Goodbye to the Freshman

It’s time - time for me to say goodbye to my Freshman year in college. After one year of weight gain, nervousness, and complaining throughout the semesters about my classes and professors, I have finally overcome it all and have managed to survive my freshman year in college without ever being on Freshman Warning - which is when you fail to earn less than a 2.0 GPA.

I learned that no matter what you do, it’s practically impossible to get a parking spot in the Parking Garage near the library after 9 a.m. I also learned that Outtakes and Coyote Jack's are the CVS on campus - being the only places open until 10 p.m. during the week where you can get anything from mozzarella sticks to Smirnoff.

I also learned that the Breezeway is the I-95 on campus and that it does suffer from rush hour traffic, that our Owl Cards are more important than a driver's license and carry a lot more money than our debit cards (at least for those who live on campus), and that the Social Sciences building should be called the SS building but instead we call it the SO building and it looks like a green spaceship.

But most importantly, there are three main things that nobody should miss during their freshman year:

1. Go to a football game.
2. Join a club/get involved.
3. Go to a party in the Student Apartments.
   

This entire year was fun and I will always be grateful for having the opportunity of documenting my freshman year and for having consistent readers to share it with (thanks!).

That said…Goodbye to my freshman year and hello to my sophomore year.

Freshman Experience

My freshman year is coming to an end, and after the week of finals and a summer of classes, I will no longer be considered a freshman by the University standards. I have learned an array of things this year, like: not to stress out so much about classes, that MyFau works only during office hours, and that walking down the Breezeway in the middle of “rush hour” (typically around 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m.) is practically impossible, among other things.

I remember the day when I came to terms that I had gained the “freshman 15” after my Hollister jeans didn’t go past my thigh. I spent endless hours at my second home - my unofficial FAU dorm - in room 214 of the Student Union (University Press headquarters). I fell in love with the Owls after attending a football game where the word "touchdown" only meant “get up and cheer” to me.

I got frustrated with my inability to find the second floor of the GS building after walking in circles around its perimeters, only to find out that 11 flights of stairs and a semi-long walk to the back of the building takes you right into the (hidden) second floor of the GS building. (couldn’t they put the stairs inside of the building?)

I made new friends, lost touch with others, and partied like a rock star at the FAU Apartments - and I still managed to survive my freshman year without failing any classes.

Sad as I am though, this freshman express ride has come to an end. It's been an experience of a lifetime and I will remember tons of memories that will last me until the day I die. So, in commemoration of my final days as a freshman at FAU, I have decided to make this blog a little different.

I went around and asked other freshmen questions about their first year experiences at FAU and here is what they answered - let’s call this a “Q & A with freshmen.”

1. What was the most boring class you took this year at FAU?
   “Life Science - It was so gay that I just stopped going”
   - Amanda Kushner, Freshman, Business major.
   
   
2. What’s the craziest thing you ever did on campus?
   “I tripped on acid with my friend one time. We sat in the forest the whole night and stared at the trees - it was amazing.”
   - Anonymous, freshman, Psychology major.
   
   
3. What is something you wish you would have known before your first day of classes at FAU?
   “I wish I would have known how horrible the parking situation was going to be. I literally spent 30 minutes looking for parking spots the first day of classes. That’s when I realized that the assigned parking spot I had back in High School was a complete privilege.”
   - Kareeme Shorter, freshman, Business major.
   
   
4. What kind of advice would you give to incoming freshmen?
   “Relax. It can get really stressful and stressing about things is no use -and of course, study hard!”
   -Clarissa Lowmark, freshman, Elementary Education
   
   
5. What did you hate the most as a freshman at FAU?
   “I hated gaining the freshman 15. I look like a fat tuna and now I need to exercise to look hot for summer - thanks Outtakes!”
   - Karina Da Luz, freshman, Engineering major.
   
   
6. What was one of your most memorable moments at FAU?
   “There were no memorable moments. All I did this year was drink beer, go to parties, and meet hot chicks - that’s it.”
   - Mike McKevitt, freshman, Biology major.
   
   
7. Are you going to miss being a freshman?
   “Nah. It’s time to move on. The whole freshman thing is overrated. I had as much fun as I did back in High School - the difference was minimal really.”
   - Rony Barzily, freshman, Business major.
   
   
8. Did you ever party at FAU?
   “Yeah right, this campus is so dead that a party here would practically be a miracle.”
   - Grace Welte, Freshman, Undecided.
   

