Given that this is my last college-survival guide of the semester and my last column this year, it feels odd to merely give advice on one single thing: How to survive NQR? Wear a hat. How to steal food from the dining hall? Be quick. What's the best way to deal with housing? I still have no idea.
Instead, I decided to focus on three general rules that pertain to college as a whole — especially to freshmen. I realize I have yet to experience senior year, but nonetheless, I do have some advice on things that I've both done and regret not doing over the past five semesters. Hopefully avoiding too much sappiness, here's my advice:
1. Run NQR as a freshman: Freshman year is the year you know the smallest number of people. The entire event is also a completely new experience; you don't yet know just how many spectators you'll have watching you.
This is not to say that the run gets any less exciting or anticipated in the three years that follow, but in a way, running freshman year breaks the seal for the years that follow. If you can get on a streak — pun intended — early on in your Tufts running career, you're more likely to continue running and take part in four epic, Tufts-specific nights.
Yes, it seems counterintuitive that we run at the end of fall semester when it's freezing, and not at the end of spring. Yes, it is possible that footage or photographs of you in your birthday suit could end up on the Web. No, these are not excuses.
2. Don't trick-turn: Trick-turning is wasting the school's money. It is in no way your right to go and take food for your dorm room after you've already been to the dining hall. Just because you are forced to pay for an unlimited meal plan as a freshman that virtually no person could ever use does not give you this privilege.
Besides, Hodgdon Good-to-Go's fruit is disgusting and small, its burritos are tiny and flavorless, and using a prepaid meal for coffee or tea is terribly inconvenient compared to trekking all the way to Davis and waiting in line at Starbucks.
Freshmen, if you haven't broken this rule very often this fall semester, you definitely should not start in the spring. Do not take full advantage of your unlimited meal plan.
3. Ask professors for help: Office hours exist because students often need to use them. As a freshman and even sophomore — and sometimes even now — I always figured I could do without extra help from the professor: If everyone else could figure it out, then so could I.
What I didn't realize is that many students were already taking advantage of this extra time with teachers. This may be the most serious-toned piece of advice I give this week, and it also may not apply to a large majority of people less proud than myself. But seeking help will never hurt you. If nothing else, it is always helpful for either recommendations or something else later on to have developed a one-on-one relationship with a professor before you need a favor.
Although every person will make his or her own way here at Tufts, I do believe that these rules are universal. As reading period and finals approach, be sure to squeeze the last few drops of fun out of this semester, as I intend to do.
So start the celebration this Friday with the Nighttime Quad Reception — cough, cough — and remember there's a long and relaxing break ahead. Anticipating my absence next semester — I will be going abroad — I have but one last word of advice for the Class of 2014: Get ready for Spring Fling.
