Welcome, Huskies! Now that your posters are on the wall, your mini-fridge is fully stocked and your extra-long twin sheets are fitted on those all-too-thin mattress pads, it’s time to fill you in on what the rest of the Northeastern community already knows.
You’ve already been fed all the shiny, happy stuff – we have tunnel systems that protect you from the cold, endless dining hall choices, quick print stations that will get you in, out and on your way to class in a jiffy, access to two different subway lines, etc.
This is all true – to an extent. But guess what? You’re in college now, and nothing ever works out the way it is supposed to.
No matter how many dining halls we have, you’re always going to have to wait in line for a grilled cheese. If you’re counting on the Green Line to get you somewhere on time, you’re going to be very, very late. The quick print stations never are as fast as you need them to be. And really, a lot of students have no idea how to use the tunnel system, let alone that we have one.
No matter what you’ve heard, or who has given you advice, you’re going to have a completely different experience here than what you are currently anticipating.
If you think you have it all figured out as a biology major who will go on to attend medical school, surprise! You’ll probably graduate with an international affairs degree and end up going to a country on the other side of the world to teach English. Or maybe you’ll do a study abroad in Europe, fall in love with the Spanish man you had an affair with and never come back to Boston at all.
Are you the seemingly hopeless single friend in a sea of happy couples? That will probably change in a month, when suddenly you have a terrific new boyfriend and the high school romances you thought would last forever fall apart after one sloppy night at a frat party.
Maybe you’ll decide you hate Boston and transfer to a tiny school in New Hampshire, make out with a mysterious stranger in the bathroom of a dive bar or start your own profitable business from within the walls of Stetson East.
The point is, you can’t plan or anticipate all of the crazy things that are going to happen to you over the next few years. And before you start shaking your head saying, “That will never happen to me,” remember that all of these things have happened to friends of mine who at one point muttered the same words.

– Amanda Cedrone is a senior journalism major and member of The News staff. She can be reached at [email protected]