<p>Hey, what's up? About me: I'm SEAS class of 2017, admitted ED. I'm dead set on chemical engineering. </p>
<p>To current students: What is the one thing you wish you'd known before going to Penn? I want to be as prepared as possible! Especially considering that I still have time to fix my study habits, etc. </p>
<p>Thanks and see you August 23rd!</p>
<p>Some things I learned really quickly as a freshman that I wish I had known before coming to Penn:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It’s totally okay to not drink. Seriously. And I’m putting this as the first point because it was my biggest concern coming into college. Some people think that all Penn students are rampant drunkaholics, but tons of students don’t drink (or at least drink in honest moderation).</p></li>
<li><p>Not everyone is a frat boy, a really snooty politician’s daughter, or the heir to the Walmart fortune. People here REALLY ARE from all walks of life; it’s not just a phrase that the admissions team mindlessly adds to brochures.</p></li>
<li><p>Procrastinating is still just as tempting as in high school, but much harder to pull off. Get a handle on it now by starting your homework the second you get home. You’ll be that person who actually gets a full night’s sleep, which brings me to…</p></li>
<li><p>You probably won’t sleep as much here, but that’s okay. Nobody looks back at their college years and wishes that they had slept more. There’s no way to plan for this, just accept it and move on.</p></li>
<li><p>New Student Orientation (NSO) is a really incredible time for making friends. Take advantage of those few days to just go up to random people (security guards and lunch ladies included) and introduce yourself. Or sit down at a lunch table and eat with a stranger: everyone is in the same friend-less boat, they’ll be glad for the company. Don’t do this too much after NSO ends though; once upperclassmen show up, that sort of thing gets kind of weird.</p></li>
<li><p>The dining halls have really good food and a great variety, but they get a bit tiring after your first semester. Don’t get the unlimited meal plan unless you live in Hill or Kings Court English (and even then, use strong judgment). </p></li>
<li><p>Lots of people are competitive when it comes to grades (Wharton.) but you’ll find that if you ask a stranger for something (directions, food recommendations, a hug), they’ll generally give it to you.</p></li>
<li><p>You’ll have two email addresses: the one you use now, and your Penn email. If you’re still taking advice from me, use your personal account for personal stuff (personal website account sign-ups, personal correspondence) and your school account for school stuff (school account signups, email with professors, study groups, etc.). If your school inbox gets too bogged down in crap, you may miss an important announcement or question.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. It’s cool to be your own person and have your own skills and your own style; nobody will rob you of that.</p>
<p>HAHAHHA I just realized that your original post said “What is the ONE thing you wish you’d known…”</p>
<p>My bad.</p>
<p>If you do not already use GMail, you should stop dilly-dallying and get an account. GMail filters and labels make life infinitely easier when you are dealing with emails from ten different groups, plus your teachers, classmates and everything else.</p>