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Anxiety For A Freshman

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SmellyTP

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Feb 28, 2014
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Senior in high school, just got accepted to ISU, but had a small panic attack because I'm nervous about college.

Anyway, to help calm my nerves, had some questions for some alumni and current students.

I applied to the College of Liberal Arts, but am now thinking I want to do Business, does this really matter or should I contact someone to change this?

What's better for your standard dorms, Friley or Mape-Willow-Larch? A relative that went through ISU said that he liked Friley and had friends that hated MWL, but wanted some more opinions.

Are on campus jobs really flexible (Hoping to get off sporting events, weekends, and holidays)?

With a school and job, will I even have time to go to sports games?

Does it cost extra to do intramural sports?

If you have anything else that you'd like to share, I'd greatly appreciate it.

-Thank You.
 
Have a beer and let it all blow over, It will be over before you know it.

Business school is swamped and the market is becoming saturated, look elsewhere.

Dorms do not matter, you wont be there long, meet as many people as you can.

You will have plenty of time for sporting events, gen eds are cake.

intramural sports you get charged for whether you like it or not. Play at least one.

Enjoy your adventure, she's crowded.
 
Don't worry about it. College is awesome! Best time of my life. I always wish I could go back again.

So just enjoy it. I lived in Friley for 2 years and liked it. Then moved to an apartment.
 
Cyked15 said:
Have a beer and let it all blow over, It will be over before you know it.

Business school is swamped and the market is becoming saturated, look elsewhere.

Dorms do not matter, you wont be there long, meet as many people as you can.

You will have plenty of time for sporting events, gen eds are cake.

intramural sports you get charged for whether you like it or not. Play at least one.

Enjoy your adventure, she's crowded.
Click to expand...

Better a business major than history or American Indian Studies...
 
Take a few general classes, see what interests you. No need to declare a major until you know....and eventually you'll know. Every time you switch majors it shows up on your transcript, which isn't a huge deal, but no need to rush to a decision.
 
Get a job in the design reading room, it was the easiest job I had for 3 years. Never missed a sporting event.
 
There are a ton of incredibly easy jobs available to students, with stable hours and above minimum pay.

For example, I was told directly that the only reason ISU hires a student to sit at the desk in the Multicultural Center in the MU is just to "have someone there." That's their whole purpose. I'm sure their duties exceed that, but probably not by much. That's just one example, so don't worry about jobs at all for when you get to ISU.
 
You technically don't declare a major in the College of Business until sometime in your sophomore year I believe so I don't know that that would be an issue to worry about yet. Although you would be better off getting some of those prerequisites out of the way during your first year to get in quicker. I am currently a College of Business student studying for a double degree in Finance and Accounting.

I never lived in the dorms so I can't throw one out over the other but Willow isn't bad at all and you have a decent dining center right there plus you are close to Hilton and Jack Trice. The only downside is it could be quite a walk to campus depending on your classes and if you take the bus or not.

I have no experience with the on campus jobs so I can't help you there.

I have worked over 24 hours plus a commute to Des Moines 4 times a week throughout my time at Iowa State and balanced that with heavy credit hour semesters just fine, just set priorities and work hard.

There is no extra fee for intramurals as far as I know.

As others have said, just relax through this time. No need to stress the transition, college is where you will have some of the best times of your life! You made a great choice in picking Iowa State.
 
ISU Dining is really flexible. Worked there for 2 years and had no issues with missing any sporting events.

And I recommend getting into Software Engineering or Computer Science.
 
Play all the intramurals you can. And join a club. Look for flyers on campus regarding Club Fest, and go. Find a club/organization that interests you. Best way to meet like-minded friends, in my opinion.

I lived in both Larch & Friley. I liked Friley better, but I suppose that was mainly because I lived with 4 of my best friends. I do love the character of Friley. They each have their pros/cons as far as location goes (MWL closer to sporting events/Friley closer to Welch).

I was a business major. If that's what you truly want to do, go for it! However, I suggest you really think about what you want to do for a living once you get out. What things motivate/interest you? You've gotta balance passion and practicality, in my opinion.
 
