let me tell ya what ya need to know

let me tell ya what ya need to know

                I actually found this on my computer and thought it would be a great time to share. Whether you are an incoming freshmen student or a transfer student, ACU is a great place to be. I am not saying that to try to persuade you to think the same, but because I really do believe it. Here are a few tips and tricks of the trade from someone who was recently in your position as a new student.

      Go to June Passport and stay in the dorms. I met some of my best friends here on campus during passport and that was mostly due to staying in the dorms during Passport. Living with others in general builds memories, community, and creates lasting relationships.  Some of the people I met by staying in the dorms I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

      Don’t over pack for college. You really don’t need as much as you think you do and if you need something, Walmart is two minutes away (Target’s like 15 minutes away, but worth the drive).

      Embrace Welcome Week. There is a lot of hype surrounding Welcome Week and depending on who you talk to, you will hear different experiences and opinions about it. Generally people either love it or hate it. My advice would be to embrace the experience. Get to know as many people as you can, sure it might be awkward, but everybody is in the same boat. Embrace the awkward, you don’t have to be best friends with everybody. I personally loved every minute of Welcome Week and to this day I am still friends with people from my Welcome Week/CORE class group.

      On that note, embrace CORE class. CORE is an ACU required class, it’s hard to explain exactly what it is, but that people in your class are the same people who are in your Welcome Week group. So, another reason to get to know the people in your group- you’ll be with them all semester. I have had great professors for the first two core classes I’ve taken and really enjoyed them. Similar to Welcome Week, who you talk to will make a difference on what you hear about the core curriculum in general. Honestly, in any situation there will be positive and negatives and core is not any different. Embrace the experience and look at it as a way to meet new people you would not have had the chance to meet otherwise.

      If you get sick, don’t be afraid to go to the doctor. I have had some experience with being sick and being away from home. A few weeks into my first semester of freshmen year I developed an upper repertory infection, which ended up turning into walking pneumonia. Second semester I ended up getting walking pneumonia again. Safe to say if I would have gone to the doctor earlier I could have avoided getting as sick as I did. So take medicine, go to the doctor – it won’t hurt.

      Get involved in anything you can and anything that interest you. This is pretty self-explanatory, but if you have an interest in an on campus group join it. Don’t be afraid to get involved in Freshmen Follies, Sing Song, Students Association, or Homecoming. Get involved. Don’t be afraid to participate in something you are interested in or have training or experience with.

      As important as grades are make time to build relationships. One of the biggest reasons why I chose ACU was to have to opportunity to build relationships with other Christians. This campus is filled with awesome people that make up the ACU difference (commonly #ACUdifference). I kid you not the ACU difference is real. While you come to school for a degree, you should also invest in the people here as well. Last year at opening chapel Rick Atchley even made this one of his main points. Now for the reassurance of my mother, don’t slack on school work do your best, but please fit time into schedule to hang out with friends, join a club and go to events on campus.

      Let go of high school. Living in the past and consuming your college life with high school drama and happenings will cause you to miss out on life happening in front of you. It’s great if you loved your high school experience, but you’re in college now. Embrace where you are now.   

      You are not required to be best friends with your roommate. This is a misconception mostly pertaining to girls. Personally, I think it is better to have a different circle of friends than your roommate. Make an effort to have a relationship with you roommate, but don’t feel like you have to hang out with them all the time. First semester freshmen year my roommate and I had a MWF 9am class together and it was great because we could get breakfast before class and could make sure we both got up for class. We didn’t plan to have the class together it just worked out that way, but if you can manage to work something like that out, it could be helpful. 

         Try to treat chapel as a true time of worship. Okay, I know everyone is guilty of this, including myself. Some days come along where for whatever reason you can’t stop giggling during chapel, another student shows up with a squirrel like hat on, one of the microphones makes an obnoxious sound, or there’s an Asian flash mob (all of these have actually happened), but none the less treat chapel with respect. You have to be there so why not make the most of the situation. Chapel is a unique experience and a unique opportunity, approach it with a positive attitude and it will become more meaningful to you.

For the most part, I think that I hit the main parts of an ACU freshman experience. Other thoughts I would throw in is use your meal plan. The Bean is no joke and you already pay for it so don’t let it go to waste. It is also a place of social gathering too. Also don’t be afraid of summer school. I took twelve hours in the summer after freshmen year which I would never do again, but in order to get all 36 hours in block tuition and avoid taken 18 hours in the fall and spring, you might have to take a couple summer classes. The short courses ACU offers are a great way to get these hours in. There are also classes you can take online from home that are great as well. Check your email all the time. It seems kind of old school, but it’s how communication happens on campus.

As you prepaid for the greatest years of your life, I hope these tips and thoughts can be some kind help. Like I said, ACU is a great place to be and I couldn’t imagine going to school anywhere else. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Your Favorite Redhead