These are some of the things that I came across during my first year at UAH. Current UAH students, let me know about any other tips that you have learned over the years. Upcoming freshmen, let me know if you have any questions.

1. If you are living on campus, you will be walking a lot. If you are living off campus, you still will be walking a lot. Even on such a small campus, you will be walking a lot. May as well get in shape now so the Alabama heat doesn’t kill you in the fall.
2. Don’t call it the cafe, cafeteria, or any other horrible name. Everyone who’s someone knows it’s called “The Caf” (On that note, the actual cafeteria is called Chick-fil-a. Yes, there’s also burrito bowl, papa johns, and the c-store, but Chick-fil-a is king.)
3. You are paying a lot for your meal plan. Do not let your meal swipes go to waste. On the way to your 8ams or 9:40s you can run in, grab a muffin, and enjoy the morning quietness of the caf.
4. Also, unless you are completely helpless and absolutely hate Chick-fil-a, do not for the love of all things good in the world, get 21 meals per week. 14 is plenty and even that is sometimes too much.
5. You can change your meal plan during the first two weeks. If you aren’t using all of your meal swipes, drop down to 10 and get some more Charger Bucks.
6. The Caf has a menu online, but don’t get too excited when it says there will be chicken sandwiches (you know the frozen lovelies that taste like heaven?). This menu isn’t always 100% up to date, so don’t change your schedule around this. (That being said, chicken sandwich days tend to fall on Fridays and some Tuesdays, but that isn’t a set schedule)
7. DO NOT schedule class on Wednesdays during or near lunch. Wednesdays are for fried chicken and mac n cheese. Lines will be long; get there early and be hype.
8. Don’t save your charger bucks unless you want $300 worth of drinks and candy at the end of the semester. It’s not a bad idea to budget out an amount for each week. This is a good skill to learn now when it isn’t as big of a deal.
9. If you suck at budgeting and never spend money, you may end up with a lot of leftover $ at the end of the semester. Go buy some drinks, give the employees working there some drinks, stock up on stocking stuffers for younger siblings, and make the most out of your money.
10. Yes the c-store is crazy overpriced, but you also have a surplus of money that will disappear at the end of the semester. It’s okay to spend $5 on a loaf of bread if you’ll use it.
11. There are so many wonderful places to study on campus. There are some hidden benches next to CTC, private study rooms you can reserve in the library and CU, the outdoor balcony in the CU, and so many other nifty spots in each building.
12. That being said, your dorm is also a wonderful place to study. Your chargers are all plugged in, the wifi is working, snacks are nearby, and you can’t forget that one book you need to write your lit essay.
13. Bevill will change your life. After months of going to the caf, you’ll want something new. Bevill feels like a “real” restaurant. Make sure to get there early or you could wait up to an hour if you go on a popular night. They also have some killer milkshakes (this isn’t always regular, so make sure to ask ahead of time).
14. If you’re getting the burger at Bevill, ask for no “bacon jam”. Also, their ceasar salads are to die for (it could be my obsession with ceasar salads, but they are pretty good according to other sources as well). Bevill isn’t open as a dining hall anymore.
15. If you have an opportunity to live in Franz, I 10/10 recommend. Franz has such a wholesome (yet nerdy) community that is great for the first year experience. Being in the honors college helps you get to know people you’ll be in classes with the next few years. You all have similar backgrounds and goals. Franz dorms are also much nicer than CC, but I may be a bit biased (also, priority scheduling is the main reason most of us stick with it).
16. Walking from franz to tech hall is torture. Make the most out of this by not having an immediate class right after any tech hall classes (unless maybe in MSB or the engineering building). Take the path that leads to bevill and then go under the bridge (holmes ave.) all the way down until you cross the street.
17. You can “rent” a bike for free. There are 50 bikes available called charger cycles. Checking one out for the semester is super easy. Fill out the google form, go to the UFC and pick up your key when school starts, find your bike outside the CU, and have an easy way to get across campus.
18. You have unlimited access to the UFC. Y’all when you’re an actual adult, you have to pay for stuff like this. Take advantage of this opportunity. Sign up for some free classes and learn some new skills. Tired of the tiny dorm showers? Just shower at the UFC after working out. Double bonus, am I right?
19. Get involved. This seems like a no brainer, but you would be amazed at the amount of people that don’t put themselves out there. Go to the club fairs during WOW and find some things you’re interested in. Pick up some new hobbies and do things other than just class and homework.
20. That being said, go to WOW. Get all the free food, drag along your roommates, meet new people, get free merch, get 20 new t-shirts, the perks go on.
21. T-shirts. So yeah, I was like you, scouring blogs and YouTube videos and all that jazz. I heard all about the t-shirt thing, but I never really believed it. DO NOT bring every single t-shirt you own. You will get t-shirts everywhere you go during the first week or so. This happens every semester. People will throw shirts at you. There will be lines outside of events for t-shirts. I’m not sure what it is about college kids and free t-shirts, but don’t worry because you will have plenty. You will be one of those kids getting to events 30 minutes early just for the shirt. That’s just how it works.
