Week 12: Friendships and Meeting People

Hi!! I wanted to talk about how important making friendships are in college this week with you guys. So a lot of people talk about networking and connecting with people to help them in the future, which is extremely important, but more so than that, I think it is necessary to build bonds with people because they end up being your support system in your home away from home. I came in with many friends already here at UT, but honestly I have drifted away from some of them, and that is completely okay. People go through many friend groups during their college years, but they usually end up with a few extremely close friends and in touch with many good people. It is normal for people to grow and have their paths diverge in different directions, but that does not mean you cut people off or be rude. Staying kind to everyone is very important because you never know when you will need them, and being there for them is gratifying because you are helping someone through whatever they are going through. Furthermore, I encourage going out and meeting many people as much as you can. The semester can get really hectic and annoying to the point where you literally just want to stay in your room and work all day, but even if you talk to someone new every day in your classes can lead to lifelong or even short term friendships. Getting to know people helps broaden your perspective on life, new views, and just a good time. Never try to be someone you are not for someone else, but if you vibe with someone then make sure you make the effort to stay in touch with them. College is hard, I have said this time and time again, and I think that one of the main ways I destress or cope with my anxiety is by surrounding myself with good people and just hanging out with them whenever I can. So, I encourage you to meet new people and be open-minded because you never know when you'll encounter that new best friend or even someone that you enjoy talking to! :)

Week 5: Living in a Dorm (1 month update)

So, I've been living in a dorm for a month now and I am SO glad I am not living in an apartment right now. Initially I really did not want to stay in a dorm because of the cramped space, but honestly it was a good choice. My dorm is not that small (I live in Duren), and it honestly feels like a hotel sometimes. It's so clean, nice, and private. I even have my own bathroom that I just share with my roommate, so that's the cherry on top. I posted some pictures of my room in my Week 1 post if you would like to see. Honestly, even though I am not completely living on my own, making my own food, or having to clean everything myself, living here has made me grow up a little, develop some responsibilities, and prioritize my tasks. You don't actually realize the small things you constantly need, like paper towels, when you are at home. And if you're like me, someone who never did chores and luckily had the stuff I needed most of the time, living alone is a wake up call. Making sure your roommate is comfortable, setting boundaries with each other, and dividing up the living arrangements take a lot of work and energy to be honest. However, the most important part is: EATING. Every college student is busy, which is why I am glad I have a meal plan on campus because I don't think I would eat if I had to make my own food. It is so time-consuming, so when you are in a dorm, please take advantage of the dining halls. Many people on campus complain about the food, but honestly there is so much variety. I live across from Kinsolving, and the food there is so good. Also, keep the fridge and snack bars stocked in your room because you will get hungry very often, especially because of the amount of walking we all have to do on UT's campus. Furthermore, having a set schedule on when to clean is important too because the room can get messy FAST. I'm pretty lazy, like I haven't made my bed since August, but I really do make an effort to keep the rest of the room organized. I think my dorm is allowing me to get a good balance between complete adulthood and slowly gaining responsibilities. I have to do a lot on my own, but I have some benefits, like no bills, cooking, and maintenance. Also, the location of my dorm is great too because it is close to many restaurants, in case I do get bored with dining hall food, and it isn't too far from my classes either. Doing research beforehand and planning out where the best place to live during your first year of college is something I highly recommend doing because it really affects your experience. I am glad I tried something out of my comfort zone, and actually listened to my parents for once by opting to live in a dorm. I have friends in apartments who wish they lived on campus because the vibe is just different. I really enjoy it, and I think every first year student should live on campus because it is a good balance; if I had to become a full on adult my first year, I would be such a mess right now. I hope this helped some of you who are confused with deciding where to stay when you come to UT. Trust me the easy accessibility to everything really makes a difference, especially on this campus!

