First Year Finished

Well, as you (probably) know, I finished my first year at the University of Chicago. And I, uh, learned a lot of stuff. (I also became very eloquent, as you can see. ;)) This… this is where I want to tell you all the stuff I learned. I might include some academic knowledge, but honestly, probably not much. See, I learned a lot outside the classroom as well. To me, that’s what is most significant. I left home to go to school when it would have been a lot easier to stick around my hometown. I was so far out of my comfort zone at the beginning of the academic year – and sometimes I still was by the year’s end. So I’ll break down what I learned into categories, and if you have extra questions, feel free to ask in the comments or send me an email at myuncommoneveryday@gmail.com!

On classes and academics

Make your schedule work for you. Scheduling your classes in the morning allows you to have an entire afternoon to work and get homework and reading done before the evening. Then, you can relax in the evening and sleep early. That said, if you don’t get up obscenely early and like early nights, then scheduling your classes in the afternoon allows you to sleep in.

Find a place you can study. For me, that is my bed. Also, the lobby of a hotel nearby. Yes, I’m odd. But I’m focused. Usually.

Go to office hours when they’re useful. Often, they really are, especially if your professor is good. Also, it shows you care, which teachers typically appreciate. On the flip side, office hours can be a total waste of time if you have TAs who don’t know what’s happening.

Form study groups with people you trust. They might be your best friends (my study groups are some of mine), but they also might not be. You might compare grades or be really competitive. I just really like having people with whom I can work through annoying problems and clarify a lot of concepts. It makes doing homework and studying a lot more enjoyable and productive.

Go to class. Even on that day you didn’t really pay attention, you probably absorbed some information that will be valuable on an exam.

On socialization

You will find friends. Even if it isn’t right away. You might have to put yourself out there a little more than you’d like in order to do so. Your friends at the end of the year might be hugely different than the ones at the beginning of the year. As you meet more and more people, you’ll decide who you really want to spend your time with.

Do what’s right for you. I know I need to socialize. I also know sometimes I need to lock myself in my room and read a textbook. Or lock myself in my room with ice cream and Netflix. Also, I like going to bed early. I like waking up early and going to the gym or taking long walks around campus. I like eating a lot of food. I like studying during the day and being able to relax in the evenings. For me, college has been an experience of learning what I like to do – what I need – and doing it. I spent a lot of time with a lot of wonderful people and still managed to take care of myself pretty well most of the time.

You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate. My roommate from this past year and I get along just fine. That said, we’re really very different. We have different schedules and levels of organization. And we totally survived. We were never fighting, we just had other friends. Sure, we still talked a decent bit and commiserated a lot, but we weren’t super close.

I don’t like parties. They’re loud. They’re filled with people who are drunk telling you how drunk they are. On the one hand, I feel like I miss out by not going to many. However, I truly don’t enjoy them when I do. If you like parties, great! Please be smart when you go to them. If you don’t like parties, that’s okay. KNOW THAT. I spent a ton of time trying to come to terms with the fact that I don’t enjoy them. I felt abnormal. I still sort of do, but I’ve also accepted it.

On living

Dining hall food is not home-cooked, delicious food. Okay, at least not at UChicago. I ate so many grocery-shopped convenience meals/snack-meals because the food was mostly icky and upset my stomach. Hopefully, that will be better next year since I’ll have a kitchen.

Being away from your family can be tough. Sometimes, you just really want a hug from a parent. Also, someone to tell you you’re wonderful on a bad day.

It is more than okay to stay in touch with them. I text my parents a lot, and I call pretty regularly. They’re there to support you, and mine are incredible at that. They usually like it when I share my life with them. I’m just grateful that they put up with me.

I am a stress eater. I didn’t know that I could finish off a bag of Oreos or box of Wheat Thins in a sitting before coming to college and writing papers for my humanities class and studying for midterms and finals. Now… I know that I can. Also, things like writing, going for walks, working out, and going for walks are slightly healthier stress relievers.

I can be (mostly) independent. I admitted to communicating with my parents a lot – so, how can I be independent? Well, I made my own schedule. I managed my own time. I made (okay, bought/compiled) my own food. I corresponded with my own doctors. I asked for help from friends and teachers and TAs when I felt I needed it. I built a school version of a support network for myself. Simply, I crafted an “away” life for me. And it was scary and also really fun, and I’d absolutely recommend taking a giant leap out of your comfort zone to pretty much anybody.

Tell me something (anything) about your college experience! 

Anything I didn’t address? Questions? Concerns?