As a freshman, the last thing you want is to appear as panicky and stupid-nervous as you actually are. Unless you want the equivalent of a scarlet letter “F” plastered on your freshly de-tagged collegiate apparel, avoid the following, because you definitely look like a freshman if…
1. You naively take every syllabus into the bookstore, present the cashier with them and then strip your pride (and bank account) by unwaveringly purchasing each book at full price.
2. You go everywhere on campus fully equipped with that orientation-issued lanyard, dorm keys and ID card.
3. You casually leave the deadbolt turned on your door like it’s completely normal, except really you are just desperate to make friends.
4. You’d rather starve in your room than eat alone in the cafeteria.
5. You’re spotted taking family pictures on campus, with dad decked out in his “[insert university name] dad” tee or whatever ridiculously nerdy stuff he wears.
6.You Facebook stalk your class roster.
7. You are unaware of the influence ratemyprofessors.com will have on your entire collegiate career.
8.You raise your hand to ask if you can go to the bathroom.
9. “You wear your high school ‘class of….’ senior shirt as many times as possible because you still feel really cool wearing it.” – Mollie McCabe, junior at Adelphi University
10. You’re seen walking hands-free while your parents lug large crates of your various “necessities."
11. You secretly want to beat your roommate up if she says no to buying color-coordinating dorm goodies.
12. You organize your supplies in a pencil pouch.
13. You even think about looking in the direction of a campus map sign.
14. "You make it to your 9am class with a cute new outfit, your make-up completely done, and your hair perfect… 10 minutes early." –Julia Melvin, graduate student at Columbia University.
15. "You're officially a freshman when you begin conversations by asking, 'What's your major?'" –SUNY Geneseo graduate Kristen Fisher.
