Author: Walker, Vincent

What do you recommend to get ready for a first semester on-campus at UConn?

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A-Adjust. College is all about change, change, change. You should begin thinking about how your living situation is going to change, how your academic schedule will change, and likely how your friend group will change too. Adjusting and being flexible and open to change is an important part of preparing for and surviving college.

B-Balance. Work, school, and a social life are just a few facets of college life you will need to balance. Begin prioritizing your academics by laying out your schedule with a planner or semester at a glance calendar. Remember you will need to balance work and play but will have time for both! You should also think about if you will be spending time at home, having visitors, etc and make sure such visits don’t interfere with your class schedule. Finding balance at college is essential to maintaining good grades and a healthy social life.

C-Communicate. This one is relevant in many ways. Before leaving for college, talk to friends and family who have been before and ask them questions! Also, if you have been assigned a roommate it might be worthwhile to communicate with them over the summer to plan your living arrangements. Finally, remember to communicate with yourself and be honest about what you need. There is a huge support network at UConn full of professionals who are willing to help you with whatever struggles you may have!

~ Matthew Brush

What do you recommend to get ready for a first semester on-campus at UConn?

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Over the summer, make sure to read up on college Residence Hall checklists and go shopping for anything you might need. Don’t forget some decorations to make your dorm seem a bit more homey, it makes a difference. Also, if you have a random roommate, you may want to contact them and introduce yourself. Perhaps even figure out what each of you is bringing for the room. Lastly, get excited for an awesome year!

~Kellyann Rini

What did you do to meet friends at UConn your first year at the Storrs Campus?

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When I first came to UConn, I had no friends because all of my friends from high school stayed in New York for college. My first friends here were my two roommates. They already knew people here since they both lived in Connecticut. Everyone was introduced to one another, and we all went to the block party during the UConn Week of Welcome together. I also went to my first UConn soccer game with them! It was a fun and exciting experience. As the semester went on, however, the group separated itself since classes had started and everyone lived far apart. I soon became great friends with the people in my English course. It was a small class of around twenty students, so everyone was able to get to know one another. Almost all of us lived in the same dorm building as well, so it was easy to keep in touch. Living in a Learning Community has given me the opportunity to become friends with some of the greatest people at UConn.

~ Vincci Ho

What did you do to meet friends at UConn your first year at the Storrs Campus?

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In order to meet friends my first year on campus I got involved! As a campus change student from a very small branch campus, coming to Storrs was a culture shock. I did not know anyone and being in a small major, I hardly ran into people with similar interests as my own. So, I talked to people-everywhere! I joined clubs, went to the gym, moved to a different seat in class. Any chance I had I was talking to someone and it really helped me meet some of my closest friends. I saw every day as an opportunity to befriend someone new!

Sarah Ollayos

How would you handle a roommate disagreement?

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As a resident, I would have talked with my roommate about the problem to try and find a solution that works for both of us.

As an RA I help my residents with their roommate conflicts by listening to and talking with both of them to try and come up with a resolution. We also refer to the husky mate agreement and we may make edits to it if necessary.

I may have a scheduled mediation session with both roommates in my room, or I may just give advice to one person about how they can deal with their specific situations they present to me if they don’t think their disagreement has come to the point where they want a mediation

~ Joseph Dinan

How would you handle a roommate disagreement?

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Having been a resident and now currently being an RA, I have seen my fair share of roommate disagreements. Because I got along very well with my first-year roommate, I never experienced a roommate conflict myself. But, as an RA I have had to mediate many of them. Many roommate conflicts arise as a result of miscommunication. When I approach these situations as an RA, I am sure to bring the Husky Mate agreement into the conversation to bring structure to the solution. Many times it just takes a face-to-face honest conversation to get through the disagreements and frustrations, but I am always sure that the changes or updates to the Husky Mate agreement are in place just in case another conflict was to arise. The most important aspect of living with a roommate is understanding that nothing will be perfect and that compromise is vital to a healthy living environment.

~ Codi Bierce

How would you handle a roommate disagreement?

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If my roommate and I were disagreeing about something, I would make sure that I talked to her about the issue face to face right away. I think that it is very important to address the problem before it has the opportunity to escalate. It is also helpful to refrain from being accusatory when talking to your roommate because if you go into the conversation blaming them for a lot of things, they will likely just respond with defensiveness or their own accusations (no progress will be made).
I would calmly and politely explain my feelings and then allow my roommate to do the same while remaining open minded and willing to compromise. Ultimately, if the disagreement was serious enough and we were unable to solve it or agree on a compromise, I would then go talk to my RA about the issue.
The best first step is to try to work the issue out yourselves but if you cannot, there are always resources available to help you.

~ Maggie Luongo

What do you think the biggest advantages to living on-campus are?

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There are many advantages to living on campus in college. Some of these advantages include the diverse social life, the independence, the easy access to campus, and the convenience and simplicity.
One of the biggest advantages of living on campus, especially in the first years of college, is meeting new people. Living in a building filled with other people your own age, sharing your interests, and going through the same experiences as you allows for you to be able to learn more about yourself and to make strong bonds and connections. These friendships can be some of the most important relationships of your life, and creating these friendships with people experiencing the same things as you allows for you to feel more comfortable and to feel more yourself.
Another big advantage of living on campus is learning how to be independent. Simple things, such as going laundry, planning schedules, making appointments, are often done by parents, and when coming in to a new environment, it’s important and very beneficial to learn how to manage this new independence properly.
Living on campus can allow for a much greater level of easy access to campus. If you live on-campus, you can easily walk to classes, libraries, computer labs and dining halls. You don’t have to waste time and money on driving to school, finding a parking space, and so forth.
Living on campus allows for a greater level of convenience and simplicity, having close by dining halls, laundry in the resident halls, convenient study lounges, and provided Internet access can be extremely beneficial, and can really help to make the stressful college life much less stressful. Having such conveniences can make the transition from living at home to college life much more simple.

~ Linde Thatcher

What do you think the biggest advantages to living on-campus are?

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There are many advantages to living on-campus. For one, there is no need to worry about commuting in poor weather, getting stuck in traffic, or finding a good parking spot. Everything is within reasonable walking distance, or otherwise accessible by bus.

Personally, I love being so close to everything. It is convenient to hang out with friends, meet up with classmates, and is a good way to meet new people. Since campus offers so many resources (e.g., gym, arcade, library, food, technology, events, etc.), there is always something to do. I’ve really enjoyed my time living on-campus, as it has allowed me to more fully immerse myself in UConn’s culture, atmosphere, and all it has to offer.

~ Stephanie Lin