Lately my timelines have been flooded with emotional and existential advice to incoming college freshman articles and while they are all great, I decided that SCAD freshmen and transfers needed their own. SCAD is a wonderful, stressful, and hellish wonderland where you are surrounded by artists fighting for their dream careers. This is what I wish I would have known my first year at SCAD.

• Don’t buy expensive books or supplies unless explicitly told to by your professor; maybe not even then.
• Buy a desk chair if you plan to work at your desk. Trust me, your spine will thank you!
• Do not be rude in critique, especially if your work can't back you up. Remember to be constructive, not degrading.

• Blick Art Supplies is often cheaper but don’t go the first Tuesday after class or you’ll be there for 6 hours with your closest friends (which can actually be fun)! Rather, go Monday or Wednesday night, it's much less busy.
• SCAD does not have your average college party scene; we are a bar town, so fake IDs flow freely among students. We also have house/dorm parties, so as long you don't get caught you're gonna have a good time!

• If you choose to have a fake ID in Savannah, it needs to scan for any place downtown, or you’ll end up with an MIP.
• Parties in college do not start until after your high school bedtimes, so don't show up anywhere before 11.
• Don’t be afraid to switch roommates, SCAD is hard and dorms are a small and hostile environment, so they could easily can you over the edge.
• You should not be pulling all-nighters freshman year if you cant budget your time properly now. It's only going to get worse over the next 3 years (unless, of course, you work best at 4am that’s weird but okay)
• It's okay to skip class when you know you can get more done at home, but watch your absences! Professors don’t play games about that stuff.
• Sometimes it's okay to skip and go to the beach! Just make sure its just a work day.

• Having a car in Savannah is a beautiful and terrible wonder. Savannah does not play games with parking; they have a separate task force that will sit and wait for your meter to hit zero and now you have a 20 dollar ticket.
• Command hooks are ridiculously expensive, and don’t work on cinder block or popcorn walls. They also have been known to peel off cheap dorm wall paint.
• Do NOT walk downtown alone at night … you will die.
• Don’t walk past 37^th street or through the projects alone any time of day. It doesn't matter if thats the quickest way to class ... you will die.
• Don’t drink in your room if you live close to the RA or during the first week of class. They'll be hot on your tail, ready with enough red cards to wallpaper your room.
• Try to dedicate at least one weekend night solely to homework and take pride in staying in to work and earn your stripes. This is not a school where you go to frat parties every night.
• Wear whatever you want, because someone else will always be wearing something weirder than you.

• Dress nice(er) for class, we don’t rock the nike shorts and t-shirts at SCAD and its important to be professional because for all you know your professor could be best buds with your future boss.

• If you see people in mascot costumes engaging in sexually charged activities DO NOT PANIC. Those are called furries, google it and discover a side to the internet you didn’t think existed.

• The bagel shop workers are just mean. Its probably not you.
• Make friends with the sub shop people; they are incredible humans.
• Don’t wear heels downtown. The cobblestone will cripple you.

• Check your chicken at the hive. It's probably not cooked.
• Hive food will make you gain the freshman 15. or you'll starve and lose 15 pounds.
• Go to every event, especially the career events. Industry big shots are always coming to scout out SCAD kids.
• SCAD sucks at announcing events like openings and employer presentations, so you really have to pay attention.
• Never forget to treat yo'self every once and a while!
• Art is hard. It's the kind of hard work that you are happy to spend all of your free time on, because for better of for worse, this is your passion. You love it.