Have a Cliche End of the Semester To-do List

By Vallen Driggers on April 30, 2016

I did it. I just turned in my last essay of my first full year at FSU. This experience has been unlike anything I could have ever expected. There have been ups and down, although mostly ups. So here’s a little cliché list of a few things I’ve learned. My examples are specifically FSU related, but many of these apply universally to any university.

If you choose to do off-campus housing, do your homework.

I AM SERIOUS. Double and triple and quadruple check on your prospective living arrangements. My roommates and I have been woefully mistreated by our first attempt at finding an apartment and being all adult-like. We thought we did our research well enough, but it was not enough. Take every precaution.

Park at Pensacola if you actually want a parking spot.

Everyone wants the convenience of parking in Woodward or Traditions. But that’s just the thing. Everyone wants it. You’ll save yourself a lot of headache if you just park in Pensacola or Saint Augustine and take the 7-10 minute walk. It’s really not that bad, and let’s be real: you should really get some exercise.

Don’t think you’re better because you’re a transfer.

Transferring from a smaller college may help, but it certainly has its cons as well.  You are essentially going into Junior level classes with a Freshman level knowledge of the University. Don’t let the fact that you think you know how to do college make you complacent. I can guarantee you haven’t seen anything yet.

 On that note, don’t be too proud to ask for help.

Everyone handles their work load differently. And, chances are, you won’t have all your friends in your classes to help you out anymore. Go to the ACE Lab, or whatever your school offers in the way of tutor sessions.  Results will be had. If nothing else, find some people in your class to work with on your work. You don’t have to do it alone.

For the love of God, find someone to talk to in your class.

At least one. Not only will you have someone to study with, but it will stop you from going into a class and sitting quietly for a whole semester. I speak from experience. I don’t just talk to people. It’s not in my nature. But the few classes I’ve been forced to interact with people, I had a way more enjoyable time in the long run.

Go to the Student Life Cinema.

If you like watching movies, even a little bit, go to the SLC. Movies are FREE for students with an FSU ID, and $5 for anyone else! Y’all. Tell me where you can beat this. They get pretty big movies in too, although a little after the AMC. Coming up soon, How to be Single, Deadpool, Hail, Caesar!, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Seriously, check it out: http://movies.fsu.edu/

Go to the games!

Coming in to FSU as a Gator fan, I wasn’t sure how the football season was going to go for me. But, by the end of the semester, I only missed one home game. I thoroughly enjoy them, and the feeling you get from the experience is unlike any other. Even if you’re not typically a sports fan, give it a shot at least once. Tickets are free for students, after all. And, hey, even if football isn’t your kind of sportsball, FSU has loads of talented athletes for whom you can cheer.

 Go to SkyZone, and feel inferior.

Alright, listen up. If you haven’t done this yet and it’s not on your bucket list, you do not have your priorities in order. SkyZone is a trampoline park that demands your presence. It is fantastic. You will want to die. But like in the most enjoyable way possible. Holla: http://www.skyzone.com/tallahassee/

Do something own your own every once in a while.

Although there’s no lack of things to do with friends (be it studying or something in your five minutes of free time), the need for you-time should not be understated. Go to the pool. Take a walk around Lake Ella, and admire all the doggies. Have yourself a nice bubble bath. Whatever it is that you like to do, do something for you because it’s all too easy to lose yourself in a crowd.

Get a dry erase board for your home.

These things are straight from God. The roomies and I got a huge one to go in our living room and literally use it for everything. It’s great for study sessions or making your own movie ratings, if you’re cool like us. And then I have another one in my room because I just can’t get enough. And, let’s be real, there’s just something special about writing on a dry erase board.

 Don’t pay for delivery if you can help it.

Literally it is not worth it. Just go pick it up. Unless you’re having a Treat Yo Self day. Or just genuinely refuse to move from your bed.

Hercampus.com

Use those money-saving apps.

I am way down for any app that gets me deals on food of any sort. I’m kind of all about this Hooked app, which offers time-based deals for restaurants all around Tally and other college towns. And if you have a favorite place to eat, i.e. Blaze Pizza, check for them apps.

Don’t lose touch with your friends, but make new ones too.

It’s not always easy to keep in touch with your besties, but it is way worth it. Driving two hours to Gainesville to visit my best friend is not ideal, but it’s something I do because I know a good thing when I’ve got it. However, don’t stop that from letting you meet new people. I’ve grown closer to more people, and it’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Shout-out to the girls in my Editing, Writing, and Media class for Fall 2015!

 “Admire someone else’s beauty without questioning your own.”

Be like the people that posted these.

Vallen Driggers

You’re gonna be homesick sometimes, and that’s okay.

At least if you’re anything like me. Finally, take this amazing quote from an amazing movie, Brooklyn:

“You’ll feel so homesick that you’ll want to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won’t kill you. And one day the sun will come out – you might not even notice straight away, it’ll be that faint. And then you’ll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who’s only yours. And you’ll realize… that this is where your life is.”

 

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