First Week Wisdom

1. Do your laundry. Dirty clothes will inevitably lead to a stinky dorm room. Even though the act of doing laundry is a chore, joining the communal complaints and banter in the laundry room is pretty fun. Plus, clean clothes and sheets are an accomplishment more satisfying than finished homework.
2. Use every minute of alone time. Never before have I valued being alone in a bathroom as I do now. I relish moments of doing homework in my empty dorm or a corner of the library where no one else is in sight. Finding time to be alone is a necessary method of rejuvenation.
3. Do not go to every club meeting offered. It is so hard to not overextend yourself when you are offered hundreds of interesting activities throughout the first few welcome weeks. But on top of classes, those six clubs will be more stressful than stressless, leaving no time for academics. Pick one or two that you are passionate about.
4. Bring tennis shoes to dance auditions. You never know when you may need to do a hip hop combination.
5. Jamba Juice closes at 4pm. So do not expect to eat a smoothie for dinner.
   
6. Power walking is exhausting. The between-class run is as brutal as it is cardiovascular. In high school, I was known as the power walker, and I still struggle to make it to my classes on time when I have to walk across campus.
7. Sing in the shower. Forget about being awkward. The best part of college, so far, is that people value each other for standing out. The high school cliques with matching outfits do not survive here (unless you are wearing LMU gear of course).
8. Have school spirit. I went to a soccer game on Friday night, and it was a great end to my first week. Under the lights of the arena, I ate dinner from the 24-hour diner, cheering on the team to a win.
   
9. Take advantage of free swag - food, t-shirts, games, parties. At the soccer game, I received a free ticket to an on campus party that other students paid ten dollars to attend. My friends and I make it a game to see what free things are worth the effort. I have enjoyed quite a few free dinners with student groups, and I love my free t-shirts.
10. Enjoy the little moments. The peaceful walk to the library and the views off the bluff make my day. I am so blessed to attend a beautiful school, and even in the overwhelming crazy moments of the first week, I often found myself stepping back and feeling nothing but gratitude for this place.