As the move-in date draws closer, many of us freshman are anxiously waiting on meeting one another, moving in and settling down in the residence halls. The line-up for Block Party just dropped and all of us are just waiting for that night to come. Some of us anxious for classes to begin, and some just anxious to start lifting. But none of us knows what the reality is really like as none of us have really been there, including those who participated in Summer Session. Here are the 11 things many of us are expecting to happen once we move in:
1. The emotional wave, aka the emotions felt when "leaving the nest."
It's bound to happen. You packing all your things and ready to leave the family for a new life, a new adventure. Your parents who have stuck with you all the way up to college are seeing their baby leaving their side ready to start being independent.
2. Going from door to door meeting everyone on your floor.
First day of move-in, after meeting your RA, residential adviser, you will most likely be going around all day meeting people, more so specifically starting in your residence hall. You will most likely be going around with your group of friends knocking door-to-door saying "Sup." Best way to meet people and won't be eating alone during meal time.
3. Settling down in your dorm room and making it seem like your home.
As soon as you enter your room, you'll be claiming which side is yours. Then soon after, you'll be bringing the heaps of stuff from your car into your room and then setting up everything so it looks like your room back at home before you moved out. At the end of the day, your side of the room might end up looking like a mini-kitchen/living room/bedroom/bathroom all-in-one.
4. Going ham on the food in our residence hall dining area.
The common theme of being a freshman in college is that you'll get "Freshman 15." Gaining 15 pounds within your first year of college due to the vast amount of food available to you at each meal throughout the entire year. Although the cost of the meal plans mandatory for all freshman at UC Riverside are quite expensive, it doesn't mean that you should eat so much just to get your moneys worth. Yes, the amount of food available to you is more than what was offered when you were in high school, doesn't necessarily mean that you should go ham at it.
5. Visiting the Student Recreational Center and admiring the vastness of it.
As an incoming freshman at UC Riverside who is into lifting, I, of course, have looked into the Student Recreational Center at UCR. It is amazing how big the gym is, and what amenities are available for us students to use. There are free weight sections, weight machines, Olympic Swimming Pool, 25 ft. Rock Climbing Wall, 2nd floor dedicated to cardio fitness, and another building extension that has basketball, badminton, and volleyball courts! All of which these are not available in a typical commercial gym like 24 Hour Fitness Supersport.
6. Attending Block Party and getting turnt up.
Ahh, alas, the first concert of the year symbolizing another school year has begun. This fall, it is held on 9/24 next to the HUB specifically only for UCR students.
7. Arriving and realizing you didn't bring enough things to be prepared.
Don't be that one kid who moves in on first day trying to find that computer that you distinctly remembering putting in your backpack but then realizing you left it on the counter back home.
8. Having a huge load of homework once class starts.
Oh the dreaded feeling of receiving a ton of homework the first day of class and you're up late in the library studying whereas your friends from other majors are eating out at University Village and having fun.
9. TESTS on first day of class!
The feeling of going to class, then sitting down and the professor says, "Okay class, don't freak out, this test I'm handing out to you is simply just a diagnostic test of seeing how much information you need to catch up on, and it will massively impact your grade in this class. Don't freak out." You're sitting there half-asleep and then suddenly sitting up listening attentively while freaking out that you have a test on things you have not looked at for a year.
10. Rush Week and Fall Involvement Fair is going to be filled with fun activities!
All of this is going to be new to us. Rush week is taking place at around the same time as the Fall Involvement Fair. The stressful times of choosing what to join, and why. These thoughts will be rushing through our minds wondering if what we're doing is logical.
11. Not being able to adjust to the quarter schedule fast enough.
Most of us may have just left a high school that has always been on the semester system. Then enrolling ourselves into 15-17 units this upcoming quarter not knowing what will happen. A lot of people have been telling us how the change happens so fast that 10 weeks will fly by like nothing. This just leaves us to learn how screwed we are for the quarter system. In a little less than 5 weeks (1 month, 1 week) after school starts, most of us will be experiencing a little something called a "midterm" only experienced twice a year in high school.
