My first day in college in a few days

  • Thread starter Thread starter physics4ever
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    College
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their experiences and feelings regarding their first day of college. It includes a mix of humorous, scary, and practical anecdotes, as well as advice for incoming students. The scope encompasses personal stories, social interactions, and logistical challenges faced during the transition to college life.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express extreme nervousness about starting college, seeking shared experiences for reassurance.
  • One participant recounts a chaotic first day involving getting lost on campus and missing classes, emphasizing the importance of familiarizing oneself with the environment.
  • Another shares a humorous take on the challenges of finding parking and navigating the bookstore lines, suggesting practical strategies like ordering books in advance.
  • A participant describes a pre-orientation rafting trip that led to physical exhaustion and feelings of loneliness upon arrival at a small college, highlighting the emotional challenges of the transition.
  • Some participants offer advice on socializing, such as keeping dorm doors open to encourage interactions and making friends.
  • One participant warns about the potential awkwardness of reconnecting with former classmates on social media platforms like Facebook.
  • Another shares a positive experience during a welcome week filled with activities, contrasting with others' more stressful beginnings.
  • There are humorous references to fictional "wallet inspectors," with some participants questioning their existence and sharing light-hearted banter.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a mix of experiences, with no clear consensus on the best approach to the first day of college. While some offer practical advice, others recount personal challenges, leading to a variety of perspectives on the transition.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention logistical challenges like finding classrooms and parking, which may depend on individual campus layouts and personal circumstances. Emotional responses to starting college vary widely, reflecting different backgrounds and expectations.

Who May Find This Useful

Incoming college students, individuals interested in shared experiences of transitioning to college life, and those seeking advice on socializing and navigating campus logistics.

physics4ever
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Well..its my first day in college in a few days. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't EXTREMELY nervous about it. :rolleyes: Does anyone have any funny/scary experiences on their first day of college to share?
-Sunayana
 
Physics news on Phys.org
"I-Day" at the US Naval Academy. You don't want to know...
 
physics4ever said:
Well..its my first day in college in a few days. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't EXTREMELY nervous about it. :rolleyes: Does anyone have any funny/scary experiences on their first day of college to share?
-Sunayana

Nothing exciting at all
 
Nothing that exciting happened the first day, but I lived off campus.
Ofcourse, being the idiot I am, I had never been on campus before the first day of class, so when the first day came I had no idea where my classes were. I ended up missing my first two classes (with friends waiting form e in both) spent walking around campus looking for this room..

If you're staying in the dorms, get to know a lot of people. Most valuable advice: leave your door open whenever your home. You want people to feel welcome and introduce themselves. Get used to sharing your stuff.

Join http://www.thefacebook.com" , it'll help your social network.

You'll be fine, just take it easy.
Which school and what major?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
when I was in college... oh, yeah, they think I'm 13 [/size] :rolleyes:
 
whozum said:
If you're staying in the dorms, get to know a lot of people. Most valuable advice: leave your door open whenever your home. You want people to feel welcome and introduce themselves. Get used to sharing your stuff.

hmm... *makes notes for graduate school*

Padlock... door closed... pistol handy...
 
physics4ever said:
Does anyone have any funny/scary experiences on their first day of college to share?
-Sunayana

You will probably spend most of you time trying to find parking, trying to find your classrooms, and then waiting in line at the book store.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
You will probably spend most of you time trying to find parking, trying to find your classrooms, and then waiting in line at the book store.

lol my 2nd semster... i was like screw this crap, and just had my books shipped to my house ahead of time. I also normally came 2 hours early my first semester to get into the hunt for parking spaces as well.
 
My first day my boyfriend and i moved my stuff into my dorm, (parents didn't come cause of a fight.) my roommate wasn't there yet, so i decorated and stuff, then went for a walk with a map trying to learn the important places. like ivan said... wicked long line at the bookstore... then hmm... not too much else. i didn't have my first day of classes till a few days later. i agree with whozum, keep your door open, don't be afriad to make friends.
 
  • #10
physics4ever said:
Well..its my first day in college in a few days. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't EXTREMELY nervous about it. :rolleyes: Does anyone have any funny/scary experiences on their first day of college to share?
-Sunayana
Yeah, the obvious thing is that you won't know where anything is. Make sure you go to any Freshman orientation they might have. They will give you all kinds of shortcut information; stuff that could take a long time to find out picking it up here and there. Get to the campus as early as you can and get to know all the landmarks and names of buildings.
 
