1. “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” - Annie (the musical, not me)
As a lifetime New Yorker, I’ve learned smiling gives you wrinkles and you shouldn’t ever do it. The good news for me is people in Charlottesville are distinctly the opposite — the town is full of generally friendly people who smile a solid 230 percent more than I have in my entire life. This doesn’t make me less fun to be around — I promise — but it does take me a day or two to get back into the swing of things. Perfect the “Hi! How are you?” and “Good, thanks. How are you?” type of say-this-all-and-don’t-stop-walking conversation you’ll inevitably have a million times during your first week back.
2. “Fake it ‘til you make it.” - Origin unclear
Think about the last time you looked in a mirror and thought, “Wow. I look great, feel great and am FULL of swag.” Channel that moment and do your thing for — at least — the first week of classes. Even if you’re nervously nauseous or only-daytime-Chipotle-from-now-on nauseous, take a page out of my personal handbook. And remember to add, “looks put together, feels like pajamas”, as a criterion the next time you go shopping for clothing.
3. “I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking, and I plan on finding out what that is.” - Derek Zoolander
Don’t stop at looking good — get educated too. Edgar Allen Poe may have dropped out of the University, but neither Tina Fey nor Katie Couric did, so if you attend class you’ll be in good company. I know you might not feel so hot come Tuesday at 9 a.m. — actually, if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel extremely hot and have a debilitating headache — but be it your first year or your fourth, it’s important to get yourself to class. Two pieces of advice — you’re a lot more persuasive about getting off the waitlist in person than over email, and professors actually teach during the second class of syllabus week.
4. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” - W.E. Hickson
More specifically, go to every class you want to take, even if you’re on the waitlist. If I’ve learned anything going into my fourth year here, it’s that it ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. And by fat lady singing, I mean the day of the class drop deadline occurring and the professor telling you definitively that you should stop trying to make it happen. Showing up in person demonstrates a lot more interest than an email, and the professor has the power to override SIS and add you to a class even if it’s full.
5. “Time is money, money is power, power is pizza, and pizza is knowledge.” - April Ludgate, Parks and Recreation
Sign up for everything — yes, you too, fourth years. Do it because you’ve always wanted to. Do it because you’ve never heard of the club. Do it because Trinity doesn’t count as a club no matter which way you look at it. Do it because your friend in the club is being sort of aggressive and it’s getting pretty weird, or do it because the cookies at the table looked particularly good. Whatever the reason, make it the reason to get involved and spend your time doing something new.
6. “You’ll probably never use it, but we’ll move it anyway.” - UPC shirts, c. 2012
First year, I was so nervous to move in that I purposely took hours to unpack just to delay my mom from leaving. Second and third year were different. I couldn’t wait for my parents to leave — sorry, Mom and Dad — so I could reunite with friends I hadn’t seen in months. Weeks later, I was still living out of my suitcases and sorely regretting making an organized dresser my public enemy number one. Sure, icing your friends after their eight hour drive is funny, but digging around for 10 minutes to find a sock isn’t.
7. “…because a good night never started with a salad.” - some teenage girl’s Instagram
That being said, please don’t take this as advice not to eat salad. In fact, salad tastes great and is great for you, so eat it all you want — but add some protein because that will keep you full and it’s important to eat protein before consuming alcohol. The definition of a “good night” varies by person, but make sure to have a good night — if not many — during your first week back. Whether you’re a Trinity balcony person, a first floor Clem person, an Old Dorms lounge person or anything in between, college means no parents and no rules, so do your thing.
8. “Make new friends, but keep the old…” - Girl Scout songbook
Be it your favorite professor from two semesters ago, your first year roommate, your friends you haven’t seen all summer or people you know from home, don’t just wait for everyone to come to you. Be proactive and remake connections with people you like. It’s easy to forget how big the University is after you’ve been there for awhile, so broaden your horizons and grab coffee with the person you’ve been meaning to text back for a year now. Non-negotiable — you’re not allowed to follow a text with “haha wrong number.”
9. “I like to move it, move it.” - Reel 2 Real
Who gon’ run this town tonight? You, literally. Take advantage of the summer weather and do something active. Even if the only outdoors part of your activity is walking to the AFC, it still counts as taking advantage of the warmth. Air conditioning matters, and when your running style resembles a squirrel just learning how to walk, sometimes running outside is just not an option. Take a walk to the Downtown Mall, do yoga on the Lawn or run from your emotions — it all gets your body moving.
10. “I’m different, yeah I’m different.” - 2 Chainz
Celebrate your return to Charlottesville by trying something new. For first years, this could be anything — go to O-Hill or take a class in a subject you’ve never heard of before. Second years, embrace your newfound living space and try cooking something on your own. Third years, try ordering something other than the macaroni and cheese at The Virginian. Fourth years, go watch a polo match or spend a Thursday night at Carter Mountain Orchard listening to live music. And try not to be too jealous of the first years, who get to do this all for the first time. Welcome back, Hoos!
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