Nothing really to add other than...don't take gen eds lightly. They aren't hard, but you should at least attend class. The fact that you're "anxious" leads me to think you'll be just fine, but it can get away from you in a hurry. Not trying to add to the anxiety...just something to look out for.

Ultimately, take it slow, unless you already know exactly what you want. There is a lot out there.

Oh...play intramurals. Great way to meet people (I'm from a different time. Did not spend more than 15 minutes in my assigned dorm room, so I had to find other ways). Attend every sporting event you can, and go crazy while you're there (not anti-social crazy, unless that's your crowd...there is a "crowd" for everyone).

Oh...don't be afraid to try "different" ****.
 
I go to Iowa State and have gone through all of the situations you have questions about.

I too started out in Liberal Arts and Sciences and then switched to buisness. Took about 15 minutes. You don't need to do it now.

As for the dorms, I live in Larch. If you like to party and not get in trouble, try and get into Larch. If you want a MUCH nicer place go Eaton. Larch is fine and a decent location, however the whole building stinks and the bathrooms are pretty terrible. If you like fun, Larch. If you want a nicer place, try Eaton or any of the suites.

Intermurals are all free, and a good time.
 
Don't worry about which college you go into at the moment... many people change halfway through their first or second years. Work on Gen Eds and look for interesting degrees that way. If you go that route you won't burn a year on a bunch of major classes if you end up switching.

I will always advocate Friley but a lot of my friends were elsewhere.

The other area to look for for flexibility is ISU Maintenance. You never work on weekends and are often off the clock by 5 or 6pm during the weekday. Try to find a job that is 10-15 hours a week the first semester so you don't get swamped.

Enjoy the first year but do not get caught in a trap where you relax on your studies. It is easier to maintain a high GPA than it is to build one from a low GPA. At the same time don't waste college studying 100% of the time. There are all sorts of things to do socially and most houses have regular activities you can take part in if you want. I'd recommend Broomball and Curling as they get you off campus. Go to some of the club sports for entertainment like Rugy or Hockey.

Also... try to not go home for the first 4 weekends... force yourself to stay on campus and if you can move in early do that. I noticed many of those that went home early on ended up missing out on that initial chance to build a group of friends on campus. The people I met freshman year are still friends of mine today. I don't even remember the names of those that went home on weekends all the time.

Side note: A great place to study in the library, where it is quiet, is in the tiers (if they are still there)... during busy times you can find some great spots to focus while not having everyone all over you. 3rd tier was a second home of mine, also found several studious women in the tiers that were good for conversation.

Finally, for entertainment you can always check out AV equipment http://www.it.iastate.edu/services/laptops
 
I lived in Larch and loved it. I had friends in Friley, and they loved it there. Both have advantages, choose your adventure, it'll be great! Intramural advice is very wise, I did many, but still regret not trying more. College life is awesome, you will love it!
 
MWL are currently the party dorms. Friley certainly has people who do stuff they aren't supposed to but it's a little bit more subdued. I'd go Friley if I were you.
 
I wouldn't sweat the major too much yet. As far as College of Business, seems like people always need accountants.

My son is in engineering and lived in Helser two years. It's a dump but he loved it and the friends he met there. That side of campus was very convenient for engineering students and he loved being right next to State Gym. I lived in one of the towers that they imploded. I liked it but am so old that CyRide wasn't around my first year, at least to the Towers.

As far as on campus jobs, some of the jobs at the library let you pick your own hours. Rec Services can be pretty easy too. Don't know if they still have these jobs but I worked in the Knapp-Storms mail room back in the day, easiest job ever; assume existing dorms may have something similar. Dining Services is always hiring. If you have a certain interest, you might find a related job. Some students work at the horse barn; some referee intramural sports.

Relax. As long as you put in some effort, it will be fine. Have a great time. Just want to add, definitely play intramural sports. Where else are you going to get a chance to go curling? Don't know if they still do water polo, but wow, that was exhausting but fun. And look out if you sign up for D league basketball, a lot of teams sandbag about how good they are.
 
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