"Excuse me, where is the SLC?"

For my first post I'll be addressing something that most freshmen (primarily girls) struggle with during the first week of classes: trying not to look like freshmen. Let me paint you a picture. It is the first day of class in August and as you walk through campus you begin hearing snickers of laughter followed by a muttered “freshman.” You panic. “How did they know?!” Just ask yourself the following questions:

Am I lost in the labyrinth of the Journalism building?

Do yourself a favor and download the University of Georgia Undergraduate Admissions app on your iPhone right now. It has a campus tour and map feature so you can find your next class while pretending to text something of dire importance. If you are like freshman me with my Lg EnV and don’t have a fancy smart phone then grab a friend the day before classes start and go explore campus and find all of your classes. Then on the first day of class you can walk by the other freshmen with their maps and laugh as if you have never been unfamiliar with your surroundings before.

Am I wearing real clothes?

If you look like you put any effort into your outfit you are probably a freshman. Invest in some snazzy workout clothes that will never see the inside of Ramsey and don’t wear high heeled shoes. Not only will it give you away, but the UGA campus is treacherously hilly, so unless you have calves carved from pure gold save the strappy wedges for your downtown escapades. Also, get excited about all of the new t-shirts you/your parents will be buying (especially you, sorority girls). It’s only socially acceptable to wear t-shirts as much as college students do for four years, so enjoy it while you can. At the end of those four years you will probably have enough t-shirts to make a quilt or two, so you have that to look forward to.

Are you being a bag lady?

Don’t carry a purse AND a backpack. It’s unnecessary and when you smack six people in the face trying to get to a seat in the middle of a row in your Intro to Sociology class they will know you are a freshman and will probably immediately dislike you. Consolidate your crap into one bag. If you have friends that refuse then kindly bully them until they surrender one of their many bags. They will thank you eventually.

Am I on the Family Housing bus?

I haven’t taken a bus since freshman year for good reason. I get lost easily and the buses are confusing. The only real advice I have is don’t get on Family Housing and plant your feet firmly when the bus is in motion. If you are determined to avoid any and all physical exertion by catching a ride to all your classes then check is the UGA Bus Routes and Schedule Website . Prepare to be shoved between a few sweaty randos.

Am I acting my age?

Don’t get too caught up in trying not to look like a freshman. The majority of people at UGA aren’t total jerks, so don’t be afraid to ask for directions, or where a bus goes, or what the difference between the SLC and the MLC is (answer: nothing). Embrace being a freshman because you probably aren’t fooling anyone anyway!