Hey everyone! Happy first year of college! I’m a fourth year PA major from Rochester. This year will be my third year living in dorms: one year as a freshman, two years as an RA. I’ve decided to compile some random tips and tricks that will help you have a positive experience your freshmen year at RIT.
- Don’t do laundry on a Sunday night: because EVERYONE in dorms does laundry on a Sunday night. Unless you enjoy the activity of running in between multiple laundry rooms with four separate machines in four separate rooms, pick a time slot in between classes during the week.
- Use Tiger Center: From GPA calculations, to dining/computer lab hours, to calculating the exact amount of food debit you can spend per day based on the amount you have left, Tiger Center has an easily navigable interface. Here it is: https://tigercenter.rit.edu/tigerCenterHome/#/hourslocations
- Bring soap and a sponge: There always seems to be a singular sponge that lives its soggy life out by the lounge sink. No one knows its backstory, but yet it’s used by 30+ people several times a week to clean their ramen noodle bowls and coffee spoons. Since the sponge is a common vector for fecal material, invest the $2 in a sponge of your own.
- Take advantage of wellness classes: You’re required to take two wellness classes for graduation, but they can be fun! Might as well use the opportunity to learn something new. Examples of unique classes include Whitewater Kayaking, Wilderness First Aid, Bowling, Juggling, Ninja Training, Nerfology, and Yoga. You can find the full list here: https://www.rit.edu/~w-criw/wellness-courses.php
- Also, use the gym: RIT has a beautiful gym, and hey – when you’re paying tuition, you should take advantage of the facilities you’re paying for.
- Talk to your professor RIGHT AWAY when you get a bad grade: Don’t procrastinate this until it’s too late. Ask your professor how you can do better in their class and get help as soon as you possibly can. That way you're not doing the "Well, I only have to get a 130 on this final to pass.."
- Reserve study rooms at the library for finals week: Go online to library.rit.edu and reserve a study space because you will not find a spot in the stuffed, stress-ridden library during the last week of the semester. And then you might end up “studying” in your dorm room… aka watching Netflix in bed.
Hopefully these tips help you out in your transition to college and I can’t wait to see your faces in the Fall!
RIT Clinical Health Sciences Center