College Facts

1. 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went To College
Masterclass by: Amanda Cross of
The Happy Arkansan

2. About Me
• My name is Amanda Cross
• I am a 24 year old blogger and
graduate student.
• I survived college with a 3.4
GPA, lots of activities, and no
all nighters.
• If I could be any animal in the
world, I’d be a dog.

3. Today’s Plan
• The lesson plan is simple. I am going to teach you
the 12 things I wish I knew before I went to college.
• This is going to be a masterclass packed with the
information that I think all freshmen should know
before going away to college.
• I am really excited about today’s masterclass & I
hope you are too.

4. You Are In The Right Place If…
• You want to be prepared for college’s ups and
downs before you step foot on campus.
• You want to learn more about the day in the life of
an actual college student and problems that college
students face.
• You want to get some ideas on how you can be a
better student.

5. Welcome Week

6. #1: No, You Don’t Need That Shoe
Rack.
• Let me tell you a little story
about the day I dreaded the
most at my alma
mater…College Move-In Day.

7. #1: No, You Don’t Need That Shoe
Rack.
• You are essentially living in a cell you can
decorate…not a mansion.
• Moving out is always harder than moving in.
• Be wary of buying too many things before you move
in. You can always swing by Walmart for low prices
after you have everything set up!

8. #2: Do The Team Building Games
(They Secretly Rock!)
• Usually, I dislike team building
games, but I decided to give
them a shot during my
freshman year welcome week,
and I am still alive to tell the
tale.

9. #2: Do The Team Building Games
(They Secretly Rock!)
• Be Open
• Meet New People
• Be A Little Less Lonely During Welcome Week

10. #3: Don’t Start The Cycle Of No.
• Why exactly are you saying
no? You just got here.

11. #3: Don’t Start the Cycle of No.
• We have two types of no’s:
• The Absolute No: This no violates your values
and who you stand for as a person. Don’t
compromise on this no.
• The I Don’t Want To Put On Pants No: This is the
no we give because we don’t want to put in effort.
Put in some effort, put on some pants, have some
fun!

12. Relationships

13. #4: The Welcome Week Bestie Is Definitely A
Thing (And That’s OK).
• I made many friends during
Welcome Week that I didn’t
keep.

14. #4: The Welcome Week Bestie Is Definitely A
Thing (And That’s OK).
• You change/They change
• You have one schedule/They have another
• You realize y’all don’t really get along/They realize
the same
• You find new friends/They find new friends
• It’s okay. It’s all normal.

15. #5: Your Roommate Doesn’t Have
To Be Your Best Friend.
• My first roommate was just a
roommate.

16. #5: Your Roommate Doesn’t Have
To Be Your Best Friend.
• Be cordial
• Don’t be passive aggressive
• Come up with ground rules out of the gate
• Remember your RA is there to help if things go
south.

17. #6: Put Yourself Out There
• Love can be hard, if you aren’t
willing to work at putting
yourself out there.

18. #6: Put Yourself Out There
• Go to events
• Meet new people
• Explore
• Don’t be afraid to just live your life!

19. Academics

20. #7: Your Professors Want To
Get To Know You.
• Getting to know your
professors can be pretty cool.
They probably have a lot in
common with you!

21. #7: Your Professors Want To
Get To Know You.
• Do your work
• Show up on time
• Go to office hours
• Be totally cool

22. #8: It’s OK If You Study Differently Than
Everyone Else.
• Ahh, nothing like flash cards
and nerves on test day.

23. #8: It’s OK If You Study Differently Than
Everyone Else.
• Some people study well with note cards.
• Some people study well with audio.
• Some people study well under pressure.
• Some people study well with lots of time.
• Studying is not a contest.

24. #9: You Need To Be Comfortable Taking Initiative For
Your Own Education
• Mentors are cool, but
sometimes you gotta be your
own mentor.

25. #9: You Need To Be Comfortable Taking Initiative For
Your Own Education
• Get to know your professors
• Read articles and books related to your field
(outside of what you need to read for class)
• Have experiences like museum visits and watching
documentaries.
• Google Alerts is your bestie

26. Financial

27. #10: Always Get The Most Flexible
Meal Plan.
• Let me tell you about my
freshman year meal plan…

28. #10: Always Get The Most Flexible
Meal Plan.
• Flexible meal plan means you spend less money on
food.
• The cafeteria won’t be fun forever.

29. #11: Use What You Pay For.
• As a campus tour guide I got
to let people know about all of
the amazing services that we
had on campus.

30. #11: Use What You Pay For.
• Use your tutoring services, health services,
workout/gym services, career services, campus life
services, any service you can get your hands on.
• Go to all the games and fun events you can go to.
• You are probably paying for it anyway.

31. Food For thought
• Go to the A-Z Index of your college’s website.
• Go through all those pages and consider some of
the cool services they mention.
• Consider using some of those services throughout
the school year or just learning more information
about it.
• You will probably be surprised at the services
offered.

32. #12: Budget & Keep Track Of
Expenses
• Budgeting is fun, because
going in the negative is not
fun.

33. #12: Budget & Keep Track Of
Expenses
• Budget your needs first
• Budget in savings
• Budget wants
• Be realistic

34. Conclusion
• You should have learned
• The 12 things I wish I knew
before I went to college.
• These 12 things were separated
into many categories including
Welcome Week, Relationships,
Academics, and Financial.
• After learning these 12 items
hopefully you feel much more
comfortable going into your new
semester as a freshman in
college.