22. Also, don’t buy any UAH t-shirts. You’ll have enough in a couple of weeks for you, your parents, your siblings, your grandparents, all of your cousins, and your neighbors next door.
23. Go to ACE events. They’re free, they’re designed for students, they’re tons of fun, and you’ll probably get another shirt.
24. You will have a class in MSB 100 (probs chem, physics, eng101, or some other gen ed.). It’s easy to zone out when in a class this huge, but do your best to stay involved. Get there early to get a seat. Sit near the front to interact more, but know that sitting in the back has a more consistent availability.
25. Noletto (Chemistry, not English) is a pretty cool guy. He runs all of the Chem labs. Feel free to pop in his office and say hi.
26. Dr. Johnson is the calculus queen. You may think you understand calculus, but you don’t (and that’s okay). Her class is challenging, but doable. Don’t slack off, pay attention, and you’ll be fine.
27. If you took AP calc and used calculators the whole year, you may want to retake Cal A. This was a personal preference for me for a couple reasons. First off, it’s mostly a review, so it’ll be a good easy start amongst the chaos of freshmen year. Secondly, no matter where you go, it’s a good idea to learn how their math department works. For instance, UAH doesn’t allow calculators until upper level classes.
28. You can be a Mac person and a CS major. There aren’t too many of us, but there are enough. Mac > PC (facts, not opinions)
29. Let’s just say that you hypothetically forget you have physics homework and it’s now test day. You can “miss” the question 5 times (no penalty) and it’ll give you the answer. Not that you should do this all the time if you want to learn things, but just a handy thing to keep as a backup plan. The homework software has been updated, so this is no longer an option.
30. Setup your zoom preferences now instead of right before joining. Make sure you have zoom downloaded, choose the setting that turns your camera off when joining a meeting (to avoid that accidental joining), test your mic and headphones, and get to know the interface.
31. Also, get to know Canvas, Panapto, My Math Lab, MATLAB, Python, and all the other things you’ll use (no one expects you to know how to use all of these things, but it doesn’t hurt to get ahead of the game).
32. If possible, talk to your roommates beforehand to coordinate kitchen stuff and common spaces. Luckily for me, most of our stuff balanced out without much coordination, but it doesn’t hurt to plan a bit.
33. “Wait to cross Holmes Avenue” will most likely become an inside joke. If you know, you know.
34. No, we do not know what the statue outside the library is. Iron man’s heart? A meteorite? Some cryptic love story? Modern art?
35. Do not walk in the bike lane. I don’t care if you have 5 friends and you all need to walk side by side. Do not, under any circumstance walk in the bike lane. If you do, we will all judge you and the cyclists will attempt to weave between you and end up killing you (I joke. Kind of.).
36. Back to the group of 5 friends. That’s lovely that you all are having a jolly good time, but I’m late to my 1pm class on the other side of campus, so if you could kindly not take up the whole side walk and force me to walk into the bike lane, that would be wonderful.
37. Get some sort of wallet/wristlet/lanyard for your Charger ID. You need this literally everywhere. Don’t be like me and drop $15 (or was it $20?) on a last minute purchase from the bookstore.
38. Don’t forget that Tech Hall has a “store”. The sandwiches there are pretty good and I’ve heard the sushi is gucci too. This is no longer open due to Covid. It may open again, not sure .
39. Milkshakes don’t exist on campus except for three two places. First spot (mentioned earlier) is Bevill, but this is never consistent. Second spot is the back of the c-store. They have a milkshake/smoothie machine that is absolutely wonderful. The last other place is the good old caf. They don’t exactly have milkshakes, but they have all the components. Take some soft serve (or if you’ve got some upper body strength, the regular ice cream) and layer some Oreos (or whatever toppings look great), top with some milk from the cereal area, and stir.
40. Don’t be stubborn, get an umbrella. As said at the beginning, you’ll be walking everywhere. Getting to class soaking wet is in no way fun.
41. Campus on the weekend is a different environment. Parking is easy, the CU is beautifully empty, the Caf is quiet, and life is great. That being said, go explore campus, take the trolley into town, go to some hockey games (Yes we’ll lose, but it’s all about the experience. You can always cheer on the refs?).
42. Ramen is so old school. Microwavable mac n cheese is in. So is strawberry applesauce. Sounds weird? Just trust me.
43. Music is life. Portable speakers make life livable. Invest in one of these (@parents, great gift idea here!)
44. Bunking your bed is full of pros and cons. First off we got the basic level. Basic is little to no under bed storage. This level is for noobs. Second, we have the normal level. This level lets your shelf and drawers fit underneath for optimal storage to bed ratio. Third, we have expert level (the level I chose of course). This level is a lofted bed. It gives you plenty of floor space, a pretty lit desk space, and a good napping location on your $15 Target rug. I would not recommend this level (even if you are experienced at the lofting lifestyle). This level requires dedication and energy to climb the exhausting ladder each night. You may end up sleeping on your Target rug an unhealthy amount of time. This level also requires some engineering (but we’re an engineering school, so it’s fine right?). Choose your level wisely.
