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9 Things To Remember As An Incoming Ashland University Freshman As Told By Spongebob Squarepants Because you'll be as ready as Spongebob always is. As the summer draws to an end and we all return to our baccalaureate-granting homes, I believe we have a duty as upperclassmen to let the incoming freshmen in on each of our own specific campus's tips and tricks of surviving and enjoying the undergrad years. And, you know, what better way to list nine of the most important things to remember when joining Ashland University's campus than through a help list paired with the best Spongebob moments? 1.) If you know what's good for you, do NOT fall too hard for the first guy or girl that shows interest in you. I don't know why this phenomenon occurs, but I know at least ten people who dated somebody they never would've even considered dating had they not let the excitement of being in a new place and meeting new people influence their decision to date the first person they met. It happened to me; I met him at the interest fair on welcome weekend, and by the time month two rolled around, we found we had absolutely nothing in common. We both felt like we'd wasted our time not meeting other people from hanging out in our rooms all the time. So get out and go to the interest meetings and don't waste as much time on the first person you meet as Spongebob did writing his essay.
G Gracie Fumic (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/user/@graciefumic) Sep 1, 2016
At Ashland University (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/community/ashlan university)
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2.) Don't slack off in your core classes. They may seem pointless in many aspects, but those extra credit hours and easy A's will be your saving grace if you end up doing poorly in a class or two later on; the GPA cushion will help soften the blow of a D or an F in an incredibly difficult class your sophomore year.
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Then you won't be screaming to yourself internally, "WHAT I LEARNED IN BOATING SCHOOL IS..." because I'm not even joking when I say that I did that during an exam I didn't study for (more than once) in Elementary Statistics. 3.) For the love of all that is good, do you best to not drop your tray in Convo. I only dropped a glass once, and when it shattered, people stopped. And stared. And pointed. And clapped...a lot.
...enough said, fam. 4.) Only schedule breaks in between classes if you're not the sort of person to sleep through your entire life. You may think a two-hour break between your 1:30 and 3:30 classes is a good plan, but I can guarantee if you're all snuggled up in bed all the way over in Amstutz, you are NOT going to want to walk all the way to Schar for your last class of the day...like, ever. So it's better to power through a back-to-back schedule.
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You can do it, even if it feels worse than Mrs. Puff standing on your head, forcing you to take a test. 5.) Don't make daily trips to Fat Bar, as enticing as it may be. They don't call it the Freshman 30 at Ashland for nothing. It'll go straight to your thighs. And then you'll blow up.
6.) Be prepared to make closer friends than you've ever had. Chances are, with how small the classes are at AU, and especially if you're in the same major, your friends will be the sorts of people you'll make your bridesmaids and groomsmen at your wedding. They're the ones who will pull countless all-nighters with you, they'll most likely be there when you make your worst mistakes, and they'll be the person you're texting in class when you probably should be paying a whole lot more attention.
7.) Don't tell just anybody what you did on the weekend. Our campus is made up of about 2,500 students, which is the size of many high schools. And regardless of whether or not you think your business won't get around, I can almost promise you that it will if you tell more than two people what happened at Riley's last night.
Then you won't feel like this when you get sideways looks in class,
And then you won't feel like doing this later. 8.) Even though it'll be early in the morning or late at night, go to Dauch, Patterson, or Schar (or really anywhere with solid internet connection) for scheduling. Don't make the mistake of using the horrible campus WiFi during scheduling. And definitely don't assume you'll get into a class if you didn't already manually select it on WebAdvisor because 1, you're a freshman so you get the last of the pickings, and 2, the system likes to crash because everyone clicks the submit button at the exact same moment. So even if you have to wake up before putting your brows on and walk to Dauch at 7 a.m. for scheduling, you'll be happy when you get 5 out of 6 of your hopeful classes.
\ 9.) Do realize that the majority of professors at this institution care about your success, so don't squander your time here; learn as much as you can. Realize that all the money you're paying to attend this private university should mean something. Never had I looked up to educators the way I do now before attending Ashland. For the most part, these educators want to see you succeed in your field of study. Ask questions and be close with your advisor(s). You won't always have the resources you'll come to find on this campus, so make the most of your education. And most importantly, love what you're doing. You're apt to find and chase your real passions at this place. So get out there and do what you're meant to do!
Cover Image Credit: Jake Riley
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Never Stop Moving Forward, But Remember Where You Started Go through those windows of opportunity, but take a minute every now and then to look back. Being almost halfway done with college is crazy to think about. It seems like it was so long ago when I got here, and yet everything is going by so incredibly fast. Lately I’ve been inspired to reflect more on my life, and I’ve discovered why it’s so important to do so every now and then. “Remember where you come from.” My friend told me that the other day when we were discussing self-reflection. At first I thought about my family and where I grew up, but remembering where you come from is a lot deeper than that.
