Worst case survival guide: IU edition

Welcome to the wild, er, college. Whether you’re navigating the halls of Ballantine Hall or the tables of Wright Food Court, you’re bound to come across dangerous, disappointing and downright awkward situations. Here’s how to survive — and prevent — three common scenarios you may face in your first year.

HOUSING
You had your heart set on McNutt because your sister told you it was the only place to live if you wanted a social life. Your housing assignment arrives: Forest.

What to do
Don’t immediately think your freshman year is ruined. There’s not one specifically “social dorm,” there are just social people. And they’re not housed in only one building — they’re your neighbors down the hall.
Find the good in each neighborhood. Forest, Read and Rose are all on Third Street near major academic buildingsso you’ll have a shorter walk to class. Central dorms are by the library and the SRSC, and Northwest residents have quick access to the stadium and Assembly Hall.
If you’re lucky enough to land in one of the three dorms without air conditioning, don’t sweat it. Just remember you can always bring fans and that summer doesn’t last long in Indiana. Take advantage of AC in your dorm’s center building or make fast friends — there’s no small talk like complaining about the weather.
Give it a few months. If you’re still unhappy with your housing, you have the opportunity at the end of first semester to submit a housing change request form. If you must call Fee Lane home, RPS does allow residents to move rooms before winter break if there is available space.

Preventative measures
This could very well be the one and only time you’ll live in the close quarters of a double dorm room on a floor of fifty other people who may become your family away from home. Enjoy it!

SCHEDULING
You’ve painstakingly picked out the perfect class schedule for your first semester. Hello, three-day weekends and History of Rock & Roll Music. But as you log onto OneStart to click “enroll,” you’re faced with MWF 8 a.m. classes and 20-person deep waitlists.

What to do
That rock & roll class has already enrolled the maximum number of students. But don’t stash away those AC/DC albums yet — check the “waitlist” option. If students decide to drop out during the first week of classes and you’re high enough up on the waitlist, you’ll automatically be enrolled. Just remember you’re not guaranteed a spot even if you’re waitlisted so have a back-up class in mind.
Remember you have four (or five, or six) years at IU. Just because you couldn’t enroll in a certain class this fall doesn’t mean you won’t graduate in time or have the chance to take yoga class for credit.
Set several alarms and make a friend. If you couldn’t avoid the dreaded 8 a.m. finite course, get to know your classmates. They’ll keep you accountable for showing up and keep you updated in case you hit that snooze button one too many times.

Preventative measures
There’s not much you can do to change this first semester, but it’s a different story come spring.
You won’t start scheduling until late October or November, but make sure you visit your advisor before that time. Many schools won’t let you enroll in spring classes until you’ve had an advising meeting.
Review your pre-assigned enrollment date listed in the Student Center section of OneStart. On that exact day and time, you’ll be able to enroll in classes. Remember when Fall Out Boy’s comeback tour sold out in nine minutes? Instead of competing for a ticket, you’re competing for that last seat in Psych 101 — don’t miss it.

SEXILING
Your last class just ended, and you’re heading home to study for your A215 exam. Opening the door to your dorm room, you hear heavy breathing coming from your roommate’s bed — turns out he’s already studying some basic human anatomy.

What to do
Make a swift exit. Find shelter until it is safe to return to your residence.
Having a conversation while your roommate is occupied probably isn’t the best idea. Wait until the next day, when you’ve cooled off and your roommate isn’t as...distracted.
The next day, have a conversation face-to-face — not through texts or Facebook chat. It’s easier to control your emotions when you’re looking right at your roommate instead of your computer screen.
Stay away from talking about sex and focus on talking about the real issue: respecting shared space.
Avoid calling your roommate anything derogatory. Even if you do think they are trashy, judging their actions only makes the situation worse.

Preventative measures
Create a communication system with your roommate. Symbols like a tie on the door invite your neighbors to know your business. Be more cryptic with a coded note on the door that says something like “I’m studying” to keep the rest of the world out of the loop.
Schedule times in advance you and your roommate can have private time in the room, though that isn’t always a solution for last-minute hookups.
— By Stephanie Doctrow and Caitlin Peterkin


ADVICE FROM THE RA
Every floor in a residence hall has a student who is a sophomore or older called a resident assistant or “RA” in charge of safety and security, enforcing rules and planning events.
McNutt RA Chris Clendenen offers you some seasoned words of advice on surviving dorm life:
Your roommate does not have to be your best friend. You don’t even really have to talk with your roommate-- you just have to live with them.

Respect their space and their things. If you don’t know if you can borrow something or do something in the room, just ask.

What’s more important than your roommate is your floor. If you have a good floor, your roommate doesn’t matter, so spend Welcome Week with your floor, not just your high school friends.

See how long you can go before you have to buy food during Welcome Week. If you’re not buying food, that means you’re going to programs, meetings and more, and getting to know people.

Don’t forget to wear shower shoes. Your feet will fall off.