WELCOME back to school everyone, and to the first years and transfer students out there, welcome to the University (yes, our university is humbly referred to as the University). As people stream back into Charlottesville for fall semester and engage in the maddening customs of getting ready for school, one must be reminded that there should be a protocol to how the first days before classes are handled. As this is my last U.Va. pre-fall semester period, I feel it necessary to expound on what I have truly learned in the past three years about handling the days before class starts at the University.
To begin with, it is usually a good idea to get back to the University as early as possible. See, life at the University, or "inside the U.Va bubble," as it is often referred to, is in many ways markedly different from life outside. For instance, time moves at a much quicker pace. What feels like minutes actually ends up being hours at the University. Life's common worries tend to shift. Sleep takes a back seat to studying, partying, chilling, eating and many other words ending in -ing. It is crucial to migrate back to Charlottesville as soon as possible to get back into that collegiate rhythm and to partake in the aforementioned verbs and many others, which are material for other columns.
Other benefits of getting to school early is that you are not alone. With every day that class approaches, the number of people residing on Grounds (another pointer for first years, we don't have a campus here at the University, we have the Grounds) grows exponentially, giving a lot of time to get together with friends you haven't seen all summer or to meet new people before things get hectic with class and a noun I do not like to even think of during the summer -- homework. Often, if one does not give himself enough time to get into the swing of things, that person feels a little out of it during the first week of classes.
Once you have gotten back to school, it is crucial to get any annoying and time-consuming errands out of the way as soon as possible. One such guaranteed outing for every student is the dreaded buying of books. Whether it be at the University Bookstore or the Student Book Store, every student, regardless of gender, work ethic or major, will see their or their parents' hard-earned cash rapidly disappear in a mountain of bound glossy paper commonly called textbooks. Getting to a bookstore as soon as possible is a great idea because used books, which are much more cost-effective than their brand new, shinier counterparts sell out quickly. Also, the sooner one gets used to seeing the seemingly expanding mound of books in his room, the faster they he grow acclimated to the sight and thus prevent multiple heart attacks when they realize how much work they'll have to do this semester.
The importance of getting all the errands out of the way is vitally connected to one's free time. If one can get those Wal-Mart and Bed Bath & Beyond trips out of the way quickly, that leaves limitless leisure time before that bedside alarm goes off on the first day of class. Although it is laughingly easy to procrastinate, often if those errands aren't done before class starts, they don't get done until fall reading holiday, Thanksgiving or sometimes even Winter Break. That can be an awfully long time to go without a shower curtain, for instance. Trust the voice of experience, folks.
Most importantly, the days before class starts should be enjoyed thoroughly. Many people remark that college would be a lot of fun if it weren't for all that class. These idyllic days are often the only completely stress-free times at college for many students. The University can be like a resort: Great sports and work-out facilities, amazing weather and nature during this part of the year, all yoau can eat buffets, great people to hang out with and even the University's version of night clubs, also know as fraternity parties.
As I come to the University for the last time this year with somewhat of a heavy and nostalgic heart, I at least know that I have passed on my wisdom to those who do not have my years of experience. Live it up fellas, the time flies by much faster than one could ever believe.
(Alex Rosemblat's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at arosemblat@cavalierdaily.com.)
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