Success: 64 Things UC Davis Students Should Know

We know from surveys that most of the UC Davis students who choose to live at a Tandem Property aren’t freshmen but this week we came across some advice in the Huffington Post’s College section, 64 Things We Wish We Knew As College Freshmen, that is good no matter what year you are, even if you left college long ago. Just swap out Davis apartment for dorm room and you’ll get the idea. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. “Don’t buy books from the on-campus bookstore! It’s all a scam. Go to the neighborhood bookstore or order on Amazon.com.” — Dana Oliver, Fashion & Beauty Editor at HuffPost.

2. “There are SO many activities and events happening on campus. If you hear about something, go! Lego party at Tech House? Go! Fall dance concert? Go! Iran nuclear policy panel? Go! Obviously don’t let it get in the way of schoolwork and healthy sleep, but you’ll never be this close to so many incredible experiences. Say yes to them — you never know what you’ll find!” — Erika Larose, Production Assistant at HuffPost Live.

3. “I wish I knew how developing bad eating habits in college would screw my metabolism up in the long run. So. Much. Pizza.” — Caitlyn Becker, Host/Producer at HuffPost Live.

4. “No one (including employers) cares how long it took you get your degree. Take the time to work on your resume before you graduate and make sure to take advantage of any career services your school offers — having a well crafted resume is your best bet to getting that job/internship you want post-college.” — Shonitria Anthony, News Editor for HuffPost Voices.

5. Avoid Friday classes, and 8 a.m. classes, when possible. — Multiple editors at HuffPost.

6. “The one year of statistics and computer science that I was forced to take was more useful then any liberal arts or social science prerequisite I ever took.” — Tiara Chiaramonte, Illustrator/Social media editor at HuffPost.

7. “Romantic relationships can be fun and important, but remember that this is also a time for you to grow as an individual — don’t accidentally isolate yourself in newfound love and forget to learn, both about and for yourself.” — April Saylor, Audience Development Strategist at HuffPost Partner Studio.

8. “No one is having as much fun as their Facebook profiles make it seem! Everyone is equally confused and scared and putting on a good front so no one from back home will think they’re lame.” — Alana Horowitz, Senior News Editor at HuffPost.

 

16. “How much free food there is at different events all over campus. Go get the food!” — Chaz Smith, Vine Intern at HuffPost.

22. “Getting career advice from people who are already mega-successful and way older than you is awesome and totally useful, but the best advice comes from people who are just starting their careers. They’re the ones who are two or three years older than you and can tell you how to get to step one, not how to rocket to the top over the course of 20 years. Find them and then listen to them.” — Julia Bush.

23. “Get the microwaveable bacon, best hangover cure and helps you become a master microwave chef — very important.” — Ryan Gurrentz.

24. “If you spend all of your time hanging out with or talking to a significant other from high school, you’re going to miss the period when everyone else is new and forming friend groups.” — An anonymous HuffPost reporter.

 

26. “GO. TO. OFFICE. HOURS. I cannot stress this enough. Even just to say hi, or to mention how much you enjoyed a new book that’s related to the course. Make an effort. Professors have to be there anyway, you might as well give them someone to talk to. And in 5 years, they won’t be your professors; they’ll be your co-workers. Some of my best professional friendships now are former professors. Some people call it brown-nosing. Ignore them.” — Ali Watkins, Reporter at HuffPost.

28. “Take professors, don’t take classes! I took a classics class (could have been a total snooze-fest) and loved it because my professor was so engaging.” — Kira Brekke, Associate Editor at HuffPost Live.

29. “Don’t stay on campus all of the time, explore the town/city you’ll live in for the next 4 years.” — Chanel Parks, Associate Editor at HuffPost.

37. “Utilize the gym. Not only is it the only time ever you’ll have free membership, but you will gain the ‘Freshman 15’ no matter how fit you were in high school.” —

Rowaida Abdelaziz, Social Media Editor at The World Post.
38. ” Read. A lot.” — Nick Baumann, Senior Enterprise Editor at HuffPost.
44. ” You can get cash for being the subject of graduate students’ experiments.” — Ben Teitelbaum, Producer at HuffPost Live.
51. “Do as many batshit crazy active things as possible. Your body is young, so spend all day wrestling on sand dunes by the lakefront, or run a 10K you most certainly didn’t prepare for. Or stay up all night dancing, or climb a lot of fences to get into restricted access areas.  In college, you can wake up the next day and be A-OK. In just a few short years after college, those same things will make you feel as if someone took a ball-peen hammer to your entire body.” — Kim Bellware, Reporter at HuffPost.
52.  ” Do what actually makes you happy and don’t worry about having the ‘classic college’ experience. If you’d rather watch YouTube videos with your roommate than go out and party, do that. If joining a campus club or a sport is your personal version of hell, don’t join one. If something that is supposed to be ‘fun’ is causing you stress, just take it out of your life.”— Hilary Hanson, Associate Editor at HuffPost.
56. ” Just because there’s ice-cream in the dining hall covered by your food plan doesn’t mean you need to eat it every day.” — Zoe Triska, Senior Editor of Global Content Strategy at HuffPost.
57. “If there is ice-cream in the dining hall that’s covered by your food plan, this is probably the only time in your life where eating a sundae every day is socially acceptable.” — Jenna Amatulli, Associate Social Media Editor at HuffPost.
64. ” Keeping your dorm door open is one of the easiest ways to make friends. And if you are bored, just wander down the hall and chat with whoever else has their door open.” — Tyler Kingkade, Senior Editor/Reporter at HuffPost.