast and pack a snack.
            You don't want to be the one who's stomach interrupts the teacher mid syllabus reading. And you don't want your blood sugar to drop and either fall asleep or pass out. So take my advice and eat even if it's just a little something it'll help.

Tip #7: Meet some people in class and get their contact info.
            These people may end up saving your life one night when you forget what the homework is or when the next test is. And if you luck out maybe you can find some people to start a study group with. It's always good to have someone to check with.

Tip #8: Have fun
             Don't be a stiff. Teachers usually like interaction or at least to get a judge on how you'll be the rest of the semester. Be yourself and enjoy your first day. It gets a lot harder after this.


So I hope these tips have helped you out a little or at least calmed you down. Remember it's just college not the Hunger Games. So enjoy your experience and aim to make good grades.

!!!Move-In Weekend!!!

So I've officially been moved in my suite for two nights, almost three now. I have three wonderful suite mates. My sister is one of them, then we have Kate and Caroline. I've been enjoying the on campus restaurants such as Chick Fil A, Panda Express and Mcalister's. Monday starts a new chapter in my life one filled with lots of studying, healthy food, exercise and WAYYYYYYY too much walking.  So as this new chapter is starting I figured I'd go ahead and give some advice for future college students on move in day. I've been to an art school and a community college neither of which had on campus housing but I am now at a university and have found out the hard way how to pack for school.

Now of course you first have to buy things for your dorm before you can move in. I made a list and went at it however focused too much on the little things and not enough on the big. You can find pre made list at Target, Bed Bath and beyond or you can just do what I did and Google till you find one you like. I personally compiled like six to make my own. (I'll post it later)

Now when the day comes to start buying stuff there is one crucial mistake you do not need to make. I know because I did. I showed up to my dorm with no TV, no refrigerator, no book bag, no fan,no towels, and no desk lamp. Sure maybe you don't need a TV but when you're neighbor decides to get frisky on the first night it's nice to have something to block out the nasty. I didn't think a refrigerator was that important since I have a meal plan, I was wrong. I only get 8 meals a week in the caff and $750 in declining balance goes by pretty fast (Or so I've been told) So get a fridge and stock it with breakfast and dinner stuff. Trust me you're not going to want to make that long trek to the dining hall that early in the morning or when it rains so having stuff on hand is smart. Okay so you'd think book bags would be pretty DUH right...well I didn't even think about it until I needed to find something to take to the bookstore to get my books. Now if you're like my sister and are cold natured you may not need a fan, but even my anemic sister who wears hoodies all summer wishes she'd bought a fan. I wish I'd bought ten. No Towels? nuff said. Now if you're in my situation and have a suite a desk lamp may not be that necessary leaving the big light on won't effect anyone else's sleep but if you have a roommate or globefish I'd suggest buying one. I have three wonderful little globefish but they like their light schedule and get cranky if I leave my big light on too late. So a desk lamp is something I'll have to invest in.

So as far as moving in goes I had it pretty easy. I pulled up unloaded my HHR moved it out of the loading zone and was given a Walmart buggy to move my stuff in with. Not all colleges will have buggies and if they do not all dorms have elevators (like I said I had it pretty easy) Believe it or not bringing your stuff into your room is the easy part, setting your room up not so much. I've been in my room for three days and still keep rearranging and reorganizing. So here are some things to remember:
1. Regardless of the floor plan the school has on the site your room will be smaller than you think so don't pack everything you own or you'll be super cramped.
2. Don't leave home without a box of trash bags.
3. Have an idea of where you want stuff. Especially if the rents are coming with you because if they're anything like mine they'll ask you every ten seconds where you want this, or how do you want that, or how are you gonna do this. Love my mom but that was stressful.
4. Try to label your boxes as thoroughly as possible.
5. A follow up to four. Try to pack your boxes and put them in your room in the order you'll unpack them.
6. Move in the biggest stuff first. I brought in a box full of bath stuff started unpacking it and realized the drawers that were meant for it were still outside with Dad.
7. Or skip 6 all together and go ahead and pack stuff where you plan on having it anyways. I packed a set of plastic purple drawers with clothes and planned it to go in the closet. It was the easiest thing I unpacked all day.
8. Make sure you have all and any paperwork or forms or cards that you do or might need with you. One girl forgot her school id and couldn't eat, or get in her building. Stood in line for two hours waiting for  a new card.

Moving/Packing Tips:
-Read EVERY email and real the WHOLE email. Your school will send you instructions for move in. What you can't bring, what you can, how to get there etc. Make sure you read them all. My sister just scanned them and missed a lot of info. our school had a specific time and traffic pattern for us to follow but had I not read them all we'd have been screwed.
-Don't just throw your clothes in bags like I did. Next year I will be buy those GIANT ziplock bags to pack my clothes in. I'll be washing and folding my clothes before I pack them. That way when I get here all I have to do is pull them out and put them away.
-Bring some bottled water you'll get hotter than you expect to and it's nice to have around.
-Get a gallon sized ziplock bag for all the little stuff on your desk and just separate it into it's home once your desk area is set up.
-Buy an ID wristlet with a key ring and a 3M Command hook. Hang the hook by your door (like right by, mine is on the door frame, my door won't pull to unless i grab them). Put your student ID and ALL your keys (mail, bike, car, room, suite) on the key ring. Then any time you leave your room grab it. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! One of my suite mates already locked herself out of her room once.
-Bring tools! (mallet, wrench, pliers (big and small), screwdrivers, hammers, etc.) You'll need them more than you think.
-Go ahead and buy blue putty and command strips of every kind. This was the biggest thing I regretted.  I couldn't hang art, dry erase boards, calendar, or anything till I had them. I really needed more than one pack of blue putty. It's more useful than it seems.
-Grab a little notebook at the store. (like the kind steve on blues clues had) Just a small one to take to class the first day for notes or anything you need to remember.
-Make a list and check off stuff as you pack so you don't end up with three staplers and two hole punches like me.
-Check out your room and set up before purchasing things like shower caddies or curtains. Our room has tile so I'll need a rug but some dorms have carpet already. Our shower is big enough for us to put stacking crates so we all have one no need for a caddie to take up space in our rooms.
-SURGE PROTECTOR, SURGE PROTECTOR, SURGE PROTECTOR. We had a lightening storm our first night here and a girl on our hall lost her laptop. Make sure you get one.
-Bring some snacks and foods with you. Especially if you have a loan or financial aid. You're extra money won't be given to you until after classes start and you'll need food till you have money to go get more.
-Make a checklist of stuff you need to do before school starts ex.) Get mail key, get books, register car, register bike, have IT look at my laptop, meet RA, Learn the campus, find classes.
-I said this already but it's muy important. FIND YOUR CLASSES. Before class starts take a walk and time how long it takes to get to your classes from your dorm and find them. You don't want to be late on your first day.
-Meet your instructors or student aids. At bigger schools you'll probably have student aids depending on class size and the size of your school but it's important to meet these people they could save your life, your grades, and your financial aid (eligibility).

So for now that's all. I'll probably add more as the week goes on. I'll try and post my packing list by Tuesday. Let me know if there is anything specific you'd like to see a post on.
Good Luck this year!!!