Wisdom That Might Be Helpful

I wish I had known that:

• People will help you move in (FRADs and O-Staff)—YAY!
• Math answer books are located behind the front desk in the library
• I could get my Palacard fixed if it got demagnetized at the Student Business Center
• FUNet is really informative
• My hall staff wasn’t as weird as I first thought on move in day!
• There was an activities fair at the beginning of school with booths set up
• If anything went wrong with my room, that I could fill out a maintenance request on the housing website
• Professors will ALWAYS meet with you outside of class, and when you make the effort, it is reflected in grades.
• I could print stuff for class at the library for free
• I could print at Johns Hall, which I like better than the library because there’s never a line
• I didn’t need my notes from high school, except maybe for math and science.
• You can’t recycle glass at Furman.  Bummer, I know, but oh so true.
• My RA and FRADs were always there to talk, no matter what it was about
• The walking trail around the lake is scary at night because it’s so dark (no lights yet and don’t worry, it’s safe), but beautiful during the day. 
• Club Duke, James, and “The Lib” are all names for the James Buchanan Duke Library and that the library is cool
• Leopard Forest Coffee Company in Travelers Rest is amazing.
• FUPO will give you a ticket for just about anything
• There is a 24 hour study room in the library
• O-Week is a great experience that I feel like I missed out on because I didn’t get into the excitement.  I would have cheered more and participated in more activities.
• I didn’t need a car or a TV.  Both are nice, but not necessary.
• The Infirmary is open 24 hours, as is Waffle House and WalMart
• What side of campus you live on does not determine who your friends are or your social life
• You don’t have to have a ton of money to have fun
• No one expected me to be who I was in high school, so I could be whoever I wanted to be
• I could ask people on the hall to be quiet if they were being too loud or disturbing my studying or sleep
• My roommate and I didn’t have to be best friends and we needed to talk about our differences regularly, but don’t worry, we’re great friends now (but we’re not rooming together this next year)
• The Judson RA office has lots of things to rent like cooking utensils, vacuums, movies, board games, etc. and they’re free to rent with your RLC card
• You don’t need a long formal dress except if you get invited to ROTC dinner thing at the end of the year.  Short dresses are standard for fraternity and sorority formals
• Coffee would be my little morning friend
• I should back up my computer constantly
• My suite needed a toilet paper buying schedule
• I should go dancing in the rain at midnight
• I should have thrown marshmallows instead of candy to the boys at the Midnight Serenade.
• I should have gone downtown more--even just to walk around
• I should have taken more midnight trips to Wal-Mart
• Your PalaPoints are not unlimited like DH food
• You should swipe in/out to-go lunch for extra snacks and drinks to keep in your room while your meal plan is still unlimited
• It's cheaper to buy your laundry detergent in a big bottle, but it's so much easier to lug around when it's in a smaller bottle
• Every Furman student should eat at Thaicoon at least once
• When Furman has random fairs for things, GO!  At the health fair, they were giving out super nice razors and there were so many extras they gave me 9 of them.  Now I don't have to waste money on new ones because I have a BUNCH!
• It's really easy to sign up to be a tutor and it's an easy and great way to make money at your convenience
• You can get a Greenville County Library card for free if you have a valid Furman ID.  It's great for leisure reading books or for another quiet place to get away.
• When tables are decorated for sororities during first semester, it's not a table just for them.  It's an invitation for the freshmen girls to join them, meet sorority women, and learn more about the sorority.  It may be a little intimidating, but take some of your friends with you.

 

I wish I had brought:

• A swiffer and a vacuum, even a tiny one
• A plastic “tower” thing of drawers
• A lamp
• Bookshelves or at least something to store my books and dvds.
• A LOT LESS STUFF!
• A Crazy Creek chair
• Computer speakers
• A smaller laundry hamper—it would force me to do laundry more often
• Toilet paper and bathroom cleaning supplies at the very beginning of the year
• A camera—I wish I had memories of O-Week and beyond
• Rain boots to start with (and a rain jacket with a hood) but I didn't believe that people actually wore them
• An external hard drive to back up my computer
• A few semi-formal dresses (at least 1 or 2)
• At football games, it's about 60/40 with people who dress up in "Furman Tailgate" attire (aka khakis/ties for guys and sundresses for girls) and those who wear team spirit wear.  I suggest trying both at least once.
• Not everyone goes to football games.  I'm not a huge fan, but you should go at least once

 

I cannot live without:

• My dustbuster
• My step stools.  I LOVE them because I’m not especially tall…
• Curtains—it gives a room a homey feel.  To put up curtains, get two Command Hoods and put a cheap, expandable rod between them.
• Command Strips and Hooks
• Photos of my family and friends
• Scrapbook paper—it looks amazing on bare walls
• Costumes for O-Week.  It was SO fun to be a part of O-Week!
• Crazy dress-up clothes
• Blankets.  Sometimes it gets cold.
• My mattress pad foam topper thing.  It makes ALL the difference.
• Coloring books.  For real.
• Movies that I loved as a kid.
• My coffee maker
• The little key holder with a spot for my Palacard
• Sticky tack to put paper on walls
• Hot water pot for tea.  I can make tea in an instant and it boils water for ramen noodles faster than the microwave.
• My carpet for my room.  I AM SO GLAD I BOUGHT IT!!  BEST investment I made.  I just went to Home Depot and bought a big square for my room.  It made the room feel bigger and it's WAY more comfortable.

 

Leave at home:

• *Candles, even if you don’t plan on burning them
• *Extension Cords
• *ALCOHOL—you will get busted.  I promise.
• Duct tape
• *Anything that will leave stuff on the walls or that will peel the paint off.  You get fined.
• Microwaves or tiny refrigerators—both are included
• Quarters for laundry.  It’s included in tuition.

*can’t have in your room or on campus, results in confiscation and/or a big ol’ fine or even more…

 

Furman Abbreviations:

• “RA” stands for “Residence Assistant”
• “FRAD” stands for “Freshman Advisor”
• “DH” stands for “Dining Hall”
• “PDen” stands for “Paladen,” the place on campus to use your “palapoints”—(Moe’s, Chickfila, sandwiches, sushi, etc)
• “UC” stands for “University Center”
• “SoHo” stands for “South Housing”
• “FUSAB” stands for “Furman University Student Activities Board’
• “RLC” stands for “Residential Life Council”
• “FUPO” stands for “Furman Police”
• “PAC” stands for “Physical Activities Center”
• "The Ant Hall" is Judson Base and has a kitchen, ice machine, practice rooms, a big screen tv, a pool table, and more
• "The Mall" is the big grassy, tree-y area stretching from McAlister Auditorium to the PAC
• "Gambrell Beach" or "G Beach" is the stretch of grass next to Gambrell and the Art Building (the one with the sculpture) where people can play frisbee, relax, lay in hammocks, lay out, do homework, etc
• "E Field" is the field outside of Blackwell residence hall in SoHo with sand volleyball and basketball.
• "WaHo" is Waffle House