Blend in seamlessly at NDSU

Everyone has to go through the process of learning things the hard way as freshmen; how to sign up for courses, how to play it cool when you walk into the wrong classroom or which classes to avoid for the sake of your mental health.

We’ve all been there, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer too. So here’s ten tips to help you keep your freshmen status on the down-low:

1. Wear a mask

Just like second grade when you had to determine if you should go one-strap or two for the first day of class, choosing not to wear a mask around campus will make you stick out like a sore thumb. Upperclassmen (at least the decent ones) know that not wearing masks will lead to less time with friends and they’ve got nothing to prove by not wearing one.

Keep your mask on inside buildings and outside on your way to classes to avoid the freshmen-induced eye roll.

2. Check your email

You would think this one would be self explanatory, but there’s always that one kid those first few weeks of class who turns bright red when the professor asks everyone to take that quiz they emailed everyone about. Sure, your email is mostly spam from the bookstore or NDSU server crud, but it’s also a way to get involved and keep up to date with your courses.

3. Keep your lanyard in your pocket

Most college students keep their keys on a lanyard, but if you want to spot a freshman, look for the not so casual keys-almost-falling-out-of-the-pocket look. Not only is this a great way to make sure you lose your I.D., it’s also a way to signal to others that you likely live on campus.

4. Go to your classes!

I don’t know how to stress this one enough. Please, please go to your classes. Want to know the difference between a student who fails a course and a student who just squeezes by, the former went to one class and the ladder went to two.

But seriously, going to class is not the only reason why you’re here, but it’s your best chance of making a connection with a professor, getting a good grade and understanding the material. If I could talk to my freshman year self, I would scream: “Stop taking your fourth depression nap of the day and go to class, dammit!”

5. Don’t stroll around campus on weekend nights with your backpack on

You’re not fooling anyone with this one buddy. What, did you think people were going to expect you to be studying at three in the morning on a Saturday? No. 

When you do this you might as well be wearing a sign that says: “I’m eighteen and I have a bag full of illegal liquid.” Try to be a little more subtle or just avoid going out all together (we’re in the middle of a pandemic people).

6. Learn how Google works

If you cannot access a Google document sent to your NDSU email please do not email the entire class saying that the link doesn’t work. The link does work, you’re just signed in to your personal email on Google, but thanks for the chuckle. 

7. Get involved in any one way

Go find one club, one organization that you vibe with. I don’t care if it’s the Unicycle Club (which is real by the way) or the League of Legends Club (also real, humanity does give you hope sometimes people). Just find something that gives your week purpose and that gives you something to look forward to.

8. Keep it moving

If you can’t find the location of your new Hybrid classroom or the Unicycle Club meeting spot, please for the love of goodness don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk to find the building on Google Maps. Not only will you annoy most people trying to get somewhere, you’ll probably get a solid shoulder bump too.

9. Ditch your high school friends (at least for a little bit)

College isn’t necessarily about changing your entire personality, but it doesn’t hurt when you aren’t constantly surrounded by people who remember your awkward middle-school phase. You may have people and interests you would only come into contact with if you gave yourself the chance to let go of the people you’ve been around for years.

You don’t have to stop being friends with someone, just take a break for a few hours a day to figure out what you would want to be doing if your old friends didn’t go to school with you.

10. Let go of trying to be popular

This isn’t K-12, you probably won’t meet a quarter of your class by the time you graduate, so this idea of gaining popularity isn’t just sad, it’s impractical. People in college don’t really care how many people you’re friends with on Snapchat or how many Instagram followers you have. Go find your people and let the rest go.

The people at NDSU who hyperfocus on popularity are usually lacking in the friends department anyways.

11. Bonus tip: Don’t listen to any of this if you don’t want to

You have a few years in college to mess up, find friends and figure your stuff out. If you want to accidentally reply-all to an email sent to the entire student body, I commend you. Whether you blend in as a freshman or not, you’re going to fail… a lot. So listen to me or don’t, just have fun and be safe.