By Dinah Alobeid

“I’m finally here” has got to be the most prominent thought running through your freshmen minds. Well, there’s a lot to be excited about. You can come and go as you please, sleep in, eat Chef Boyardee for breakfast, skip class and not have to worry about the professor calling your parents. Those professors will just sit back and watch you sleep your grade away. I’m not trying to scare you, or tell you to just let go of structure and become the next Van Wilder, but there’s a balance every co-ed eventually has to find.

Coming to Northeastern as a freshman had to be one of the most exciting things for me, even though I wasn’t dorming. Yes, I am one of those commuters you hear about who actually still make up a good chunk of the student body. But that wasn’t about to stop me from getting the whole college experience.

I was planning on going to every class, and did so for about two months. I was never late, stayed on top of my work and still socialized a good amount. But after a while, with five classes and a growing network of friends, activities and places to go, if I missed a class once in a while, it wasn’t a big deal.

And it isn’t, as long as you read the syllabus and make sure you know the professor’s policy on absences, because there are a lot of educators who practice the “three strikes you’re out” absence policy. Essentially, if you miss three classes your grade gets lowered a full mark (i.e. if you had a “B,” you can plan on a “C” now).

I can’t stress this enough: Read the syllabus for every class – all of it. More likely than not, your final will be worth 30 percent or more of your grade in that class, a lot more than it was worth in high school. By simply paying attention and getting as much work done as possible, you can stay afloat just like the rest of us who managed to get to sophomore year.

Now I know there is a lot more you want to know about besides schoolwork which is, quite frankly, the least interesting part of college. However, there are some study locations which may seem unconventional, but which could be really beneficial to you.

In the Curry Student Center, there are groups of comfortable chairs and tables on all the floors, and empty classrooms. Take advantage of these locations because oftentimes they can be quieter than the library. Also, in freshman dorms such as Kennedy Hall, Melvin Hall and Smith Hall, there are common room-type areas which are deserted for the most part except for the occasional Hall Council meetings. This could be your studying sanctuary.

Speaking of dorms, from spending numerous nights at my friends’ dorms and watching my friends themselves, hygiene has to be the number one priority. Throw out your garbage at least once a week, wash your sheets once in a while and maybe even dust. And your top priority should be to wear flip flops in the shower. Seriously, you have no idea what could be lurking on the floor of a communal shower which has seen thousands of residents.

Speaking of strangers, partying at Northeastern is different from what you might expect. There are so many undergraduate and graduate students here that it can be overwhelming to realize you could go to three different parties in one night, all on the same street (Columbus Avenue, for example) and talk to people from every major, year and state. One thing to make sure of, though, is whenever you’re going to a party at someone’s place whom you do not know personally, bring along a buddy or two (or better yet, five). If the situation gets weird or you find yourself unable to make good decisions, you’ll have backup and people you can trust.

Making friends at NU isn’t the hard part. Maintaining them is the trick. There are so many different extracurricular activities, classes and residence halls that by the end of your first semester you will more likely than not have a wide and intricate social circle. Just be aware of who you trust, because this isn’t like high school where you probably knew a lot of people going into the ninth grade. I’m not saying to be neurotic and paranoid (like me) but be careful of how you behave and who you let yourself go in front of. You never know when something can come back to kick in the shins – hard.

Mainly, I just wanted to say my freshman year was an eye-opening experience filled with friends, entertaining professors, adventures around the city (which, by the way, you should take every opportunity to explore) and a lot of growing up. Stay focused, never lose sight of who you are and who you came to college as and stay true to yourself.

Eventually, everything else will fall into place.