By Anna Cechony

The summer before your first year of college is stressful. It's hard to know what lies ahead and difficult to say goodbye to your life at home. Going into my first year was no different. I didn't feel like I had nearly enough information to go to college and be well prepared for it when I got there. So here are the 5 things I wish I knew before I got to school.

1. You don’t need that much stuff: Places like Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target are trying to sell you stuff. Believe me when I say that you don’t need a ton of command hooks, desk organizers and other room knick knacks. Last year I bought a lap desk at the beginning of the year even though I have never in my life used one. Unsurprisingly, when I was packing up to come home at the end of the year, I realized I hadn’t used it all year. So save your money if you aren’t sure you are going to need something, you can always get it once you’re at school, there will be plenty of free trips to Target!

2. If you haven't heard about it, no one has. By this I mean that if you haven't heard about something from Scripps that your friends at other schools have heard about, it’s okay. For example, you might not have heard about your roommate from Scripps yet, don't worry neither has anyone else. Scripps has a really great housing selection process; it just takes a little longer than it does at other schools. The class of 2017 (rising sophomores) found out about their roommates on August 7, 2013 so it may be a while yet. You also won’t sign up for classes until orientation, which is when you actually get on campus in August. Don’t worry this also is different from other schools, but no Scripps first year knows their classes already.

3. Go in with an open mind: The summer before college I watched Pitch Perfect too many times to count. Needless to say, I was terrified of having a roommate like Kimmy Jin who I didn't get along with. So when my roommate information finally did arrive, I was ecstatic. I immediately messaged them both on Facebook with the normal introductory information about me and awaited their response. When one finally did message back, all she said was "Hi I'm Sarah, I'm a Slytherin." and I burst into tears. I thought that she was going to be so weird and we weren't going to get along at all. But as the year went on we got closer and closer. If I had a migraine, she would get me water and medicine and some food if I missed a meal. If I fell asleep and my laundry was in the dryer, she would get it out and fold it for me. If I had a bad day and was going to bed sad, she would pass me some Oreos and let me talk about it. She is one of my favorite people I've met at Scripps and it was wonderful to be her roommate. So don't judge a book by its cover, and keep an open mind about all the people you are meeting.

4. Pack what you think you will wear. I did not follow this one very well when I moved to school. I thought that moving to SoCal meant it was going to be nice and sunny all the time, and that it would never get cold! Boy was I wrong. Claremont is in the desert, so while it is hot in the day, it cools down really fast at night. It’s hard to imagine packing long sleeve shirts when you look at the weather report and it says 110 degrees all week, but trust me, you are going to want some warm clothing. Also, you will have plenty of storage, but maybe not as much as you had at home. So when you are packing, pack everything you think you will need and then look and see how many things are similar to other things you packed. I promise you will not need both pairs of Ugg boots, or a ton of t shirts, but you might want an outfit to wear to a business casual event or to a party, so make sure there’s some variety.

 5. Stay Calm. No matter how much you know about Scripps before you get there, you will learn all there is to know as soon as you are actually there. Don’t get too worried about being prepared. If you’re reading this you are already in, and it will all be okay!

Happy Summer! It’s time the long wait…

The summer before we came to Scripps, we wanted to know anything and everything about it. Now, we want to tell you about it! We plan to cover topics like how to join clubs, picking classes, and what to bring to college. We also want to know what you want to know! You can send questions and topic ideas to the form linked to the TELL US button.

Be sure to check out our website and get to know Scripps Associated Students a little better. We can’t wait to meet you in the fall!


Photo: taltopia.com