Just moved into my dorm..

[mauconnfan]

Much good advice here. I will add be careful about getting into 'loving' relationships in the immediate future, as tempting as it may be. That person may be homesick as well and the convenient/beneficial 'hookup' could be damaging to your immediate future. Nothing worse than a quick breakup and dodging that person, wherever you go your freshman (perhaps beyond) year. In other words, avoid any immediate 'crutches' including your old HS friends, so you don't develop habits or tendencies.

However many of us have met our life time mates in college, so try and balance it with that thought in mind.

If you are not social, now is the time to practice getting outside your comfort zone. Good advice on how, already mentioned. Mom and Dad are not longer the answer (outside of money of course), you are on your own. You are being forced into semi-independence, go for it responsibly and without reserve.

The good thing about your post is that many of us made 'freshman' mistakes and you give us an opportunity to tell you to 'do as we say and not as we did'. There's wisdom in many of these posts, don't ignore them.

Lastly remember above all things, get that degree, preferably in 4 years. Your 'short' journey begins now, enjoy every moment.

Well having a now 19yr old in college also Kita, "hookup" these days means just that and that's a real good thing………your advice is good according to "our" days but now the definition of hookup has no meaningful attachment other than the delivery of excitement to the eager recipient………at least that's my understanding.

 

[HuskyHawk]

im in towers

That's where I started. Lafayette...all guys, ugh. On top of that, 85% of the guys in my floor had just been kicked out of Sherman house (which they made co-ed), the rowdiest dorm on campus. They painted "Sherman House 4th Floor" on the hall. It was an interesting introduction to college life.

 

[HuskyHawk]

i was hoping i would be put in the jungle because it seemed a lot more social there (my brother was there his freshman year 4 years ago and he loved it) but whatever im just going to try to stick it out here

It's plenty social in Towers once you settle in.

 

[amory]

I remember being really excited to get up there, but when my parents and sister finished helping me move in and actually got in the car and left, I instantly felt homesick. I probably felt that way for a week or so until I met a few people on my floor.

The transitions aren't always fun, OP, but once you get settled you'll love it. There's something about fall in Storrs...

As I sit at my desk at work I'm pretty jealous of you right now.

 

[UConn Esq]

does anyone have any tips on how to get less home sick?

Aburks41 meet beer, beer meet Aburks41..

 

[dsturdy5]

OP, I am starting a new job at a new school tomorrow and thinking back on it, the experience of the first few weeks at UConn is helping me cope/adjust. I had been at the previous school for 12 years in the same position, comfortable and familiar. Now I'm starting something brand new in a new place. There is so much I don't know but the discomfort I felt at UConn those first few days and how I handled it, is helping me prepare for this transition. Life is full of transitions and what you learn these first few weeks at UConn outside of the classroom will help you tremendously down the road.

 

[Kitaman]

Well having a now 19yr old in college also Kita, "hookup" these days means just that and that's a real good thing………your advice is good according to "our" days but now the definition of hookup has no meaningful attachment other than the delivery of excitement to the eager recipient………at least that's my understanding.

Wow, and I always wondered why my 25 year old said I was corny. I still refuse to believe/admit it, and like Bill Cosby said, even if so, 'she made me this way'.

 

[UConn Esq]

im in towers

You'll have fun in towers. I was a Northwest kid which made it really easy to transition since everyone was a freshman. Just try to be social and outgoing in the beginning. Keep your doors open when you are around the dorm and just try to meet the people on your floor. If you're going to grab lunch/dinner in that first week try and ask people around you if they want to go. Try to coordinate with the kids you know from highschool in the beginning but dont rely on them too much or you'll be the guy who is never around. Once you get into the swing of things and football starts, classes start, and parties start you will be fine.

Or basically the minute you see that first cute girl in your building you're going to completely forget the outside-storrs-world.

 

[Rocktheworld]

delivery of excitement to the eager recipient

That is an excellent, concise definition.

