<p>Just thought I'd make my own list of some things off the top of my head that I feel incoming freshman should know by the time they arrive on campus in August.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-michigan-ann-arbor/1261021-69-things-i-learned-first-semester-freshman-year-michigan.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-michigan-ann-arbor/1261021-69-things-i-learned-first-semester-freshman-year-michigan.html</a>
This is the article that inspired this post, and I tried not to copy any of it, but only add to it and include my own experience. Any overlap between the two lists is purely coincidental. :)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Unless you live there or have classes there, you will have absolutely no reason to ever go to North Campus. Having friends who do live there constitutes a long distance relationship.</p></li>
<li><p>During or before welcome week, you will make/have friends who live in a different area of campus. After becoming acquainted with your hall mates, most (if not all) of these friends will probably begin to fade.</p></li>
<li><p>There will be a few people in your hall who are never around and who never talk to anyone else in your hall for one reason or another.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep your door open all the time at the beginning of the semester, unless you're doing something that requires complete isolation. I didn't start keeping my door open until a couple weeks in and had to play major catch up in the friendship department.</p></li>
<li><p>Welcome week parties, Halloween parties, and football pre-games are the parties that absolutely anyone can get into at anytime. Other than that, you better be in Greek life or have friends who live in houses/apartments or else you'll be having dorm parties (which can be fun in their own right, when done correctly and not too often).</p></li>
<li><p>Your ability to have any kind of fun in your hall is entirely dependent on the douchiness of your R.A. My R.A. is really chill, and we can get away with anything. The other side of our floor… not so much.</p></li>
<li><p>Attention prospective honors students: Great Books is NOT as <strong><em>ty or difficult as people claim. The class is entirely *</em></strong>table. No one in my hall read more than ¼ of the texts and everyone got at least an A-. Going to lectures is unnecessary as well.</p></li>
<li><p>That being said, take Classic Civ.</p></li>
<li><p>If you do decide to take Great Books, take Carrie Wood as your discussion leader if at all possible. You can thank me later.</p></li>
<li><p>At some point (probably at many points) in your first semester, you will feel like everyone around you is more intelligent than you or has their * more put together than you. Don't let these worry you. They happen to everyone and they're often just a front. You're college freshmen-- even if you think you know what you're doing with your life, you don't.</p></li>
<li><p>For 100-level classes, if the lecture slides are uploaded online, don't bother going to lectures unless you have nothing better to do. Stay in your room and go over the lecture for thirty minutes. You'll get more out of it.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're looking for an easy A, take a three credit seminar in the social sciences.</p></li>
<li><p>I know most of you have ~3.8 GPA or higher in high school, so it is imperative that you DO NOT FREAK OUT if you finish the semester in the ballpark of a 3.4. That's considered good, and it's very much possible to recover from it sometime over the next seven semesters.</p></li>
<li><p>As soon as you know what you're going to major in (even if you're not 100% sure), make an advising appointment and declare. It makes life easier.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't hook up with anyone on your floor. For the sake of everyone around you, just do not.</p></li>
<li><p>Your class schedule will determine two things: your sleep cycle, and your eating cycle. These two things are entirely out of your control. Once you accept this, your life will be much easier.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't buy your textbooks online. Buy them from other students. It's cheaper and faster.</p></li>
<li><p>For the last four years, Denard Robinson has been the god of the campus. He's going to be gone next year, so I don't know who you will be obliged to love unconditionally. Maybe Devin Gardner, maybe Shane Morris. Who knows. But once he reveals himself, you kiss the ground beneath his feet.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't smoke weed in your room. Seriously, just don't do it. And if you're going to smoke hookah, then at least put a towel under the door.</p></li>
<li><p>I have found New York Pizza Depot and Big Ten Burrito to be the best drunk food on campus. Jimmy John's comes in at a close third.</p></li>
