9 Knight Essentials

I learn by living. I remember coming to orientation at Arcadia with a t-shirt and shorts.

I. was. freezing.

Then it hit me: This was supposedly summer. And it was only going to get colder! I might as well have been wearing an “I am from Florida” sticky on my forehead. During my first few days on campus, I learned to check the weather before dressing, because in Florida there are only two types of weather: hot or super hot.

Now that I’ve been at Arcadia University for a few months, I feel like I’m highly qualified to make you aware of the essentials of living here — beyond just sweaters.  (Joking. We should probably should incorporate some sort of disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to give college advice— yet.) But I can at least get you started on your way to Arcadia. Don’t worry, you will have plenty more experiences to add to your collection.

By no means am I stating that if you miss an item on this list, your years at Arcadia will be unbearable. These are simply things I picked up on:

Little heads-up: When first arriving to fall orientation here at Arcadia, be sure that your hair, makeup, and outfit are to your liking because you will be taking your ID photo, which will follow you for the next four years. I suppose if you gave a strong enough reason why you must take a new picture, they will approve; but make sure you hairspray those flyaway hairs and re-powder that nose anyway.

All that being said, you will need a lanyard to ensure you don’t lose your ID badge or key. Arcadia will supply you with a little red string lanyard, but you want yours to stand out from others.

As a Floridian, I appreciate the sun time when I can get it here. I still haven’t gotten ahold of a blanket myself because, once college starts, trips to Target are all about getting food. You forget about your desire to lay out and get some vitamin D.

I cannot stress this enough! Places like The Pizza Box and Dunkin Donuts offer special discounts to fellow Knights. You don’t want to miss out on them just because you decided to leave you ID in your room.

I can recall the nights leading up to moving in: I was so excited about lofting my bed, and I already had a mental setup of my room in mind. That changed when I found out I could only raise it to an awkward position, which made it an inconvenience as opposed to it being helpful.

My problem: I only wanted my bed to be slightly lifted. Simple solution: bed risers. At first I was skeptical, but listen when I say: It made a huge difference in allowing me to achieve my ideal room setup.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Around campus, there are a number of water fillers that provide clean drinking water. Purchase a nice, durable water bottle to keep hydrated and allow your brain to work to the best of its ability.

I know you’re probably thinking you’re going to dress cute all seven days of the week here. I was one of those people, too. Now, I am not preaching to wear sweatpants (if you want to, then more power to you), but make sure your ratio of comfy clothes to just-stepped-out-of-a-magazine clothes are appropriate. You’ll thank your decision to do so, trust me.

I could’ve sworn when I accepted to attend Arcadia that the letter said, “Do you wish to attend Arcadia and receive a full-length mirror in your dorm?”

Just kidding. That was lame, forget I said that. Anyway, do yourself a favor and buy a full-length mirror. You are given two square mirrors, but if you want to see your entire outfit or are short like me, then you’ll need to plan ahead.

You may want to avoid buying this, but you cannot avoid it. There is no way you are going to remember everything that is going on in a month, so help yourself out and buy a monthly calendar. There are whiteboard styles or paper ones that you can write on and look back to later. Go crazy and buy colored pens to assign subjects a specific color.

Now this, my fellow Knights, probably sounds silly, but is so, so, so essential. In the dining hall, there are plates and bowls. The catch is: The bowls are only big enough to fit three spoonfuls of soup. Also, I prefer to eat salads in a bowl versus a plate. Weird, I know, but remember this is your new home away from home, which means small things we take for granted become necessities.