 

[Husky25]

I'm from Massachusetts and knew 2 people (one girl from my high school who was a year ahead of me and another girl in my year from the next town over). I was homesick my first night, but it got so much better after that and once classes started.

I'm sure this has been said, but make friends with your floormates. Literally go down the hall and knock on every door and introduce yourself. Invite your floor mates to go to lunch, brunch and dinner (Be careful about breakfast, they may not be awake yet. If someone woke me up at 7:00 just to ask if I wanted to go to breakfast, I'd punch them in the throat). Also, don't be a shut in. Leave your door open when you are there. It's far more inviting and will encourage others to stop by and talk for a few minutes.

Go to events. Go to parties. Do they have Husky WoW anymore (Week of Welcome.)? Meet up with the kids you went to orientation with.

The one thing I had going for me was having surgery to repair my ACL three weeks before I moved in. I couldn't play basketball yet, but my knee brace was a conversation starter.

 

[Husky25]

Yep. I was in South and while I'm sure the new dorms are nice, those 60 person communities were great and very tight knit. I love having our own cook and kitchen. I remember calling down stairs to the cook and asking for an omelet and couple pieces of toast before my 8 am class in the Math/Science building. I'd hop in shower and be out and dressed just as it ready. I'd slap the omelet between the toast, grab a cup of coffee and eat it on my way to class.

Your first mistake was having an 8:00. Your second mistake was having it in MSB . But you are so right about the small dining halls. Living in Hollister (West) was the best time of my college experience. We had a floor party almost every weekend and I had special order breakfast 5 days a week (we couldn't call down but we could get whatever we wanted and it was ready for us once we got coffee and prepared the toast. Every other semester, I ate in either Whitney, McMahon, or Putnam.

By the way, South has a huge dinning hall now. It reopened in '98.

 

[Pudge]

I actually LOVED being from out-of-state in my era of UConn (beyond 30 years now).

I expect UConn still has aspects of this; but, not near what it was. Weekends were quieter; parties were usually Thursday night (and kegs all over the campus). But, the people around on weekends were likely not the CT people eager to go home. There was a distinctive flavor of who was always around. I was. And, that led to Plans. 20 weekends in Storrs then begat road trips later that year and into future UConn years - to NYC or Boston or other campuses; just to break up the routine.

4 years in the Woods of Connecticut is a transformative life passage. We do envy you because that was a special time for us too.

 

[UConnSean]

Getting your hands on a bottle of Dubra or Burnetts would probably open some doors for you

 

[UConnSean]

I was so excited to go UConn as a freshman that I went up on the earliest day, set up my room and waited for inevitable parties. The only problem was pretty much everyone else set up their rooms and left. So there I was in an empty dorm with nothing do. It was miserable. It was the only day at UConn that I ever felt lonely. Every day after that was great!

So take the advice from the posts above find an excuse to go out meet people. I promise you it will work out. You are about to start on adventure that may well turn out to be the best four years of your life. Go out and talk to people and get started on it. It will be great. (Oh and maybe take a little trip to dairy bar and get a little something to settle that nervous stomach.)

great advice, and it will certainly be the best 4 years of your life!

 

[Dove]

Luckily i know a few people from my high school living right near me but does anyone have any tips on how to get less home sick? Ive been stressing out the past few days before my move in (im a freshman) and its really screwed up my stomach to the point where i feel like i cant even eat anything which just makes it worse. Sorry for the rant but i just feel miserable right now. I guess my question is, what can i do to make UConn feel more like home to me? I love UConn Basketball with a passion and have had season tickets my entire life, and i love to watch football soccer golf etc. Are there any good clubs to join specifically for those things?

 

[JaYnYcE]

Ive been reading all of these as theyve been posted but just havent responded. I hungout with all the kids on my dorm room floor so I had a good time. Thank you everyone for the advice, it helped a lot! Go Huskies!!
One last question; where are the parties at besides the frat houses next to Towers and Celeron/Carriage?

Rush SigEp tell'm Jay sent you.

 

[Husky25]

I actually LOVED being from out-of-state in my era of UConn (beyond 30 years now).

