Real Life, by Noah Hallett
Friday, April 28, 2006

Last blog (maybe)

Ok, either this will be my last blog or I'll fire off another one on Monday. I'm sorry this one is so late, it's been a really hectic time - more hectic than usual because I have to plan for moving out of the dorms, moving into my appartment, and get ready to go home AND study for finals all at once...

*whew* It's going to be a long weekend, good thing classes are over, I'm not sure I could have taken that.

But at the same time, it's a great feeling being done with school work. I only have two more papers two write, one of them is already written and the other is very short. Besides, they're fun papers, so I'm stoked.

Anyway, I just wanted to fire off some quick advice to those who have yet to experience any of this. I could give moving out advice, but by the time you have to move out you've got the idea - I will say that around now Fred Meyer carries 4 by 4 cardboard boxes, for all of your storage cramming needs.

What you need to know when you start here is more important:

1.) Talk to your roommates. If you don't like 'em, ignore them later. You'll get contact information over the summer, give them an awkward "Um... Hi." Or something more suave if you've got it in you. Get to know them, you were placed in a room with them because of something you both put on your housing forms, find out what it was.

2.) Keep your door open. You can't imagine how many new people you'll meet if your dorm room door is open and you're cheerful about getting visitors. If you feel like it, you should also wander your hall and introduce yourself, it helps a lot later on.

3.) Find out who your authority figures are, RAs, RD, the works. Get to know them and like them, the job they do isn't easy, so give them a break and/or get really good at not making their job harder. That doesn't imply any limit on the behavior that may or may not break the rules, just be well-behaved about it and not stupid. They (RAs) all went through the same part you go through at first, and they're usually nice people.

4.) Get some sleep, I can't stress that one enough, you'll miss it a lot later on.

Last but not least, soon you'll be getting invitations to go on NSO trips before school starts. Backpacking, hiking, canoeing. It cuts into your summer a bit, and it's expensive sure - but it is also completely worth it. I had a great time and came to college with some 20 more familiar faces than I would have otherwise. A few of them are still good friends of mine. What I did was the Opal Creek trip (I think it's "hiking in the Oregon temperate rainforest"), and I haggled with the director of it for weeks before I got into a price range my parents could afford - so don't just glance at it and say "Oh shucks, can't afford that" ASK about it.

And that's all I've got for now. You may have noticed I like the number four a lot - so with that in mind, and in the interest of not overloading you with advice, I tried to keep it down to that many points. Plus one pre-college tip. If you want more, you can still contact me over summer and through finals, I'll be around.

Ngh@lclark.edu