10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Freshmen

1. It takes time to meet your people, sometimes even years. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find best friends right away. You will meet them in the most unexpected ways. Instead, focus on joining communities with people who have similar interests as you, and the rest will come naturally!

2. Spring quarter is the best quarter. Spring quarter is when the weather is nicest and beach days are in full motion. This is not the quarter to take your heaviest load of classes... save that for winter.

3. DO NOT GET AN EXPENSIVE BIKE. Just don't. It will get stolen. Instead, you can find plenty of used bikes in the Isla Vista bike shops and on sites such as Facebook Marketplace. And get a "U Lock"!

4. Use CLAS tutors. UCSB has a free tutoring service for pretty much every class. They exist to help us, use it!

5. Start looking for off campus housing EARLY. All the best Del Playa houses will be gone by November or December. Make sure to secure your group of friends and agree on what kind of house you all want around October. Apply to multiple houses incase another group beats you to it!

6. Rate my professor will be your best friend. Before registering for classes, check Rate My Professor to get the honest truth.

7. Wear sunscreen every day. Sunny IV days are often and amazing, but you don't want wrinkles by the time you're 25!

8. The library is not the only place to study! Although it might seem crazy that UCSB campus only has one library, there are plenty of other spots. My favorites are: the Student Resource Building, empty classrooms (yes you can use them!), the University Center, the outdoor tables next to the lagoon, and the lounges in the Social Sciences and Media Building.

9. Roger's Tacos is the perfect weeknight dinner. Roger's Tacos is a local taco stand that sets up in different student driveways all over IV. Follow their instagram @rogerstacos to see their location for the night and enjoy some $2 street tacos!

10. Party jacket and shoes. Everyone needs a cheap, designated jacket and pair of shoes. At parties, 99% of the time, you will end up throwing your jacket in the corner of a frat house and leaving with your white sneakers completely covered in beer and dirt. You don't want to worry about your nice clothes getting ruined.