Surviving Summer C at Florida State University

By Max Berman on June 24, 2016

We can all relate to this feeling as a college student, being dropped off by your parents on the first day of summer session at Florida State University. It’s a mix of being terrified and excited all at once. You’re finally leaving your hometown and everything you’ve known to essentially create a new life for yourself. While it may seem scary, there’s things that can be done to maximize your time and ensure the transition will be made smoothly and efficiently.  If you’re one of the many who opted to begin your journey this semester, there’s some essentials that need to be followed in order to make the most of your time at the University.

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to be stuck with a roommate when living in a dorm. It may be the first time you’ve ever shared such intimate space with someone, but it’s important to maintain certain expectations in order for your transition to go as smoothly as possible. The one thing everyone always comes back to when they talk about their dorm experience is the unpleasantness of sharing a bathroom with three other people. Having two frat boys as my suite-mates during my freshman year wasn’t exactly pleasant. Often times, I’d come home from class to find empty bottles in the shower, and one time even a leftover sandwich. If you’re going to be staying in a dorm for Summer C, you should make sure to keep your bathroom clean and your general area as well. There’s no need to add any more stress to one of the biggest transitions in your life, and you’ll thank yourself that you and your roommate are able to maintain a good relationship, even if you don’t necessarily become the best of friends.

via Gettyimages

The great thing about college is that everyone is just as equally horrified as you are at what’s being thrown at them. The independence of becoming an adult mixed a completely new setting can feel like a never ending adrenaline rush, one that we don’t necessarily know if we want to end. The one thing that helped majorly when attempting to adjust was socializing as often as possible. Whether in class or Suwanee, you should spark up conversation with someone. While this may sound like an extremely obvious tip, it’s something that often gets overlooked when we become content eating alone just scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. During the semester, FSU hosts a lot of activities to encourage students to mingle and meet new people. Often, the SLC will be playing movies and it can be fun to meet up with a group of people and see a movie on campus!

When coming to Tallahassee in the Summer, you can guarantee that it’s going to be blazing heat during the day, and buckets of rain as the semester progresses. This won’t ruin your time if you efficiently travel around campus. While many freshman don’t have cars their first year on campus, learning the campus bus routes has saved me more than once from being stuck in the rain after an evening class. Even if you’re someone who bikes to class, it’s always important to have a backup mode of transportation just in case Florida decides to do what it does best.

Image via greatblogabout.com

One of the first things you’ll notice during this semester is how seemingly empty the city is. While some see this as a downside, this is the time to explore Tallahassee and find out what hidden gems surround the campus. Whether it’s breakfast at Maple Street Biscuit Company or coffee at Catalina Cafe, places will be significantly less busy and it’s a great time to see what the city has to offer. Besides food, there’s a ton of great parks and cemeteries surrounding the campus, and they’re great for an afternoon or evening when there’s seemingly nothing to do! If you want to take the more traditional route, there’s always one of the malls to go shopping at or the movie theatre to feel some reprieve from the heat.

The other really big advantage that Summer C offers is you get the opportunity to fully explore campus and locate exactly where your classes will be during the fall semester. While this may seem ridiculously geeky, it saves a lot of trouble the first day of class when you already know where you’re headed! While some of these tips may seem like common sense, they often get overlooked in our day to day lives. The one thing I cannot stress enough is being social! You only get to go to College once, so might as well meet as many people and learn as many things about the world as you can.

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