1. If there’s even a 5 percent chance of rain, bring an umbrella
My first Friday evening in East Lansing was anything but fun. I left my dorm room with freshly done hair, an outfit I haven’t worn since and no umbrella or coat. Needless to say, I returned to Case Hall with sopping wet clothes and a hatred of rain.

2. Fill out the roommate agreement
I can’t tell you how many times our shared bathroom was neglected — nobody refilled the toilet paper or asked maintenance to replace the lightbulb — because no one thought it was their turn. I actually showered in the dark for about a week while we waited silently for someone to go to tell maintenance. If we had taken the roommate agreement seriously, we might have figured out a schedule for these sorts of tasks instead of being passive aggressive all year.

3. Don’t take two girls and 10 guys to a frat party
When you think about this, it makes sense. The problem is, you won’t think about it until your group of friends is denied to all the frat houses on campus. And there’s nothing worse than expecting a fun night out and having to head back to the dorms disappointed and tired of walking because none of the frats want to let in a huge group of guys. If you really can’t fix the ratio of girls to guys, at least break up into a few different groups when attempting to gain entry.

4. Get a bus pass
As someone who never had to rely on public transportation before college, the Captiol Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, seemed like an overwhelming and difficult concept. But after many back aches and sore feet, I finally buckled down and purchased a bus pass. This easily might have been my best purchase of the semester. I can’t even imagine walking all the way across campus twice a day anymore.

5. Don’t wear heels — ever
The cute pair of wedges I bought before the fall semester now are shoes I equate with one of the worst nights of my life. The blisters I had on my feet made walking unbearable for about a week.

6. Don’t overpack — dorms really are as small as they seem
Both my roommate and I have an absurd amount of clothes, shoes and clutter. But with some determination, we managed to squeeze almost everything we own into our tiny dorm room. The problem is, with our busy schedules we don’t have much time to tidy up. The clutter has pretty much taken over the room.

7. Drop a class before the refund deadline
I didn’t realize I was failing math until it was too late. For the sake of my GPA, I was forced to withdraw from the class and lose my parents’ money in the process. The news got worse when my parents told me they were making me pay them back for the wasted class. My savings account will be suffering at the expense of my GPA.

8. Money goes fast
After co-oping at The Dow Chemical Company my senior year of high school, I became accustomed to a nice paycheck every two weeks. When I moved to East Lansing, I was able to impressively blow about three paychecks in a month with Grand River Avenue just a short walk away from my dorm. I was forced to take a step back, re-evaluate my spending habits and get a job.

9. Teachers love when you visit during office hours
During my semester in James Madison, I became a frequent flier at my teachers’ office hours. With the office a couple flights of stairs down from my dorm room, I gained valuable knowledge. Teachers actually will help you if you take advantage of their office hours.

10. Don’t rush into a relationship
I started dating someone from my hometown soon after moving to East Lansing. Because I was with someone I knew prior to moving here, I felt less uneasy about being on my own. Unfortunately, this prevented me from stepping outside my comfort zone. Much of my freshman year was spent clinging to him during the time I could have been making new friends. Freshman year should be a time to become independent and figure out who you are — not linger in the past.

Holly Baranowski is a staff writer at The State News and an apparel and textile design and supply chain management freshman. Reach her at barano10@msu.edu.