What did you think of your freshman year?

Summer Possibilities

Sometimes I take my age for granted. If I would have been born a year later, I would have probably been facing the reality that I might not have ever come to FAU. In case you live on Mars and have absolutely no idea of what is going on, in the last couple months, the state of Florida has cut the budgets of schools like FAU. That means all incoming freshmen for the class of 2012 might be getting rejected from FAU.

A lot of my high school friends are in this situation right now. It’s almost summer and a lot of them still don’t know whether or not they’re coming to FAU because of our recent lack of money.

By the looks of it all, incoming freshmen for the class of 2012 will be fewer and fewer because FAU is sending out more rejection letters to hopeful students due to the state budget cuts. In fact FAU is possibly rejecting something close to 2,000 qualified students because of this problem.

Not only that, but the atmosphere of FAU wouldn’t be the same.

I’ve often complained about FAU not being the “typical” college campus. FAU is a quiet campus compared to other big universities such as UF or UCF but with budget cuts, FAU could become what Harly Sushil, a student participating in the Save our Summer Classes rally, calls a “ghost town.”

“You think the campus is quiet on the weekends now?” says Sushil. “It’s going to be a ghost town.”

Incoming freshmen are not going to have the same college experience that I had. Even though this campus is not the traditional campus, there are some signs of human activity during the weekends. But with this immense lack of money, school will be emptier, less classes to choose from, and the entire atmosphere of a college campus will be ruined.

But for some reason, even with budget cuts looming and students rallying against them, I still didn’t pay attention.

Not only did I not care that much, but didn’t quite understand why it was such a big deal that summer classes were going to get cut (or that the budget was being cut for that matter) - after all, do people actually study during the summer?

Well, I was wrong. Now I am considering taking classes during the summer to speed up my education and I’ve realized what reducing the budget actually means for me. Some students might not be able to graduate on time because of fewer summer classes and some might not even get accepted to FAU for the very same reason.

In fact, according to this article from the Sun Sentinel , FAU's budget was cut by $6.3 million last fall and $3.3 million this spring.

Everyone is affected by this and I can’t believe I never realized how important and how much of a big deal this is. As a freshman, I’m affected by this because I still have three more years until I finish my education at FAU, three more years I have to face with the consequences of budget cuts, three more years with less summer classes, and maybe not even graduating on time because of FAU’s lack of money.

“This affects all of us,” said freshman Nadia Ismael. “Florida’s state budget cuts are changing the entire atmosphere of what school used to be. I’m just happy I’m transferring - I don’t think I can learn like this.”

Popular Jobs

Forget about enjoying the beach, traveling, and hanging out with friends during the summer, because thanks to our summer classes being sliced down recently – most college students are going to have to find a summer job.

Why?
Because we all need money and there are no classes to go to. (Sadly)

I had to get a job and after endless days at the mall handing out applications, I finally received a call back and got hired.

Yep, this UP blogger is no longer a member of the “college students without a job” club. As of last week, I have taken what could be one of the most popular jobs among students -- I am now a hostess at Koi Japanese Restaurant and I’m loving the tips.

So in commemoration of me finally getting a job, I have decided to make this blog all about the top five jobs that I have found to be the most popular around campus.

TUTORING

If you are extremely knowledgeable on a specific subject or just overall smart, then tutoring might just be what can take your bank account from $0.75 to a $100. This job, though boring at times, is actually a good source of money. Not only do you get to implement your own hours but also your own rate! Imagine that…you don’t have to stick to the state minimum wage of $7.15 - Now, that’s pretty rad.

Benefits:

• You don’t have to work on the weekends.


• You can tutor at the comfort of your own home.


• It only takes a couple of hours from your day.
  

Disadvantages:

• Depending on the person you’re tutoring, work might get boring.


• You’ll be sitting a lot.


• You have to repeat and explain things constantly.


• Beware of who you’re inviting into your house, some of the kids that you might have to tutor are kind of coo-koo and it might not be a good idea to invite them into your home.


• If you end up going to the kid’s house, make sure you stay quiet and out of the fights that he/she might have with their parents – they can get ugly.

BABYSITTING

If you don’t mind babies and toddler vomit, smells of poop in the air, a lot of crying and squealing, and the bonus of dirty diapers, then by all means you should give babysitting a try. This job is only for those who have patience with kids. There is no point in taking a job like this if you’re always in a bad mood and absolutely disgusted at the thought of changing a diaper. It’s also not a difficult job to get – thanks to all the websites dedicated to this kind of job, you can now easily promote yourself on the internet by putting specific times, days, and rates for parents to look at.