K Karen Ketay (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/user/@ksketay) Apr 19, 2018
At Illinois State University (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/community/illinois state-university)
Sure I’m glad that I’m branching away from home and becoming more independent, but I’ve met people who’ve moved far away and are still the same person they were before they left. For me, remembering where I come from is about remembering where I started mindset wise. Today I am becoming more and more involved and using as many resources as I can to create success for myself in life. Two years ago, heck even just a year ago, is a different story. I had a very different mindset, and I thought that just ‘going with the flow’ was good enough. I stayed on top of my school work and had good grades, but that was my only priority. I didn’t make many efforts to get outside of my comfort zone because I didn’t realize how important that actually is. Not everyone likes to get outside of their comfort zone, but I promise it’s worth it. Once you do, a whole new window of opportunities open. Go through it and don’t stop. But don’t forget to look back once in a while to reflect and remember where you started.
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I’m never going to stop moving forward to reach my goals, but I’m also never going to forget where I came from. People have seen me make changes in my life, and I’ve seen that inspire them to do the same.
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When I think back to where I started in college, it makes me appreciate how far I’ve come that much more. It pushes me to go even farther and work as hard as I can to reach my goals. It’s important to remember where you started because remembering that old mindset helps you to reach others who are still in it.
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When I realized that I needed to get outside of my comfort zone and do more with my life, people who had been in the same position as me played a big role. I heard their stories of how much they grew from pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone. That inspired me to do the same because I knew I could. I know that I will continue to grow as a person and expand the mindset I have today. I am still the same me, but I’m a better me because I’m working to be the best me.
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Welcome To Adult Life, The World Doesn't Revolve Around You You’ll be glad to know that it starts off pretty slow, but it doesn’t stay that way.
If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already packed. You’ve got an overnight bag because you heard you should pack light. You’ve heard of dorm rooms being like cramped little closets, and where are you going to breathe if you pack your whole closet like your mom told you to? Yes, you’ve already packed your clothes and your posters, bought your books, wrote "First Day!" in your planner in cursive that looks like it should be on a wedding card. You’re leaving tomorrow morning but you pack the car the night before. Your mom wants to take a picture of her little adult standing by the car, a cheesy one with your arm leaning on the cold metal of the trunk. You want to protest, of course - you’re an adult now, for crying out loud, and you just turned 18 two weeks ago—doesn’t that mean anything around here? Of course, you want to protest, but you won’t, because—hate to break it to you—you’re an adult now.
S Sana Rahman (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/user/@sanarahman) Apr 19, 2018
At The State University of New York at Stony Brook (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/community/stateuniversity-of-new-york-at-stony-brook)
Yes, adulthood, the awesome responsibility of loans, paychecks, insurance and more awaits and the Type A in you is thrilled for really any responsibility beyond getting your reading log signed. Oh, how you can’t wait to get to college. Get out of college. Take over the world in three easy steps and seriously, all the power to you. You’re an adult now and perfectly capable of taking on all real-world responsibilities like… bills and such - but it’s also important to note that being an adult, also, unfortunately, comes with being an adult. Let me explain. Being an adult is more than just being prepared for the monetary problems that are assuredly coming your way. It comes with the soul-crushing truth that the story of your life that was supposed to be YOUR name in flashing lights has little to nothing to do with you at all.
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You’ll be glad to know that it starts off pretty slow, but it doesn’t stay that way. You compromise on movie night to what everyone else wants, you don’t want to make a fuss over anything. Then you trade in your favorite breakfast place because you wanted to spend more time with your friend who eats breakfast across campus.
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Before you know it your former life of writing your yearly Christmas list with everything you wanted now becomes your yearly Christmas list with everything you’ve heard your friends say in casual conversation over the past weeks. When you had a free hour to do whatever, you called your mom because she asked, and she talks about her day for two hours.
(https://www.theodysseyonline.com/knew5 Things I Wish I Knew When I younger) Was Younger
It sounds scary and pretty awful and maybe it has already happened to you. If it has you know it’s not so bad. Sure you had plans to get a neon sign with your name to hang over your museum when you got super famous, and maybe you’ll still do that. But having friends and family in your life that makes you feel like every day will be something great? Who needs neon signs anyway? And hey, at least this article is all about you - congrats! Cover Image Credit: Instagram.com (https://instagram.com/p/BhY25RdguWH/)
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