I expect UConn still has aspects of this; but, not near what it was. Weekends were quieter; parties were usually Thursday night (and kegs all over the campus). But, the people around on weekends were likely not the CT people eager to go home. There was a distinctive flavor of who was always around. I was. And, that led to Plans. 20 weekends in Storrs then begat road trips later that year and into future UConn years - to NYC or Boston or other campuses; just to break up the routine.

4 years in the Woods of Connecticut is a transformative life passage. We do envy you because that was a special time for us too.

Besides Thanksgiving and Spring Break, I went home maybe twice a semester. There were kids on my floor where UConn was a suitcase college. I can't imagine finding that to be enjoyable. I dated a girl who did this because she wanted to avoid all the parties (as if UConn turned into a 20,000 kid drunken orgy at 7:00 every Friday...It doesn't...unfortunately...). Once we started dating, she didn't go home every weekend anymore, and found that there really were other things to do than to stay drunk for 48 hours straight. I loved UConn on the weekends and now there is even more to do.

 

[tykurez]

Of my closest friends - 95% of them are from freshman year in college. Don't want to hype it up too much - but it's one of the best years of your life.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Besides Thanksgiving and Spring Break, I went home maybe twice a semester. There were kids on my floor where UConn was a suitcase college. I can't imagine finding that to be enjoyable. I dated a girl who did this because she wanted to avoid all the parties (as if UConn turned into a 20,000 kid drunken orgy at 7:00 every Friday...It doesn't...unfortunately...). Once we started dating, she didn't go home every weekend anymore, and found that there really were other things to do than to stay drunk for 48 hours straight. I loved UConn on the weekends and now there is even more to do.

I went home for Holidays and never other than that. Why would you? Maybe it was easy for me, since I was from Manchester and my parents moved to Simsbury two weeks after HS graduation (they delayed it for me). So I knew nobody where my parents lived. I dreaded summer and winter break until I made some friends at UConn from Windsor who were close enough to catch up with. Weekends in Storrs were fantastic...quiet during the day, playing hackeysack, going to soccer games, playing intramural sports, walking to the grocery store over across from South. Then a party of some kind every Friday and Saturday. There was no dorm food on weekends then, so we had to go to Teds, make ramen or whatever.

OP, one suggestion. Get a decent dart board and some darts. Your room will never be empty.

 

[Husky25]

I went home for Holidays and never other than that. Why would you? Maybe it was easy for me, since I was from Manchester and my parents moved to Simsbury two weeks after HS graduation (they delayed it for me). So I knew nobody where my parents lived. I dreaded summer and winter break until I made some friends at UConn from Windsor who were close enough to catch up with. Weekends in Storrs were fantastic...quiet during the day, playing hackeysack, going to soccer games, playing intramural sports, walking to the grocery store over across from South. Then a party of some kind every Friday and Saturday. There was no dorm food on weekends then, so we had to go to Teds, make ramen or whatever.

OP, one suggestion. Get a decent dart board and some darts. Your room will never be empty.

I was about to ask about the grocery store, but then I saw you didn't have food on the weekends. That's well before my time.

South was knocked down by the time I got there and only the big dining halls (Jungle, McMahon, Whitney, Putnam, and South when it reopened in '98) were open on the weekends and only for two meals, but brunch went from like 9:30 - 1:30.

 

[Husky25]

Luckily i know a few people from my high school living right near me but does anyone have any tips on how to get less home sick? Ive been stressing out the past few days before my move in (im a freshman) and its really screwed up my stomach to the point where i feel like i cant even eat anything which just makes it worse. Sorry for the rant but i just feel miserable right now. I guess my question is, what can i do to make UConn feel more like home to me? I love UConn Basketball with a passion and have had season tickets my entire life, and i love to watch football soccer golf etc. Are there any good clubs to join specifically for those things?