Week 4: Readings

Okay, so this week is really hectic because the first exam season has started, so everything is just crazy. Today's post won't be that long, but I want to talk about reading in college. It is hard. You have to be able to break up your reading, and plan it out because you cannot do it in one go. I literally had to read a 130 page play, an article, and the textbook chapters all in my first week of college. I almost had a breakdown. I got it done, but it took me forever. An important aspect of college that I have heard from many people is that you need to learn how to skim. Skimming does not mean fake reading, but running your eyes over the reading, and noticing important items in the reading is key. A lot of the readings just need you to understand the main idea and concept, but it requires hard-work and skill. In high school I know many people just don't read or look up summaries online, but in college you literally cannot do that. For many classes, reading the textbook is important because professors who teach the course write them (which is terrifying). I just have a few tips for reading and they are:
- Plan it out
- Read a few pages over the course of a few days (sometimes this isn't possible, but when it is use it to your advantage)
- Take notes so you don't have to reread all the time
- Actually read/skim, don't rely on other people
I always did the readings in high school, and now of course in college, but it definitely comes with a learning curve and I have to change the way I work because I am so busy now.

Week 3: Laundry

So this week was pretty hectic and long, even though it was just four days. I stayed home this weekend, it was my first weekend in Austin. Not going to lie, it was pretty boring because most of my friends went back home. Saturday night was pretty fun because I went to the first event for one of the organizations I am in, Muslim Student Association, but I will talk more about that in another post. Sunday was SO boring, I literally stayed in my room with my roommate. Honestly, I was so stressed out with all the work that I had that I was just feeling really blue and lazy. I just went out to eat. I have this annoying urge to always do something productive, and not stay still, so even though I was extremely tired, I decided to do some work. The task that I chose to do was laundry. I know it seems pretty lame that I find doing laundry something worth writing a post about, but for me it was something I had never done on my own before and I had to learn on the job. No, I did not use Google or call my mom for help, I really wanted to do it myself. Doing your own laundry is a part of "adulting," so I knew I had to do it sooner or later. I was running out of clean clothes, so I decided to experience another part of college life and being independent. My roommate and I went to our laundry room, which is downstairs in our residence hall, and we had such a hard time finding an open washing machine because there were so many people in there. Pro tip - don't do laundry Sunday night! After we finally found the machines, the confusion began. I knew that I had to put detergent, but I only had Tide-pods, and of course we weren't allowed to put those in the side-tray. It was so awkward because we were just looking around, and we eventually had to build up the courage to ask someone for detergent. She was so sweet, and told us to use however much we wanted. Another thing about Austin is that everyone is really helpful and nice, probably because we are all in the same boat. Anyways, so after my roommate and I put our load in, we went back to our room until it was time to put our clothes into the dryer. We went back down after 30 minutes, and of course, even more people were in the laundry room. Finding an empty dryer was even more difficult because there was no "window" to see through, so I was carefully opening all the dryers that did not have timers on them, and the amount of random clothes that fell out was quite amusing. Not going to lie, there are some people more confused that I was, so that was comforting because I didn't feel completely incompetent or hopeless. Another tip - make sure you know which machine you are using, so you are not frantically searching for your stuff (yes this actually happens). However, after I got my clothes (they were so warm and cozy, it was incredible), I actually felt a little more organized (I rearranged my drawers) and more accomplished (even though it was a basic task). I feel like something so small made me happy because I actually did it on my own, and felt like an independent person in charge of her own life. Later that night, I called my parents and told them about my experience, and of course they told me there was a simpler way of doing it - I could've just put my Tide-pods in the washing machine with my clothes. I thought that would mess my clothes up but apparently not, but don't worry I will do it next time! College is tough, so the small joys really count :). Oh, another benefit of living in a dorm is that laundry is free - I didn't know that when I came here, so I took coins because that what I've seen on TV (but of course not everything we see is true). Anyways my first experience with doing laundry was pretty good, it wasn't as confusing/problematic as I thought. It was honestly so satisfying therapeutic. I'm not the most organized person, but I felt like I kind of had a small part of my life together afterwards - it was great.