A guide to navigating your first weeks at “a small Liberal Arts college in Illinois.”

Don’t skip orientation

There’s going to be that one kid that you see on the first day of orientation, and never see again because they think they’re too cool to go to orientation group meetings. But you know what? Even though a lot of orientation is filled with cheesy icebreakers, and talks that you may not want to sit through, there’s also a lot of important information. But most of all, that’s how you meet people. I made my first friend at Knox, during our first orientation group meeting, and she’s still one of my best friends three years later.

Don’t get into a relationship right away

You’ll see those couples. The ones that meet ‘the love of their life’ (notice the quotation marks) in the first couple weeks of school. If you do that, you are limiting yourself so much. Yes, for some people it works out, but if you ask most upperclassmen, they will tell you your time is put to better use building friendships and focusing on school. A lot of the friendships you make at Knox, you’ll keep forever. But that fall term relationship with the cute boy from O-Week? Not so much.

Go to Red Room

Otherwise known as the Muelder Reading Room, the large study room on the 2^nd floor of Seymour Library is the home of Red Room tutoring, three nights every week. There is tutoring for every subject, from math to foreign language, and it has gotten me through several of my non-major classes. All of the tutors are students majoring in the area you need help with, and to put it simply, they rock. I know, you probably don’t want to leave your room when it’s -10 degrees outside, but it’s so worth it.

Use College Resources

Going along with the last point, there are so many things that Knox has to offer that are vastly underutilized. Need help building a resume? Go to the Career Center. Want to find out how to get a grant to do research or a special project? Check out the Vovis Center. There’s literally a special office for everything in Alumni Hall, go in and have a look around. Also, you can rent bikes for free from the bike repair shop in the Old Jail, and you can use Rosetta Stone (for any language) for free in the GDH language lab. Cool, right?

Go out and have fun

You’re going to get stressed out. What’s a better way to blow off some steam than going to a party with your new college friends? Yeah, officially, during O-Week they have to tell you a bunch of hoopla about how parties have to be registered. But there will be parties every weekend, mostly unregistered, in houses on and off campus, and in Hamblin, Tompkins, or Exec. There will literally always be people getting rowdy in Hamblin. Partying not your cup of tea? There will also be plenty of people willing to hang out in the Rodge Lodge (Roger Taylor Lounge) and play video games, or watch a movie. Though it may not be immediately apparent in some cases, whatever you’re looking for, seek and you shall find.

Join Clubs

There is literally a club for anything you could possibly be interested in, and if there’s not, go to the campus life office, with two other people, and fill out a form. Boom, new club. Though it’s no longer active, when I was a first year, I joined the Belly Dance club, and danced in front of an audience for the first time, in a sports bra, yoga pants, and a coin belt. And I’m a horrible dancer, but all of my friends were in the crowd cheering for me anyway. See, supportive community. Get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, eat free food. There’s nothing to lose, except any healthy eating habits you may have, because there will be lots of free pizza.

Flunk Day is real, but also a myth. And canceled. But it's tomorrow.

You're going to hear all sorts of contradictory things about Flunk Day. It's real, it's not, it's a myth, it's been canceled. It's an all-day party, drunken brawl, carnival-like atmosphere where all can be merry. I can neither affirm nor deny any of these statements, but come spring term, you'll see for yourself. And remember, keep calm and dig the mud pit, even if campus safety keeps filling it back.

Make the most of Galesburg

People come to Knox from all corners of the world, and from all kinds of communities. Galesburg is very small to most, but for some, it may be significantly bigger than their hometown. If you’re disappointed with Galesburg at first, go to Baked and have some pizza (5$ personal pizzas on Wednesdays with your Knox i.d.), have a coffee date at The Beanhive, check out the Antique Mall, and the cute shops on Seminary Street. Galesburg has a lot to offer if you give it a chance. And if you're really need Chipotle (or Chik-Fil-A for me), Peoria is only 45 minutes away, and people are always going.

Go through Greek recruitment

Even if you don't think it'll be your thing, the recruitment process is a great way to meet people. Nobody is going to pressure you to join, but why wouldn't you want to with all of the awesome organizations at Knox? Also, involves lots of free snacks.

Accept that you will have little to no privacy for the next four years

You’re going to see naked people, and everyone is going to know your business. There’s going to be at least one person in your suite that is totally comfortable walking around with little to no clothes on, and streaking is a vastly popular weekend pastime. Oh, you had lunch in the cafeteria with a member of the opposite sex? Everyone will probably think you’re dating. Have a really good friend? Dating. Speak to another person in passing? Dating. Did you kiss someone at a party? Seen making a stride of pride on a Saturday or Sunday morning? Everyone is going to know. There are no secrets (except in Greek houses). But hey, you’re the one that signed up to go to a school this small.

Enjoy every minute of it.

Enjoy class, getting to know your professors, living away from home. Order pizza vaginas from Alfano’s (call it a stuffed breadstick when you order or they will hang up on you), streak the Knosher Bowl (and the soccer field, and the baseball field). Take advantage of internships and research opportunities, it’ll be a pain in the butt but you’ll be glad you did it. Spend time with your friends, and make some memories,however wild or tame. Keep making new friends, and keep being yourself.

P.S.: The official school slogan may have changed, but in my heart, it will always be “Freedom to Flourish.”