Benefits:

• No minimum wage here, you set your own rate.


• Kids sleep a lot - which means, tons of free time for you.


• You get to eat another family’s food while they’re out.
  

Disadvantages:

• It’s a big responsibility - if that kid breaks a bone, it’s on you.


• By the end of the night you’ll smell like throw up and spit - not a good combo.
  

EXOTIC DANCER (STRIPPER!)

Yeah that’s right, stripping is a job. If you have absolutely no inhibitions, you love to show off the twins, and have absolutely no problem in taking your clothes off in front of drunken strangers, then honey what are you waiting for? Hit up the strip club and get a job! Personally, I would never try it. But there are people at FAU that do dabble around in the stripping circle and love it.

Benefits:

• The tips at this job are even better than what any waitress could get - so get those G-Strings ready for the dollar bills.


• If you like being the center of attention, then this is also the job for you. I guarantee you’ll be getting lots of it.


• You might get famous - in the porn business.
  

Disadvantages:

• You’ll only be working nights (or at least most of the time), unless you’re on the day shifts (a.k.a the B squad), in which case you’ll be working a “regular” schedule.


• Your reputation might get hurt because of this - you’ll be labeled all kinds of things because of your job.

RETAIL

One word - clothes. I personally am a shop-a-holic. I shop whenever I have the money and I practically live at the mall anyway, so I had my share of working in retail when I was younger. The only thing is, you have to be patient with customers because as the manager will tell you: “the customer is always right.”

Benefits:

• Discounted clothes. (Need I say more?)
  

Disadvantages:

• You have to stand on your feet for more than five hours straight.


• You don’t get to leave until an hour after the mall closes.


• The pay is not that great and there are no tips. (Obviously)


• If you hate organizing your closet, then you’ll hate this job even more because you’ll be folding and folding like there’s no end.

WAITRESSING/ HOSTING

If you’re overly nice, don’t mind smelling like food, and don’t care to serve a couple of people then this is for you. The only thing is, try to have good memory for orders because sometimes customers can be really picky. For example, where I work there are these two people that get really picky about their tea - they're so picky that they bring their own and only order hot water as their drink. You have to be able to remember things like that.

Benefits:

• Depending on what restaurant you work at, sometimes you will earn more than what a regular job at the mall could pay because of tips. However there are no guarantees that you will in fact make more money. Some places will schedule college kids for day shifts on weekdays. Which means, you could possible walk away from a 7-hour shift with less than $20.


• Free or discounted food (at the end of the night of course). Personally, at my job I have the privilege of enjoying a free meal after a hard day’s work. But, a lot of jobs at restaurants don’t give out free food but will give you a discounted meal instead, so either way you end up with food in your hands…and stomach.
  

Disadvantages:

• Remember that pad Thai chicken you delivered to table 7? Well you’ll smell like it.


• Working hours are often not flexible, meaning you probably have to work until late at night.


• You’ll be cleaning tables full of food, drinks, and who knows what else.


• Forget about free nights and weekends (you’re not working for T-Mobile) - you’ll be working.
  

Where is my love?

Beware of dating acquaintances.

The last date I went on appeared to be a good one at first. The guy was nice, tall, and handsome. He had brown shaggy hair that fell slightly over his eyes, a tattoo on his right arm of the outline of Florida, and wore tight, skinny jeans - he could have been an American Eagle model for all I knew.

Conversation flowed well as we both sipped on our Venti, double-shot, vanilla lattes with no foam, until the fatal question he asked that brought me back down to earth and slapped me on the face.

“So, I‘m just going to get this out on the table and ask you” he said. What could it be? I thought. Was he about to ask me out on another date?

“Would you like to try some cocaine?” he said.

Whaaaat???

I couldn’t believe the words that had just slipped out of his mouth. At first I thought it was a joke, but he was being completely serious.

He creeped me out so much that the date was over before the little receptionist in my head could scream…NEXT!

As my freshman year is coming near an end, I am baffled at my inability to find anyone suitable for a date. In high school, I wasn’t the most popular girl, but I did manage to score a date here and there.

In college, not only have I not found anybody worthy of a relationship, but the couple of people I have gone on dates with have turned out to be complete losers, like Mr. Cocaine Addict discussed above.

