By: Kayla Rose
Welcome to your freshman year at Texas Christian University! I’m not going to tell you how “life is a roller coaster” and how “this is a new chapter” blah-blah-blah. This isn’t going to be your traditional “Open Letter to a Freshman Student” because I’m not going to feed you bullshit about finding yourself. That being said, here are a few quick tips that will actually help you and your daily life at TCU.
Health and Fitness:
- People always talk down on the BLUU food. Personally, I didn’t think it was that bad, and if it’s free then why not eat there 3 times a day? It does get old after a while, so once your stomach starts to reject the stir fry you’re going to want to check out some other options. Let me just say that Eatzi’s is the Bomb. I wish Eatzi’s was in the University Park Center my freshman year instead of Chili’s. I would have stocked up on pastas, filets, and meals that reminded me of home cooking. All of the TCU dorms come with a microwave, so just stock up on the pre-packaged meals and you’ll be eating like a queen all year. Just please don’t fall into the habit of eating Kraft Mac and Cheese every night with a side of chips from your dorm’s vending machine. And promise me you’ll at least try and work out every once in a while. Doing squats in the weight room in front of what seems to be a weightlifting competition between different fraternities can be a little intimidating. If you decide the rec center isn’t your thing and you’d rather look cute and “mom-ish” while working out, Zyn22, Corepower and Orange Theory are all options if you want to spend $20 a class to get the ass you want.
Presenting Yourself
- Why was it so lame and embarrassing to double strap your backpack in high school? If you owned a Jansport you were expected to have it hang off of one shoulder, which was not only inconvenient but very uncomfortable. The freedom of having full control of your upper body while walking from class to class is something that I cherish every day.
- Also, NEWSFLASH!! No one cares what you look like when you’re going to class. I don’t know why I cared enough in high school to wake up an hour before I had to leave for school to do my hair, makeup, and pick out an outfit that would make all my enemies cry. AT TCU, I throw my hair into a messy bun, wear the trademark XL T-shirt, lululemon shorts, and running shoes. No one needs to know I woke up approximately 15 minutes before class started. Yeah, I look like a potato in my 9:30 a.m., but I can prove my classmates I’m actually more of a McDonald’s French fry when I go out this weekend.
Academic
- DO. NOT. SIGN. UP. FOR. AN. 8 A.M. UNLESS. ABSOLUTELY. NECESSARY. I’m just going to leave that there.
- Quizlet is your best friend. Sometimes you don’t even have to make it yourself because some generous student has their account set to public.
- Once you find out that attendance is mandatory and you can give your friend your iClicker, you suddenly start to diagnose yourself with the common cold every week. But honestly just go to class. Believe it or not, going to class will actually help you.
- For most classes, you’ll realize it’s totally possible to cram the night before if you’ve got that whole “C’s get degrees” mentality. Just sit your ass down and study. We’re paying 44k a year for this place so you might as well take advantage of it. Remember that most classes you take are for your major and if you just try and memorize the information to perform well on an exam, then your future is pretty much, for a lack of a better word, fucked.
Transportation
- Having a car in Fort Worth has been a lifesaver, especially during the later years on campus when your friends don’t live 3 doors down from you. You’ll soon find out that the Parking on TCU’s campus is a fight that TCU Administration truly doesn’t care about. They’ll knock down your favorite parking lot in order to build a new hall that you aren’t aware of until the first day of school. On the brightside, since having my car here I’ve taken road trips to Dallas, Austin, and Louisiana. The opportunities are endless.
- Side note: was anyone going to tell us that ubers are fucking expensive?? Five or ten dollars a ride doesn’t seem like much until you’re looking at your credit card bill asking yourself where the $500 you started with went these last few months.
Purchases
- Hydro Flasks: First there were the Swell Bottles, and now the new craze is the Hydro Flask. These are great to quench your thirst throughout the day, but I guarantee there will be AT LEAST one time where you will drop this insulated stainless steel bottle down the stairs of your lecture hall. It will be uncomfortably loud and extremely embarrassing, but that’s what you get for paying $39.95 for a water cup.
- Amazon Prime: I don’t think I need to get into the details about how great Amazon Prime is, and if you don’t, what rock are you living under. Seriously, I’ve prime ordered socks because I didn’t want to do laundry.
- Put items on Send Home: There’s a magical thing called “Send Home.” Use your student ID to pay for items on campus using “invisible money.” What difference will $4 on a binder make when added to your tuition. If you’re feeling a little risky, when your laptop breaks just put a new one on Send Home! If you get caught, tell your parents tuition increased and they won’t even question it.
- Stickers on Redbubble: Stickers are childish? Not anymore. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be overwhelmed with the number of stickers available that you’ll end up with a total of $74 in stickers stuck in your shopping cart. Students will stick these on their laptops, Hydro Flasks, cars and anything else with a flat surface. You’ll soon realize that every student thinks “The Office” is relatable, sorority letters are now able to be slapped on anything, and wonder if motivational quotes on a sticker will really impact your life.
So that’s it! These thoughts have really stuck with me throughout my time at TCU. I don’t know if you found this information helpful whatsoever, but I guarantee if you follow these tips, you’ll at least feel a little more prepared for your first year as a Horned Frog.