Hello! And welcome back to Southern Oregon University! It’s another year and we’ve barely cracked the books, but we’ve already got your first survival list prepared.
Enjoy, live long, and prosper.
#1 Make Some New Friends
Social interactions are hard, I know. If it were up to me we would all just keep our imaginary friends and do cool stuff with them, but welcome to Obama’s America. The good news is there’s cool people everywhere at SOU. Have you ever talked to someone from the Outdoor Adventure Leadership department? Those guys are insane, but even the accounting people are cool, so go out and meet them.
#2 Get Some Sleep.
Coffee. I meant to type coffee. Coffee. You may have started the year with delusions of a normal sleep schedule, but let me be the first to tell you you’re living in a fantasy world, the one where you’re also “gonna get all your homework done” and “eat right.” All I’m saying is no one likes just six hours of sleep, but as college students it’s the reality we live in, so grab a cup and pay attention, and if you can sleep more than six hours at a stretch somehow—do it!
#3 Do Your Homework
Things are pretty easy right now, aren’t they? Went to the library last week, got all your homework done–you’re understanding things pretty well, huh? Well guess what? FANTASY WORLD AGAIN. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t woken up week 7, looked in the mirror, looked at their homework, and not considered dropping out of school. It’s the natural flow of the learning process. You will be in over your head at some point so not to be your mom or anything, but… do your homework. No, seriously–finish this article, share and tweet it, and then do your homework!
#4 Go Outside
Take a break from “Netflix and chilling” or doing weird things on Tinder and see what’s outside in the Rouge Valley. From Grizzly Peak to Mt. Ashland, there’s plenty of places to take Instagrams or selfies that’ll make all your social media friends super jealous of you.
#5 Check Out Downtown
Since you’re already outside now—might as well amble past the droves on the sidewalks to discover downtown Ashland. If you’re willing to pay $100 for a flannel, Ashland might be the best place on earth. There are tons of cool shops to look in and some pretty bomb food. Ashland has something for everyone. Oh! And try the Lithia water. I promise it doesn’t taste like burnt garbage.
# 6 H a v e F u n
Above all, Ashland is the perfect place for you to do you. If you want to light up a pound of that dank ku$h (not in dorms, on campus, or if you’re under twenty-one) or do Tai Chi in the park–whatever makes you happy–I’m sure there’s a group of likeminded people who want to do whatever weird thing you want to do in Ashland. So go find them!
#7 Remember: This is Your Shot
The next four or six years you spend at SOU will be the time of your life. This is the time when it gets to be about you–your learning, growth, and discovery. What you learn here and experience can never be taken away from you. So breathe deeply, exhale, smile and enjoy the living hell out of it because, as the famous Greek Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”