The thing is, I don’t even know where I find all of these losers. My friends have somehow managed to score cute and decent boyfriends. While me on the other hand, seem to be hanging out at the library by myself more and more.

“You have to go out more,” said freshman Elizabeth Gosein. “Go to clubs, parties - that’s where most of the guys are”

“Yeah, but I don’t just want to hook up with some guy for a night,” I told her. “I want something that will last.”

“Sometimes there are nice guys there - you just have to look for them,” said Gosein.

But I do look for them. I look for them wherever I go - the supermarket, the library, Starbucks, school, and just about everywhere. Not only that but I’ve also made a conscious effort to look better whenever I go out, in case I bump into my prince charming.

I’ve started to straighten my hair, wear more make-up, and I am even making an effort to lose the stupid freshman 15.

So what am I doing wrong?

“You’re worrying too much,” said freshman Clarissa Lowmark. “You have to just let it go and let it come when it’s supposed to.”

What my friend was saying was true.

In fact, on a recent article on the April issue of the Cosmopolitan (pg.84) psychotherapist Bella Dishell discusses that “if your only focus is on finding a boyfriend, your run the risk of coming off as desperate, a vibe that repels guys.
But when you feel at peace with yourself - you don’t think so much about how others can make you happy - you exude confidence, which is a magnetic trait,” said Dishell. “The key to getting to that place is focusing on the thing you got going for you and nurturing your interests rather than dwelling on what you lack.”

Still desperate about not being able to find a date, I asked some of my friends (with a significant other) how they managed to find their perfect guy and this is the advice they gave me on where to find my prince charming.

• The Gym (Arnold Swartzenegger): Guys like this one love to go to the gym and watch their muscles grow. They’re usually there for hours and there’s lots of them in one place. If you’re into these kinds of guys, make sure you start hitting the gym - not only will you get in shape but you’ll also increase your chances of finding your hottie.

• Whole Foods (The Hippie): If you’re a vegetarian and like guys with dreadlocks like me, then you should go to the Whole Foods Supermarket and get some tofu. It’s the perfect place to meet the healthy, anti-animal cruelty, peace & love, beauty you’ve always dreamed of. Trust me, you’ll love being a vegetarian even more.

• Barnes & Noble (The Intellectual): Barnes and Noble just happens to be the greatest place on earth if you love guys that love books as much as the opposite sex. Guys that hang out at these kinds of places are usually really smart but kind of shy. So if you want to find somebody like that, most of the time you have to make the first move. Try to start a conversation based on a book he’s looking at - trust me, it works most of the time.

• Rock concerts (Indie Superstar): I have met lots of guys at local shows. One thing though, most “rocker” guys smoke cigarettes, so if you don’t mind kissing someone that will taste like an ashtray - you’re set! These grungy, messy hair, tattooed beauties are usually pretty outgoing and if you catch their eye, they will surely approach you. Not only that but they usually play an instrument, what’s hotter than that?

Guys are everywhere. Don’t get desperate like me to have a dating life. It’ll come…I hope.

Bathing Suits and Underwear

It happens to everyone: bathing suit bottoms become underwear, socks become scarce, and jeans become crinkly and smelly -- but sooner or later you have to face the fact that you smell. After weeks of procrastination, its time to do your laundry.

“I don’t do my laundry,” said freshman Alejandro Garcia. “I go home during the weekends and let my parents do it.”

He’s not the only one…

In fact, I asked 15 freshmen if they did their laundry and sadly, only three of them replied with a “yes.”

Laundry has never been a problem for me (not that I even know how to do my laundry) but it’s just that before I even try to learn, my mom has already taken it out of the laundry basket, washed it, and folded it on top of my bed for me.

In all my 18 years of life, I have never done my laundry and probably won’t have a chance to do it until I move out. As a freshman I am considered an adult in the real world and I don’t even know how to do my own laundry -- how pathetic.

“It’s not that difficult,” said freshman Kareeme Shorter. “Freshmen are just lazy and we’re just used to our parents doing everything for us.”

But I need to start somewhere, so in hopes of learning how to do my laundry I went around and asked upperclassmen what they would do in my situation.

These are the responses I got:

• “Do not mix colors with whites.”

• “Don’t wash colors with hot water.”

• “Wash only the towels and underwear with hot water.”

It was all so confusing. My head hurt with all of the do’s and don’ts of laundry. Who knew it would be so difficult to wash my clothes.

So instead of giving you a “How to” guide on your laundry, I am going to give you a “How To” guide on how to prolong the horrible and annoying task of doing your laundry.

