Happy 7th Week, Lawrence–I hope everyone had a Reading Period as relaxing and rejuvenating as mine! We’re quickly approaching the end of the year, which means we’re just a few months away from meeting the class of 2019! May 1st has come and gone, which means we’re expecting a whole new wave of intelligent, creative, and vibrant Lawrentians. Class of 2019, we can’t wait to see you on campus.
So you want to be a Lawrentian? Congratulations–you’ve taken your first step by declaring Lawrence as the college of your choice. But wait, there’s more! Take a moment to bask in all of your decisive glory: we’re all very proud of you for figuring out where you’re going to end up this fall, and I personally am PSYCHED that you picked Lawrence! Now, let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns, and more importantly, the paperwork).
About a year ago I was standing in your bunny slippers, feeling like I had conquered all: the Common App, FAFSA, and PROFILE were all behind me! I had even–and this is big–made my $400 deposit. I really thought I was something. Then I realized there was still housing, registration, health forms, athlete info, tuition payments…wow, I suddenly felt behind.
Luckily, the Admissions team has compiled a nice little timeline for new students, and I’m here to provide my perspective on a few of the things you’ll need to get done before you arrive on campus in September. I’m also an athlete, so incoming freshman who will be here for the fall sports preseason, I’ve got your back. This is by no means a complete list, so be sure to check out the new student page, but this should help ease some of the most confusing parts of the process.
SOME ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD:
Housing
Alright, you’ve all got ants in your pants about where you’ll be living and who you’ll be living with. It’s very simple! Fill out the Housing Selection form (in the Important Forms & Paperwork section of your voyager account). Then, hurry up and wait! I know, it’s a bummer. But Campus Life works very hard to pair roommates that they find compatible, and then place them in a residence that balances both of their choices. Here’s some tips I have on the Housing Selection Form:
1. BE HONEST
The form is designed like a survey, which is then used to pair you with a roommate. The best thing you can do for yourself is to be completely straightforward, even if you think it makes you sound like a jerk. The questions will go something like this:
“What kind of atmosphere do you need in order to sleep well? a) I can sleep through a bomb, b) If my roommate likes to listen to heavy metal at a moderate volume, I can deal, c) I am okay with quiet noise, d) I need it to be silent enough for me to hear my own heart beat”.
If you are d), do not make yourself a c). Even if you think the selections you are making might make it impossible for you to be matched, be blunt. You will probably not get the exact environment you want, but you’ll get a lot closer if you are honest about your needs to begin with. Part of living with other people is making compromises, but don’t make yourself more uncomfortable than you need to.
It is also an option to “pick” a roommate. However, I would highly recommend talking through each of your responses on the survey before you decide to pair off as roommates. Just because you hit it off as friends on the Class of 2019 Facebook page does NOT mean that you will hit it off as roommates. You could have entirely different sleeping schedules, very different ideas about cleanliness, or worst of all–your friend might be a snorer. You will not understand this pain until you have slept less than 10 feet away from someone who sounds like a chainsaw in their sleep. Rule #1? Just don’t assume. Have an open conversation–avoid losing a friend to a roommate conflict!
2. KNOW YOUR OPTIONS
Check out the housing options for incoming freshmen. My fellow blogger, Clare, gave us a great rundown of the dorms a few weeks ago so take a look at that too. All of the residence halls have different advantages: Sage is close to Warch (FOOD), Plantz is great for Conservatory students, Colman has sinks and is close to the tennis courts, Kohler is substance free, Trever has a beautiful view of the Fox River and new bathrooms, Ormsby has “step-in” closets and a resident ghost…
Each hall is different, and some will appeal to you more than others. Do some research before you list your top three!
Colman Hall, Spring 2015. Check out more pictures of the dorms on the Campus Life page!Pre-Registration
*Bachelor of Arts students only, conservatory students do NOT pre-register. So if you are a future music major, go ahead and skip to the next section.
1. Set up your Voyager account if you haven’t already.
2. EXPLORE
Whether or not you have an idea of what you want to do, the Registrar’s page is a great place to start. Make sure you’re looking at classes in the appropriate terms, to avoid errors later. Read the little blurbs for different classes, and pay attention to pre-requisites. For language classes and chemistry, you may be able to take placement testing–you can explore that on their respective department pages, or email one of the professors with questions.
3. PLAN
The easy thing is that you will only register for your fall term classes. If that isn’t simple enough, Lawrence has already gone ahead and registered you for Freshman Studies, so you really only need to pre-register for two courses. What I like to do is make a little table in Microsoft Word, Excel or OneNote with different class layouts for each term. There is also a worksheet for this on Voyager, when you click “Register for Classes”. Lawrence is a bit funny about pre-registration. While your friends might be attending summer orientations and finalizing their schedules, the classes you pick in June are not final! You won’t actually meet with your faculty advisor until you arrive on campus for Welcome Week. When you arrive on campus in the fall, freshmen have a full week before class starts to meet with advisors and get schedules finalized–so if you’re struggling, don’t worry, do your best to guess what you want to take in the fall and you’ll be able to change it later.
4. PRE-REGISTER
Pay attention to the dates and times you are supposed to register–you can check this out on Voyager: Student Services>>Registration>>Register for Classes>>Check Registration Times & Status.
All that Other Paperwork
This is the least exciting part of getting ready for college–there’s always more paperwork. The best recommendation I can give you is to just get started. Find a time to sit down with your parents, legal guardians, witch coven, or wolf pack and just start plowing through the forms. **Especially if you’re a fall athlete, make sure you get started on this A.S.A.P. You’ll need to have this all done before you get to campus in August.
All I have to say about the paperwork is “GROSS”. But it has to be done, and the sooner you get everything filed, you can relax!
This has been an exceptionally long post, but hopefully an informative one. I remember how stressful this seemed to me, but rest assured I survived it–and so will you! We can’t wait to meet you, Class of 2019, so make sure you start making your way down the New Student Checklist!