How to avoid first-year mistakes

Welcome to residence. This is it: the start of one of the weirdest, most fun and most hygienically questionable years of your life. We here at the Gazette have put together a list of things to help you avoid some inevitable freshmen mistakes.

• Don’t waste too much energy trying to remember every single person’s name during Frosh. You will never see some of these people again.
• If you’ve had too much to drink, do everything humanly possible to make sure you drink a huge glass of water before bed. Tomorrow you will thank yourself.
• On that note, a late-night donair or slice of pizza is never a bad idea. King of Donair is open until 3:30 a.m., Extreme Pizza until 4 a.m. on weekends.
• Spend the extra 30 cents and get the good ramen noodles. So. Much. Better.
• If you miraculously decide to work, leave your room. Nothing will get done in there.
• Don’t try and sneak into bars underage. You will get rejected.
• Shower. Wash your sheets sometimes. So boring, but a nice gesture towards those that have to spend time near you.
• Wear shower flip flops if you don’t want scary foot diseases.
• The waterfront is about a 15-minute walk away. Get out and explore outside of the res/caf/class bubble sometimes.
• Febreze is the ultimate tool to make your dorm room somewhat presentable.

You will meet some incredible friends in res, whose sometimes-questionable advice will follow you throughout your first year. A sample of residence life suggestions from recent First Years:

• Try and get to know all your neighbors.
• Don’t spend too much time getting to know your neighbors.
• Bring wet wipes. They will always come in handy.
• No matter how weird they are, do your best to get along with your roommate.
• Earplugs can block the sound of (just about) anything.
• Splurge on some Command Strips before you move in. So useful for everything.
• Black Fly coolers are a drink unknown to many before arriving in the Maritimes. Treat them with caution.
• Microwave cooking is an art form. Yes, you can cook pasta in there if you try.

These are but a sampling of knowledge gained from some truly wacky experiences. The rest is up to you – best of luck!