Eating in College

Living in a college dorm room can be stress inducing at first. You’re nervous about living with a roommate along with your college classes and everything that goes with it. You’re probably even nervous about the food and college cafeteria.

When you’re living in a college dorm room, you’re probably going to have an eating plan for the college cafeteria. This will give you a certain amount of meals for the day, week, or month depending on how your college arranges the meal plan. You may have already found out your meal plan and done the math in your head and are worried that it won’t be enough. Don’t worry, though – chances are that you won’t be eating in the college café 3 meals a day every day. It may seem it at first but once you get into the swing of things at college, you’ll find that your meal plan is just right. The reason is because you’ll more than likely be eating on the go, in your college dorm room, or going to dinner with your friends.

You’re probably wondering about the quality of the food at college. You’ll find that some food items are really good and you know to have those items when they’re offered and you’ll also find what items to stay away from. Sadly, it’s going to be a trial and error process.

You may be wondering how in the world you can eat in your college dorm room unless you get takeout every time. With the simple addition of a mini-fridge or microwave, you can actually do a lot. Your college may even let you have a toaster but they may have regulations if you can use it in your college dorm room or in the common room. If you plan on eating on the go or in your college dorm room, there are some things you need on hand. You won’t be able to do an elaborate dinner like your mom made at home, sadly. After all, there won’t be much room in your dorm room or in your mini-fridge for the items you need to make that elaborate dinner, but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat good food. You can still keep some fruits, veggies, and dressings for salad in your mini fridge. What is great for eating in your college dorm room are boxes and cans of food – you can keep them in your closet in a designated area so you can have some different food options. This is where macaroni and cheese, soups, and ramen come in handy.  And if you’re allowed a toaster, you can keep some bread in your closet, too. And don’t forget about bringing leftovers to your college dorm room after you spend a weekend visiting your family.

The trick of cooking in your college dorm room (or even the common room)? Not setting off the fire alarm. The fire alarms in residence halls are extremely sensitive. You don’t want to be the person that sets off the fire alarm at 6 in the morning because of burned toast. Whatever you’re cooking, keep watch of it. Don’t wander off or get distracted by something on your cell phone. It isn’t like when you’re at home and you can step away from your toast and not worry about it burning or setting off an alarm. That may mean you have to start your toast at a low or mid-point in the settings and then when it’s done deciding if you need more time. The important thing is just keeping an eye on your food. If it’s starting to smoke and smell, stop cooking whatever it is.

Lastly, make sure you cover whatever food you are warming in the microwave. The last thing you want to do is scrape spaghetti or macaroni and cheese out of your microwave when you could be hanging out with friends.

Transitioning to College

College can be tough. There is a huge difference between high school and college and it can be difficult to transition between the two. You’re getting used to two different things at the same time and it can be overwhelming. You have to get used to living in a college dorm room and being on your own for the first time and you also have to get used to your college classes. Check out below for some things you can do to help ease the transition between high school and college.

First of all, call home. Frequently. You may be used to texting and think texting your friends and family will help the homesickness, but it won’t help completely. Don’t underestimate how much it can help to hear the voices of your loved ones, whether you’re an hour away or in another state or country. They’re your support system and when you’re feeling down or stressed, sometimes just talking with them and hearing their words of encouragement can help you through it.

Find things to do on and off campus. Finding things to get involved in both on and off campus are incredibly important. By getting involved in clubs and organizations, you can feel like you belong at college and are a part of the atmosphere. By doing things outside of college such as walking around the park, going to the zoo, or even sitting and studying at a coffee shop, you’re fully immersing yourself in your environment and making a home for yourself. Plus, when you’re getting out and doing things around campus, you’re not shutting yourself in your college dorm room and isolating yourself. You’re getting out and making friends and having fun. That being said, don’t be afraid to make new friends. Your high school friends will always be there and won’t go away just because you’ve made new friends. Making new friends will allow you to be more sociable and feel like a part of your new campus and area.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to talk to your professors. If you’re having trouble, ask for help either from your professor or a tutor. No one is going to judge you or treat you differently because you ask a question. If you’re having trouble with your classes, get help because otherwise you’ll feel more overwhelmed as upcoming lessons build on what was previously taught.

Finally, one of the most important things you can do is make your Residence Hall room feel like home. Bring plenty of pictures of your family, friends, and even your family pet to decorate the walls of your college dorm room with. Bring your favorite blanket or souvenir from a high school prom. Those mementos will really help you get through the tough days.

Should You Settle For Easy Classes?

As you wrap up one college semester and start preparing for the next, you need to think about your college classes for the second semester. You also need to go through the hassle of registering for those classes. As you’re preparing for the next semester and thinking about what classes to take, you may have a moment of exhaustion where you think about just taking an easy class to get an easy A. While this may sound great in the moment, it may actually hurt you in the long term.

If you’re finishing up your first semester, you’re especially going to be thinking about taking those easy classes. You may have been a little overwhelmed in your first semester after all, and want to make it easier on yourself. The truth? College is hard. It’s harder than High School, and your professors don’t have the same policies or teach the same as your teachers in High School did. It can be quite a shock and overwhelming at first. As you go through college, you’ll find the studying strategies that work for you and get into a routine. At first though? You’ll struggle. Everyone is overwhelmed at first. You don’t want to jump to easy classes and take easy classes throughout college because it was difficult getting used to college. If you’re truly having trouble with a concept or class, that’s what your Professor’s office hours and tutors are for. 

So what’s the problem with those easy A classes? It’s simply that they’re easy. You can become used to taking the easy classes and then when you have to take a moderately tougher class, it’s going to be all that much harder. The other part of it? You won’t grow as a person and develop your knowledge and major. Don’t get stuck into a safe zone where you take only easy classes or fill your electives only with classes from your major. Keep in mind, your major is going to be used for your career after college. Make sure you challenge yourself a little bit to make you and your major valuable to your future employer. Plus, when you challenge yourself and do well, you’ll feel quite accomplished.