By Macy Griffin
Most students feel over whelmed or out of place when they first arrive at their new school. It can be terrifying and exciting as well as the most independent thing many recent high school graduates have done.
Victoria Jordan, a graduate of Iowa State, thinks that there are many perks that come with college life that she learned too late.
“I love photography, but didn’t have a camera that was very nice. I didn’t know until my senior year that you can check out media from the Communications building. It can be nice to use for hobbies or you can check cameras and other gear out for multiple days. I used them to take pictures on the climbing trips a lot of the time.” Jordan says.
Some other things she thinks would have been helpful to know her freshman year are that there are places on campus that will let students print for free. Places that offer free printing can be trickier to find than the places that cost to print, but are worth the search.
Jordan’s most valuable college experience was studying abroad.
“You would think that the more you travel the easier it would get. That is never true,” Jordan says.
She studied in a sister school of Iowa State’s in Alaska and another school in Berlin. The experiences she had where scary but educational.
“Make sure you know which classes will transfer credits before you leave. You have to know exactly what you are going to do credit wise before you study abroad. Otherwise, you can waste a lot of time and money on classes you can’t use on your degree,” Jordan says.
Evan Beitz, a junior at Iowa State, thinks that it is important to know about some of the things that aren’t very well known by students.
“You can actually check out textbooks at the Library. There are only allowed to be checked out for about two hours at a time, but normally that is enough time. It is really helpful if you are a broke college student and can’t afford all your books,” Beitz says.
Beitz feels his most valuable experience from school so far has been joining the climbing club. Beitz had never climbed before school, but became obsessed with it quickly.
“I don’t even remember how it started. I feel like I have been in the climbing club since before school,” Beitz says.
Joining a club on campus has helped Beitz make friends and have many experiences. He has met several people with common interests, and even the same major.
“The more friends you make, the more hints and tips you can learn,” Beitz says.
There are several different clubs at Iowa State, including sports, interests, politics, and even some less conventional organizations. One of the clubs on campus, CUFFS, is for students who would like to meet or learn with other people who have similar kinks and fetishes to them.
Some clubs have been made specifically for some majors and classes. Each one may have more specific tips that are catered to you.
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