Your freshman year really sets the pace for the rest of your college career. It lets you acclimate to the environment of your college and really know the ropes. Knowing some tips for surviving this influential year is key. So let’s get started!

1. Know where your classes are before you start.

This is really important. You don’t want to be scrambling to find your 8 a.m. five minutes before the class starts. Any classes in Hartline and McCormick need to be found way in advance--those buildings are confusing. Take a walk around the day before or a few days before to find your classes.

2. Actually study and do your homework.

Even if your professor says that homework is optional and all of your friends who took the class says the exams are easy...still do your homework and study for those exams. Don't just sit around reading Batman, like Sheldon. Everything’s fine and dandy until you start failing your exams.

3. Be wary of The Commons.

The Commons can be a wonderful place. You can get all the food you want in one place and keep going back for more (even dessert!). The Commons, though, is part of the reason why the “Freshman 15” exists. It’s one thing to get a plate of sushi, it’s another to get twenty quesadillas and keep going back for more. Be careful!

4. Take advantage of the Rec.

Within all of those fees we have to pay at the beginning of every semester is your “membership” for the Rec Center. You get free access if you’re a student, so why not take advantage of it? There’s a weight room, a cardio room, basketball courts, Zumba, yoga, racquetball courts, a rock climbing area, the list goes on and on.

5. If you live in the dorms, be social!

Your CA, or Community Assistant, will most likely tell you this, but if not, make sure you keep your doors open if you’re just hanging out in your room. That is the best way for you to get to know everyone else on your floor since people can just stop in and say hi. My CA basically mandated it for us and about 90% of our floor became friendly with each other.

6. Don’t be afraid to take risks.

College is a time to really become yourself and do whatever you want. If there’s a club or activity on campus that you’re interested in, do it! If Quest offers open rock wall climbing and open zip line courses, do it! Where would the fun be in college if you just played things safe and did everything vanilla?

7. Understand the shortening of Bloomsburg.

It is Bloom, not Blooms. If you consistently refer to Bloomsburg as Blooms, you will be judged. We are Bloom. You don’t refer to Pittsburgh as Pitts, do you?