Another suggestion if I may: Make friends with and/or bribe your RA to get into the storage closet and get a set or two of extra bed posts to loft you bed(s). Even in the suites, space is a premium commodity in the dorms. Then go onto Craig's List or something and get a couch/futon/love seat/whathaveyou on the cheap. The other thing you can do is get some lumber and make them yourself. Given the cost, the set of posts is the preferred method.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was about to ask about the grocery store, but then I saw you didn't have food on the weekends. That's well before my time.

South was knocked down by the time I got there and only the big dining halls (Jungle, McMahon, Whitney, Putnam, and South when it reopened in '98) were open on the weekends and only for two meals, but brunch went from like 9:30 - 1:30.

No car until Junior year so that little store was a regular stop...and chili dogs at WAWA on occasion in the plaza next to it. There was a decent record/CD shop there too. We'd stop in and browse pretty often. All gone now I think. I lived in Crawford, in the old South campus for my 9th (final) semester. Two floors of girls, so we had I think 16 guys who were 9th Semester and used their super priority to move there. That was a blast. Most convenient location on campus as well.

Honestly, I am so glad we didn't have the internet. We just walked everywhere, spent a lot of time outside.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Another suggestion if I may: Make friends with and/or bribe your RA to get into the storage closet and get a set or two of extra bed posts to loft you bed(s). Even in the suites, space is a premium commodity in the dorms. Then go onto Craig's List or something and get a couch/futon/love seat/whathaveyou on the cheap. The other thing you can do is get some lumber and make them yourself. Given the cost, the set of posts is the preferred method.

Are there people who don't have lofts made of wood? I didn't as a freshman, but after that I did. Everyone did. How else can you find space in your room?

 

[Husky25]

No car until Junior year so that little store was a regular stop...and chili dogs at WAWA on occasion in the plaza next to it. There was a decent record/CD shop there too. We'd stop in and browse pretty often. All gone now I think. I lived in Crawford, in the old South campus for my 9th (final) semester. Two floors of girls, so we had I think 16 guys who were 9th Semester and used their super priority to move there. That was a blast. Most convenient location on campus as well.

Honestly, I am so glad we didn't have the internet. We just walked everywhere, spent a lot of time outside.

We had Store two four and Taco Bell when I was there.

As far as the Internet, I was in school just as they were figuring out what the Internet was. I had a computer in my room, but no modem, so I had to go to the library to get online or check my e-mail on the mainframe. It was really slow back then anyway because it was all dial-up.

Someone on the floor had at least a SEGA, than I got a PlayStation for Christmas my Sophomore year. We had a Madden tournament on my floor (I'm not sure if we ever finished it though). But you are right, day time hours we would throw around the football or Frisbee or play basketball in the Fieldhouse (after it reopened). That other stuff was good when the sun went down.

 

[Husky25]

Are there people who don't have lofts made of wood? I didn't as a freshman, but after that I did. Everyone did. How else can you find space in your room?

I couple guys down the hall made lofts, and gave me there bedposts. Starting my Sophomore year, I made the loft my self.

 

[pepband99]

Rush SigEp tell'm Jay sent you.

What about Joyce?

 

[aburks41]

Another suggestion if I may: Make friends with and/or bribe your RA to get into the storage closet and get a set or two of extra bed posts to loft you bed(s). Even in the suites, space is a premium commodity in the dorms. Then go onto Craig's List or something and get a couch/futon/love seat/whathaveyou on the cheap. The other thing you can do is get some lumber and make them yourself. Given the cost, the set of posts is the preferred method.

my bed was lofted when i got here but i tend to roll around on my bed when i come home after a night of drinking so i unlofted it when i first got here..now theres no room in my room for anything so i might put it up again and build a railing so i dont fall out of bed

 

[Husky25]

my bed was lofted when i got here but i tend to roll around on my bed when i come home after a night of drinking so i unlofted it when i first got here..now theres no room in my room for anything so i might put it up again and build a railing so i dont fall out of bed

That's why you find a couch on the cheap as well.

 

[Drew]

i'm a senior and work in student activities and would be happy to help you find your niche. DM me if you want my number and we can figure it out from there.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

Dude being Nervous when you first move in only means one thing.

You will be DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!! For the next 4 years