45. Before leaving your mansion of a house in California, learn the basic human skills required to heat up basic foods. Microwaves are simple, but there will be no mother reminding you to add water to your mac n cheese or not to burn your tater tots. I will not be happy if you wake me up before my 8am because you are an uneducated human child. Yes, this is an educational institution, but we expect the general model to come with some basic skills.
46. Yes, the doors lock. You can change the automatic lock (at least in franz) so it doesn’t lock every time you close the door. Do this immediately. You really don’t want to take a shower and have all your clothes locked in your room (this one actually wasn’t me).
47. Going along with the last point, hangers are a great back up plan that don’t involve walking downstairs in a towel and using up your free unlock. I’d recommend keeping a metal hanger under your sink or having a rope on your door handle you can use. (Of course security-wise not the best idea, but whatevs).
48. I personally failed at this, but people tell me that office hours are how you succeed. This is something everyone should do, you’ll thank me later when you need those rec letters or want the inside scoop on job openings. Profs love seeing you and getting to know you out of the classroom. Go in there to rant about your day, maybe talk about academic stuff, but probably more cute stories about their kids and grandkids. This will also keep you accountable with going to class and make the classroom more enjoyable.
49. Get your group of peoples, but don’t be afraid to merge out of this and meet new people. No matter what, keep your OG group as your core for cram (I mean study) sessions, midnight rants, and all the games and convos.
50. Have fun and remember you’re here to learn. Your EXPENSIVE education comes first (even with a full ride, it is a lot of time and sacrifice from not only you but your family as well).
51. That being said, don’t stop filling out scholarship applications. There are still plenty of opportunities to get more money to help afford this amazing opportunity
52. Don’t plagiarize. Be you, be honest, do your freaking work.
53. Procrastination works. It works so well. It also makes you absolutely hate your life. Work smarter not harder. Do stuff early. Yeah, you can procrastinate, but you shouldn’t. Just don’t do it. Be better than me.
54. Get a planner. Copy your syllabus into it. If you hate paper, use your g-cal. Guys your little phone you have with you everywhere has one built in. Make alerts and reminders. Do not give yourself an excuse to turn stuff in late. Every grade counts.
55. Your “you time” matters just as much as your school work. Eating is mandatory, sleeping is a bit less mandatory (strongly encouraged for optimal performance though), going outside is necessary. Us honor kids can be hard core, but we have to remind ourselves a good mental health helps us retain all of this wonderful information we’re learning
56. Y’all heard about the big fish small pond? Yeah UAH is small, but you still are going to be surrounded by a lot of freaking smart people. ACT scores, who cares. High school sports star, who cares (we’re a nerd school though so that one is a double don’t care). Valedictorian, once again, no one cares.
57. I don’t think this needs to be said, yet for some reason here I am saying it. Showering, deodorant, brushing your teeth, and doing your laundry are all regular things that need to happen on a hygienic basis. That is all I will say.
58. Respect is a simple idea that you should be able to comprehend. It truly is not complicated. Be open, listen to those with different backgrounds from you, and be a humane human being. You are not going to be surrounded by the same people from the same little town. You are learning how to live in a diverse world full of unique and beautiful ideas.
59. Yes, COVID absolutely sucks, and a lot of these things may not be totally applicable next year, but do not let this limit you from exploring the wonderful places on and off campus. Huntsville is full of cool things to do.
60. UAH is a nerd school. Get ready for some conversations about favorite childhood books, space toilets, mathematical formulas, and much much more.
61. Fall Semester is Halloween season. This means spooky movies and midnight walks with friends on weekends.
62. Don’t overdo it with your decor. You can be cutesy and cheapsy at the same time. Post it notes, for instance, are wonderful.
63. Get involved with your floor. Get to know your RA’s. Get to know your RD and DAs.
64. Over packing is overrated. If you find you really need something, you can last until fall (well this year thanksgiving) break before getting it.
65. To my ladies, you do you, but you really don’t need every single pair of shoes you own. You will actually wear your comfy shoes, your rain shoes, and maybe a dress pair for special occasions (if you’re rushing, disregard).
66. True love only exists in Disney. Relationships take work. Don’t be jumping into something just for the sake of status or whatevs. Also, keep in mind you have a really really long time ahead of you. Your happiness doesn’t depend on the status of another person.
67. In lieu of this, keep in mind a lot of people have extremely different ideas on how college relationships should work. Make sure you are on the same page before putting yourself in any relationshipy situations.
68. HON 101 is just a class you have to take. It’s not hard, it’s just there. The 7 weeks will fly by. Take advantage of the class by getting to know some other honors kids.
69. Be smart when making your schedule. Every class has 20 minutes in between, but that doesn’t mean you want a class in Morton and then MSB.
70. Use your time in between classes to get work done, apply for scholarships, grab a quick snack, and be productive.

Also check out: TODO: Summer Before Freshman Year