<li><p>For anyone looking to get piercings, tattoos, or both, I highly recommend Pangea Piercing and Authentic Art Tattoo, both on East Liberty Street and within easy walking distance of campus. They're not cheap places, but these are the kinds of things you don't want to be frugal with. They have great service, clean and tidy shops, and obvious expertise in their respective craft.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are at all tight on money, don't pay the $70/semester necessary to have cable. I've just borrowed a friend's Netflix account, and, with the extreme simplicity of streaming live sports online, haven't had the desire to watch TV even once this semester.</p></li>
<li><p>Get an ethernet cable for yourself and use it. MWireless can be really undependable and its ability to actually work can vary even room by room within the same hallway.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't room with someone from high school. That hasn't worked out particularly well for anyone that I know of yet.</p></li>
<li><p>Do not go into the semester with the idea that you and your roommate will be be sties. It probably won't happen. After a while, your relationship becomes exactly what it was before you met-- two students who happen to share the same room.</p></li>
<li><p>This doesn't mean you'll have problems, however. No one I know, nor myself, have had any real roommate problems thus far.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep your room clean. Make your bed. Vaccuum. Clean up the trash. Wipe down your microwave. Put your clothes away. Use a hamper/bag for your dirty laundry. I cannot exaggerate enough how much stress a clean room will save you from throughout the entire semester.</p></li>
<li><p>Free time will be rare. Spend it wisely.</p></li>
<li><p>Contrary to what I'm sure you've been told, it is not necessary to have any sort of relationship with your professors. However, your GSIs/UTAs have your fate in their hands. Make sure they at least like you.</p></li>
<li><p>As far as I'm aware, there is at least one social lounge on every floor of every dorm. Go there. You'll make friends faster.</p></li>
<li><p>You will not eat in the dining hall nearly as much as you think you will. The 200-meal plan is absolutely absurd. I did the 125 meal plan, and still had about 40 remaining at the end of the semester. The 125 is also great because you get $300 of dining dollars, and the plan is covered entirely by your room and board. I was able to spend the dining dollars freely with no restraints and still had plenty by the end of the semester. It was like a free smoothie every day.</p></li>
<li><p>Transfer all of your AP credits as soon as you can. This will make things much easier when you register for classes during the winter, as your registration date is determined by the number of credits you've completed.</p></li>
<li><p>On the note of registration, grab the earliest orientation date that you possibly can. Earlier date = earlier class registration = more classes and more flexible schedules to choose from.</p></li>
<li><p>You will never, ever check your mailbox. But that's okay, because you will never, ever have any worthwhile mail that you don't already know will be there.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting an e-mail alert about a received package addressed to you will make your day.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are in LSA, do everything within your power to live on Central Campus.</p></li>
<li><p>Having no classes on Friday is definitely worth stacking your classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Three day weekends make things more bearable.</p></li>
<li><p>Finals week is exactly as bad as you expect it to be and as people make it out to be. Don't expect anything different, you'll only end up unpleasantly surprised.</p></li>
<li><p>U-M flaunts its transportation system like no other, but unless you have to make the commute between North and Central Campus, you'll never have any real reason to use it more than maybe once or twice the entire semester.</p></li>
<li><p>If at all possible, go home for Fall Break. If not, make the most of your lonesomeness with some "you" time.</p></li>
<li><p>For all of you students who are <em>soooooo</em> set on the pre-med track… have a back up plan.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't go to Chipotle. Just go to Panchero's on South U. instead.</p></li>
<li><p>North Quad has the greatest dining hall. Ever.</p></li>
<li><p>MoJo's dining hall comes in at a distant second.</p></li>
<li><p>The freshman fifteen is a real thing for many people. Stay at least somewhat active and keep the late night junk food runs to no more than twice a week.</p></li>
<li><p>Get football tickets. Trust me. I don't care if you don't even know what a football is. Just do it.</p></li>