Hey, we might as well take as long as we can to do it. After all, we’re college students.

WARNING: The advice I’m giving on how to prolong doing your laundry will only work for a maximum of three weeks. Eventually you will have to do your laundry.

1. Only wear underwear when needed: Yeah, that’s right. Underwear is not that necessary. Unless you have your period, you can easily get away with not wearing underwear with those really tight, skinny, jeans you love so much. Trust me, your butt will look better and you will be saving clean underwear for when you really need them.
   
   
2. Tide to Go was created for a reason: Try not to spill things on your shirts and pants so that you won’t have to wash them, but if you do, use Tide to Go, and it will be the answer to your prayers. Just spray that little sucker directly on the stain and within minutes you’ll be clean again!
   
   
3. Dryer Sheets can save your jeans: To avoid washing so many pairs of jeans more than twice a week, put a dryer sheet in your pocket and carry it throughout the day. It’ll give your jeans that freshly washed scent and it’ll allow you to wear them more times throughout the week.
   
   
4. Forget about socks: One thing that’s really annoying to wash when you're doing laundry, are the millions of pairs of socks you probably own. We live in Florida buddy, it’s not like it snows here, that’s why flip flops and sandals are the official shoe of Florida.
   
   
5. Bathing suits are in: If you feel uncomfortable not wearing any underwear then by all means wear your favorite bathing suit as your new piece of underwear. They’re easier to clean, you can shower with them, and they would probably still go with your outfit.
   

Freshman under House Arrest

No, I’m not under house arrest…but certainly close to it.

My name is Irene and I am grounded - for a month to be exact. (You can stop laughing now.)

My friends have all taken the liberty of making me the practical joke of the day by laughing at me every time they see me, still in awe that I can actually get grounded at the age of 18 - well, it is possible…just ask my mom.

“You’re grounded for a month,” my mom said angrily once she found out I had wrecked the bank accounts.

I was in shock. I couldn’t breathe and I could feel my heart palpitating its way to my mouth. I pushed out the only words I could come up with.

“What do you mean?” I said. She gave me one cold look and replied, “It means, you can’t go out with anyone for a month - that’s what it means.”

And so for the past week my life has felt like something that was taken out of a scene from Groundhog Day. Every morning I angrily stumble out of my bed, take a shower, blast music in my car, get stuck on I-95, go to school, politely decline invitations to go out, come back home, do the dishes, do my homework, and repeat the cycle all over again the next day.

Long gone are the days of my so-called “college freedom,” of enjoying a curfew of 1 a.m., parties on Friday nights, and Sunday afternoon lunches with friends. Not to mention the fantastic Easter week sales that I’m going to miss thanks to my newfound lack of freedom. (Bye bye, Old Navy...)
“Don’t worry, I get grounded too,” embarrassedly admitted Karina Da Luz, a fellow freshman whom I’ve known since high school. “I think it might be because we don’t have any brothers or sisters.”

True, we don’t have any other siblings, but I thought grounding was more of a cultural thing. Ever since I was in high school, it always seemed that among my friends, I was the only one who ever got grounded. Sure, their parents got mad at them occasionally but never really grounded them.

I don’t blame my mom for being angry at me after what I did with the accounts though. Thanks to my poor judgment and my inexperience with money, I spent $330 more than what I had in my account. Now I owe the bank money, don’t have a job, and have absolutely no way of paying my mom back.

But grounding me? Isn’t that a bit extreme? No one even gets grounded anymore.

I was determined to prove that getting grounded was in fact a cultural thing - that maybe it was a “Hispanic” thing. I talked to eight other Hispanic freshmen who lived at home with their parents, asking if they still got grounded while in college, and to my surprise, they didn’t.

“Grounded? Is that a trick question?” asked Ana Valles, a political science freshman who was part of my survey. “I haven’t been grounded since I was in middle school, much less in college.”

At least she answered the question. All of the other freshmen I asked took the liberty of making me listen to their laughs and ridicule me for being the only person in college they knew was grounded.

I was wrong, it's not a cultural thing. In college, nobody gets grounded anymore - except for me, of course.

I now have to endure 20-something more days in my house while fellow freshmen are out and about clubbin’, partying, and enjoying freedom while I sit in my house watching reruns of Scott Baio is 46 and pregnant and eating buckets of ice cream.

I can’t wait to come back to the world of freedom, but for now VH1 is definitely my best friend.