  • #11
And watch out for the wallet inspector...
 
  • #12
^ Hmm, the wallter inspector at my uni has a badge and everything, are you implying that there is no such thing as a wallet inspector?
 
  • #13
I went on a pre-orientation rafting trip at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC. A very small hippy school buried up in the Blue Ridge mountains. I stupidly volunteered to steer the raft for the entire day. I was having so much fun doing it that I never wanted to cede the job to anyone else. When we went back to campus the last night, I couldn't even fall asleep because the pain in my arms was so acute. I could hardly move them. Because it was a pre-orientation trip, there was still hardly anyone on campus when we arrived back, so I had to scour the dorms for about an hour before I finally found a girl with some pain medication. My first friend there. She ended up withdrawing two months into the semester because of epilectic fits she was having. I withdrew two weeks before the end of the semester because of panic attacks I was having and didn't go back to college for three years. If anyone is considering going to Warren Wilson College, I would advise against it. No one is sane there, and if you're sane now, you won't remain sane for very long once you are there.

I came alone and I do remember feeling terribly lonely that first night. It was a huge change moving from the LA area to the Appalachian backcountry and a rural school with a student population under 600, which was about the size of my graduating class in high school. Gorgeous place, though. I don't think I'll ever find a more beautiful locale than the Blue Ridge mountains. If anyone remembers the film Last of the Mohicans, it was filmed about 10 miles from my school. I also developed an affinity for bluegrass music (my neighbor was a very accomplished bango player) that lives with me to this day.
 
Last edited:
  • #14
physics4ever said:
Does anyone have any funny/scary experiences on their first day of college to share?
-Sunayana
Having to pay for college myself, I was broke and having a hard time to come up with the money for the train tickets, and was unable to pay for the introductory barbeque that they were throwing for the first year students :cry: (luckily I turned 17 in a few months and was able to get subsidized by the government :rolleyes:)

College is nice, you'll meet people with the same interests as you and make lots of friends! :biggrin:
 
  • #15
I spent my first day at college touring the campus. I had seen it before, but not as much as I had wanted. I did not try to go to the bookstore, most of my friends suggested that I go to classes before I make any purchases (Returning and trading books is hard and annoying for eveyone involved, so I would suggest you wait as well. This does, however, put you at risk of there not being anymore of the particular book you need).

Edit: Stay away from Facebook, all the people you graduated with and did not know will try and be your friend. (I am a bit annoyed, I was a geek, why do they want to befriend me now?)
 
Last edited:
  • #16
Well, my first day of college courses was pretty tame, other than having to haul my lazy butt out of bed at 6AM to get there on time. But I'm starting full time University this fall, so I haven't yet had the full experience. I can't wait though.
 
  • #17
theCandyman said:
I spent my first day at college touring the campus. I had seen it before, but not as much as I had wanted. I did not try to go to the bookstore, most of my friends suggested that I go to classes before I make any purchases (Returning and trading books is hard and annoying for eveyone involved, so I would suggest you wait as well. This does, however, put you at risk of there not being anymore of the particular book you need).

Edit: Stay away from Facebook, all the people you graduated with and did not know will try and be your friend. (I am a bit annoyed, I was a geek, why do they want to befriend me now?)

How anti-social are you?? Perhaps you've just been shutting out people whom you didnt consider friends? Facebook is an excellent tool.
 
  • #18
facebook onwz. My first entire week was called WOW week, week of welcome at cal poly. We were in small groups with 2 leaders and we went on tours around campus, town went to the beach, some hot springs and did some group games. A ton of fun:cool:
 
  • #19
mattmns said:
^ Hmm, the wallter inspector at my uni has a badge and everything, are you implying that there is no such thing as a wallet inspector?

Oh no there is, just make sure he only checks your wallet once. Anyone who gets checked twice by the wallet inspector is a fool...

My first day of college involved going to all these introductary talks about safety on campus, how to get around etc. Nothing too exciting looking back, but at the time it seemed amazing.
 

Similar threads

Admissions Could anyone offer some advice on my college choice for Physics/Astro?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
Studying Should I drop my dreams? (Daydreamer with underachieving abilities)
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Computer files on OneDrive and files saved locally
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
What programming languages/pathways should I focus on?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Admissions How to get a Medical Physics PhD?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Will a D in AP Physics C First Semester Impact My College Acceptances?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K
MS 365 Profile Badge colour
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K