<li><p>If you want to drink, you're going to want a fake when you come here. Campus Corner Party Store on State St. is your one stop destination for everything alcoholic in this case. They can easily spot a fake I.D. but they also want your business more than they care about abiding by the law. Here's an article about different bars, etc. that will accept your fake as well: Faking</a> 21: How bouncers catch fake IDs and underage students get past the rope - The Michigan Daily</p></li>
<li><p>And for the love of God, don't have your fake be a Michigan I.D.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are an avid NFL fan, you better develop some amazing weekend time management skills.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to all of the major welcome week events on campus. There will be free stuff everywhere, free food, and some opportunities to participate in clubs/events that you can snag.</p></li>
<li><p>Buy table lamps or floor lamps for your room that have candescent light bulbs. Trust me, after a while, that giant fluorescent light covering half of your ceiling with only one brightness setting (sunshine) will get on your nerves and begin to give you headaches, especially at night.</p></li>
<li><p>See it as a blessing if you can't get to sleep at 1 in the morning due to noise in your hall. That means your hall is at least social.</p></li>
<li><p>Use a whiteboard. I haven't used my planner since my first class. I go back to my room and keep everything I need to know about dates and assignments on the white board. It's been incredibly useful and I get an immense feeling of satisfaction when I erase something off it.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay organized electronically. A vast portion of UMich academia is technology-based. I kept a separate folder for each class on my desktop, and folders within those for notes, lectures, readings, finished and upcoming assignments, busy work, etc. and labeled them all with their titles and the dates. For the first time in my life, I felt organized and it made life so much easier.</p></li>
<li><p>On that note, if you don't already have a laptop, invest in one. It doesn't have to be state of the art, but even with all of the available computers on campus, you're going to want a computer of your own.</p></li>
<li><p>Violent video games work as a great stress reliever.</p></li>
<li><p>Use Schedulizer[/url</a>] . Your lives will be so, so, so very much easier.</p></li>
<li><p>Ann Arbor, for whatever reason, is not a hot spot for popular touring musicians. You'll have to make your way to Detroit for most shows. [url=<a href="http://www.zipcar.com/umich%5DUniversity">http://www.zipcar.com/umich]University</a> of Michigan | Zipcar is a reliable and relatively cheap way to get yourself there when you need to.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't worry about paying to get to and from the airport before and after breaks. <a href="https://www.msa.umich.edu/airbus/%5B/url%5D">https://www.msa.umich.edu/airbus/</a> is here to help.</p></li>
<li><p>After the Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners at your respective dining hall, every meal you eat there the rest of the year will feel like a letdown.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't go to the UGLi unless you have to do group work. Otherwise, study in either the Rackham (graduate school) reading room or the Hatcher Library (graduate library). Many undergrads seem to think that these are off-limits to them, but that is far from the truth.</p></li>
<li><p>It's called "pop" here. I'm from New York, so that was a little piece of culture shock, but now I'm fairly assimilated into it.</p></li>
<li><p>The campus is very predominantly liberal. If you are a conservative, find other conservatives and latch onto them tight or else you might go crazy.</p></li>
<li><p>If taking a worse class means that it is at 11 AM instead of 8:30 or 9:00, it's worth it.</p></li>
<li><p>You won't end up doing as many extra curriculars as you probably currently plan on doing. There's simply not enough time to do the many things that you want. Get REALLY involved in one thing or moderately/casually involved in two or three. Personally, I recommend Blood Battle Committee, Red Cross Club, and, if it suits your political body of beliefs, College Dems. They're all very fulfilling. Plus, the Dems throw some killer parties every so often.</p></li>
<li><p>When you get the chance, take a stroll through the Museum of Natural History. It's an impressive piece of campus that is under appreciated.</p></li>
<li><p>Take everything as it is and HAVE FUN. You're young and you're stressed out but I've noticed so many people around me spending too much time worrying about the future and not enough time focusing on the present. You're attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world and are more fortunate than 99% of the world's population to be doing so. You're going to be FINE. I've had an awesome first semester and am looking forward to the next one for sure. GO BLUE!</p></li>
</ol>