Students at Ohio University who have gone through this experience have advice to help:
Biggest piece of advice?
“My advice to freshmen is to get out of your comfort zone,” Cooper Stooksbury, a senior studying international business, said in a message. “You’re out on your own so it’s important to find help and friends to surround yourself with.”
“I would advise getting involved in some type of organization or club to find your niche,” Kayla Lavilla, a junior studying nursing, said in a message.
“OU felt like home to me when I met my best friends,” Hailey Long, a senior studying communication disorders at OU, said in a message. “People I’d known for only weeks felt more like home than people I’d known for 10+ years. My advice would be to try out everything. Clubs, food places up town, experiences. You only have one experience and it really does fly by much faster than you’d expect.”
What can a new student pack to help make their dorm space feel more home-y?
“Card games, ... speaker, ... robe, cash… (and) command hooks,” Erica Weaver, a freshman studying exercise physiology, said in a message.
“I wish I had brought a couch or extra chairs,” Stooksbury said in a message. “I always found that friends wanted to come over but a lot of the time they didn’t have a place to sit.”
“I recommend packing room decor and things to make your dorm feel more homey and comfortable,” Lavilla said in a message. “I think decorating your dorm space makes such a huge difference in how comfortable you feel.”
What do you wish you didn’t bring with you to your dorm?
“I brought way too many shoes/clothes. (I) didn’t wear half of them,” Long said in a message.
“For me, (I) brought way more ramen and oatmeal that I never ate because too much of anything is boring,” Stooksbury said in a message. “I also brought a lot of clothes; I’d suggest taking one season at a time. Otherwise, you and your roommate won’t have enough space.”
“I definitely overpacked clothing and shoes, and then ended up not even wearing half of them and buying more clothes because my style definitely changed freshman year,” Lavilla said in a message.
Long, Lavilla, Stooksbury and Weaver all wish the new OU students entering this new portion of their lives good luck. For more information on what to pack and expect in an OU dorm room check out ohio.edu/housing.