Surviving Your First Year at UCF

Welcome Back!
During the summer break, while people-watching and loitering around the bookstore café over near the new UCF Arena, I began wondering what I should write my blog about. I wanted to keep up my “research” theme, but I just couldn’t decide what to focus on. Then I noticed that something was slightly amiss – there was something different about the usually leisurely pace the pedestrians were keeping as they passed by the tinted windows of the store. You see, here at UCF, the first opportunity most freshmen have to start taking classes is during the Fall academic term; however, some students choose to arrive early and attend the summer-B session instead. That was the queer occurrence I was observing, there were dozens of extra students scurrying around campus frantically trying not to be late to their first college classes. It is for this very reason that I have decided to focus this entry on our newly arrived freshman class.

Thinking back to my first days of college, I remember being blissfully overwhelmed by the whole experience. There was so much going on, I knew that the only way I was going to get through it all was to keep my eyes open, my head up, and my feet moving. If life is a stage, this was the part where I tried not to trip over myself as I entered the second act. Despite the vast differences between myself then, and these students now, I still suspect that nearly every one of them was going through a similar emotional experience, and this is my chance to give some simple advice to these recent additions to our campus-community.

First, you will soon discover that finding a parking spot isn’t nearly as time-consuming or difficult as you had been warned… do not let this lull you into a the habit of arriving 10 minutes before class and expecting to find a space. As soon as the fall semester begins, you will immediately discover the futility of this act. Instead, I recommend that you use this time to plan you alternative travel routes. These could be as simple as taking the shuttle from nearby housing complexes, or, if you don’t have access to these shuttles, try parking in Research Park and taking the shuttle onto campus from there. The only other option is to arrive early enough to hunt down a spot that will undoubtedly be in a distant, unpaved, auxiliary lot on the opposite side of campus from wherever you are trying to go.

If, however, you are fortunate enough to live on campus, then I still have some advice for you. First, never drive off-campus during the day. The stores around here are open late enough that you can go out after the mad-rush of the afternoon and still get that carton of milk or loaf of bread in time for dinner. Speaking of bread, did you know the best deal you can find on a loaf of bread is right here on campus? Jimmy Johns is a sub shop attached to the new Arena and they sell their fresh-baked (absolutely delicious) loaves of bread for 53 cents – I’m drooling just typing about it.

Well, besides parking and pastries, I’ve got some useful academic advice for you as well. All of your midterms will most likely fall on the same week (or same day, if you’re unlucky). Therefore, if you’re assigned a project, and you have the option of turning it in a week or two early, I say do it! You’ll free up valuable test cramming time, not to mention you’ll impress your professor. A good impression can make the difference between passing and failing, or getting an A over a B.

Finally, college is harder than high school; this is just a fact. Whatever worked for you then might not work for you now. Don’t panic, and don’t be afraid, just be smart about it. If you start to slip in one of your classes, don’t assume that you’ll pull it out in the end. I’ve made that mistake before, and trust me, it rarely happens the way you want. Instead, be aware of all the resources here on campus designed to help you make the grade and survive those impassable courses. Here is just a small sampling of what’s out there, but it can only help if you choose to use it:

• The Student Academic Resource Center (SARC) provides free tutoring for most subjects (http://www.sarc.sdes.ucf.edu/index.php).
• The UCF Writing Center is there to proofread your essays and give you constructive criticism before you professor can dock you points (http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/).
• The MathLab is on the bottom floor of the math and physics building (MAP); there you can get help with your math homework and have access to the solutions manuals.
• The Office of First Year Advising is there just for you; they can answer questions or direct you to other campus-resources (http://firstyear.sdes.ucf.edu/).

Welcome to college, and good luck!
~R.S.