Day One (and Day Two)

I've been here at the University of Florida for a week now, and classes have started already. It's been a long week, and I've learned a lot quickly. Not in the way of school subjects, mind you, but lessons about college life. But first, let me give you the rundown of my experiences so far.

I've been going here, there, and everywhere, pretty much all on foot. To say that my feet hurt would be an understatement. Actually, it would probably do just fine. The point is, I've been doing a lot of walking. My dorm is pretty much in the center of the campus, but my classes (and indeed, most of the interesting places) are in one corner of the campus, a 15- to 20-minute walk away. I've been hanging out with my sister, who lives around there. We didn't really have anyone to hang out with the first day or so, but we quickly met lots of people and spent much of the week hanging out with them.

Classes started on Thursday. My first college class, at 9:35, was Calculus 3. It was actually a problem solving session or something like that. Apparently classes that have lectures on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays might also meet on Tuesdays or Thursdays with a different teacher or TA to review the material or give quizzes. Yesterday's class was such a session. The TA (I assume) went over a few things we should have known from previous calculus classes. I knew most of it, but I had a hard time recalling it. Even my high-school calculus teacher knew how fast math drips out of your ears.

After that, I had America in the Fifties, an honors class that covers America during the "long fifties" (Nagasaki to Dallas). It sounds like it's going to be pretty hard, so I'd better stay on top of things there. Next, I had Social Geography, which has to do with population patterns and demographic shifts and things like that. It sounds pretty interesting. There are about 100 people in the class, and I had to sit in the nosebleed section because I wasn't as early to class as everyone else.

When my history class unexpectedly got out early, I was sitting around in a busy place with nothing to do. Before I knew it, I was being proselytized to by a Christian guy. Rather than engage in a debate with him, I simply went along with what he was saying to get a sense of his argument. I played the role of the good kid who doesn't worry too much about what God thinks of him. Did you know that since I've lied and stolen things, I'm a liar and a thief? It's true! The guy told me that he was too, and that God punishes people who bad things (Bible citation). So in order to escape damnation, I should accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior (Bible citation). If I don't, I'll go to hell (Bible citation, a parable that I've never heard in my life).

Yesterday was less eventful (in terms of classes) because I only have two classes on Friday. First thing in the morning, I had chemistry along with about 300 other people (including Anh, a girl I met at a bus stop). It seems okay because the teacher (or professor, I guess) has a good sense of humor. ("Although chemistry exams can be hard on students, they are often fatal for grandmothers.") After that, I had my calculus class again, this time with the actual teacher, who gave an introduction to the three-dimensional coordinate system. He's kind of hard to understand because of his accent, but I think I'll be okay if I just study (which is what I spent part of the day doing).

As I mentioned previously, I still can't get online because the people in charge of making sure that students get connected to the Internet in their dorms haven't made it easy for Linux users. (In the past, Linux users had no problem connecting, but this year they've done something different.) I'm using the Wi-Fi in my dorm's common room now. It's kind of a pain to travel so far for an Internet connection, but hopefully, that'll change soon. Mark, a guy I've been talking to online who lives in my dorm, has sent me instructions (written by someone else) for getting it to work. I'll have to try it later.

And now, my advice (and related wisdom) for incoming college students:

• Don't worry about meeting people. You will meet lots of people immediately, even if no one you know from high school is there, get on Facebook and see if anyone from junior high or elementary school is there. You'll make friends with your roommate(s) and neighbors. Meet their friends. Say hi to random people on the street. Before you know it, you'll be friends with your friends' friends' friends. And who knows? People might randomly approach you, too. After all, hundreds or thousands of people are in the same boat as you.
• You will walk a lot. Or, you'll ride your bike or take the bus a lot. If you brought your car, you may or may not drive a lot, depending on how much you cherish the parking space you got. Walking is probably preferable to having a bike because you don't have to worry about someone stealing your legs. But if you have to cover long distances, a bike may be better for you. Either way, you'll probably get in better shape.
• Save money. This should be self-evident. As a Poor College Student®, I can tell you that college is a great way to spend more money than you actually have. I wouldn't recommend trying to juggle college classes and a job during your first semester. Take any money your parents provide for you, and stretch your dollars out. The other day, I went to an event with free pizza, soda, cake, and ice cream. It wasn't the most nourishing meal in the world, but I saved a few bucks, and I got to meet people. See if there are events like that near you.
• Don't sit around doing nothing. You'll probably be proselytized to by someone with religious beliefs that are different from yours. Nobody likes that... unless you buy into what the person is saying, undergo a genuine religious conversion, and celebrate the day that a stranger showed you the light. If you find yourself out of class early, why not read a book or study? Which leads me to...
• Study! That's what you're in college for. Be sure to have some fun, but schoolwork, however boring, comes first. Like high school, some classes are easy, and others are hard, but now, it's all up to you to make sure you do the work. You're probably in college because having a college degree will get you into whatever career you want and will help you get more money. There's an incentive for you.

I'll probably think of more to say, but that's it for now.

Oh yes, one more thing: I have my very own mailbox. Send all letters, cards, postcards, checks, cash, late birthday presents, fan art, fan fiction, early birthday presents, Hershey's Symphony bars, posters, exciting magazines, extra-light 12-string acoustic guitar strings, T-shirts that you think might fit me, fruit bats, orangutans, breakfast cereals, coupons, and everything else to:

[Edit Sun May 04, 2008 22:58 EST (UTC -5): I don't live at this address anymore!]