Give it the old college try. That try might be dependent on what school one has attended, but it’s still sound advice – especially for those attending their first year of college. Freshmen receive more advice than they can shake a vending-machine Hot Pocket at, more warnings than a university liability waiver, and oftentimes enough meal card money to feed a third-world nation or Wisconsin. Well, your Mountain Times staff has some more advice for those giving it the new college try. For many members of this year’s incoming freshman class, college is still a concept. Once settled in their dorms, that concept will grow into reality, making way for a new concept most freshmen will gladly embrace – freedom. But as our president, some pop country singer or bumper sticker probably said, “Freedom ain’t free.” Here’s how to get your money’s worth.


Frank Ruggiero: Just as Soon Be in Boone

 

Yosef frequents local businesses, but only if they’re flannel-friendly.

Simply put, Appalachian State University’s campus kicks something that conveniently rhymes with crass. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking (as are some of the hills), the facilities are (for the most part) second to none, and the folks who work there are some of the nicest people this side of the continental divide. Room, board, transportation, dining, entertainment – it’s really all there, comfortably confined within the generous and growing boundaries of a state institution with its own zip code. You know, at one point, ASU even had its own bowling alley.

And now a lesson in the insultingly obvious: while you’re living at Appalachian, you’re living in Boone. Though their relationship has always been described more as “tumultuous” than “touchy-feely,” the town and gown are symbiotic in nature – both rely on each other for survival. That being said, freshmen should explore both environments for that true college experience. Sample the local flavor, listen to some live music, talk to a street-dweller.

The campus coffee shop might make a mean cup of joe, but why not try a shot of Espresso News or climb the beansTalk downtown? Pizza you can buy with a meal card is truly convenient, but Capone’s Pizza on King Street shoots it down and spits on the remains. As for music, Legends might get some decent acts (despite management’s lights-always-on and treat-smokers-like-cattle policies), but try some downtown music venues, like Black Cat Burrito or Murphy’s, where smoking seems to be encouraged. Even though ASU typically has a better movie selection than the multiplex, try out the Dragonfly Theater & Pub, a local brew and view that recently opened near the Boone Bowling Center to offer a refreshing alternative to stale cinema fare.

The list could go on, but it won’t. Part of the fun is learning it all on your own, a process four to five and a half or maybe six if you count summer courses years in the making.

Cara Kelly: A bit jealous, but wiser

Cara Kelly spent the first days of her college career here, until residence directors kindly pointed her toward the correct dormitory.

As I racked my brain for truly inspiring advice to pass down to the freshman class that will be starting their first year of college in mere days, I found it difficult to put it into one concise paragraph. I can hardly stand the fact that four years ago I was unpacking my newly purchased dorm furnishings into East Residence Hall. I have to admit, I am utterly jealous.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to live these few precious years to the fullest. Although it is a tad contrite, it seems to cover every aspect of college life.

Be open to meeting everyone and anyone, you will encounter so many different thought patterns and views of the world.

Finish all of your schoolwork between Monday and Thursday, and use the three-day weekend to do what makes you happy, whether that is going to a party with your friends, hiking at Grandfather or playing guitar on Sanford Mall. You won’t remember the supporting details of the sociology paper you stay in to write on a Thursday night, but you won’t forget when your friends tell you the ridiculous story you missed about the best show-down of beer pong champs in the history of the game.

Always participate. Every club and organization on campus can teach you something about an area of interest, and the leadership skills you gain will prove invaluable.

Go to class, save your absences for the winter when it is snowing and negative ten with wind chill. Don’t fail freshman seminar because you can’t get out of bed, it is the easiest A you’ll ever earn.

Lastly, don’t walk in town with an open container, don’t try to use a fake I.D. at Macado’s and don’t drive drunk, you will likely get a DUI.

Otherwise, enjoy the most carefree and exciting year of your life.

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Jason Reagan: Be More

I’m not sure how serious my colleagues are going to treat this subject but bear with me, as I get more somber. Cue the “A Very Special Family Ties” music.

In a movie where he’s not playing a nightmarish robot, Robin Williams encourages students to seize the day.

My advice for all incoming freshmen is simple but leads to complex questions.

Two words: “Be More.”

You will likely never have another stage of life in which you can freely explore both yourself and the outer world. Make the most of it. Don’t simply stick to the Path of Easiest Future Employment. Try new things (a caveat: thing that will not harm you nor others).

Here is my list of things I should have tried while in college rather than sticking to degree requirements and playing Super Volleyball on my brand new Nintendo (not Super).

1. The Skies Less Traveled: Look, there are organizations out there that will practically stick a check and airline tickets in your hot little hands to entice you to study abroad. Most American lack a global perspective and living with people who eat, dress and think differently from you, thousands of mile from home, can offer more solid teaching than some degree programs. And don’t just consider a Western Hemisphere locale — visit a place so foreign you can’t even pronounce the nation’s name (is it BHU-tan or Bhu-TAN?).

2. Learn a new skill: As I struggle to find time to learn to play the guitar these days, I should smack myself for not realizing I could have learned to pick and count it as class credit. Take a class that involves not only learning something new but doing something — pottery, golf, backpacking, solar-panel installation, the list is only bound by your preconceptions.

3. Expand your View: I regret I never took comparative religion and philosophy classes. At this point in your life, you may have never taken the time to analyze why you think or believe the concepts you do. I personally believe that, if more people made an attempt to at least study the point of view of a different religion or philosophy, we would have a more peaceful world. Our worldview should be forged in a strong, intellectual and philosophical fire; not handed down like an old sweater. Don’t fear the unknown. If your belief system is strong, it will survive the scrutiny of academic rigor. If not, why would you keep it?

I know it’s a cliché but remember the words of the character played by Robin Williams in “Dead Poet’s Society,” — “Carpe Diem, Seize the Day.”

That about sums it up: Be More.

Jeff Eason: Choose classes and friends wisely

When Jeff was in college, he briefly joined a radical group called the Gravity Conservation Corps. All the members wore berets.

Welcome to Boone, little ASU freshman! As a citizen of this area I would advise you to observe the speed limits, keep the volume of your car stereo turned down to a dull roar, and to never ever litter (not that you would, I’m just saying…).

As a former college student I would advise you to have fun, study hard and not to take it too personally when your high school sweetheart eventually dumps you. That particular phone call is a rite of passage; accept it as a gateway to new relationships and move on.

I would also advise you to take at least one class that is completely out of your wheelhouse. By that I mean an elective that has nothing whatsoever to do with your major. For me it was an advanced music appreciation class that was as intense as it was interesting. Twenty-five years later I can still tell you the difference between chordal music and contrapunctal music (and if you hear me start that conversation, run away!).

Also, there will be lots of peer pressure on you young kids to join some sort of group, so think long and hard about the kinds of people you want to hang out with for the next four-to-six years. When I was in school I joined the campus radio station where I got to spin new discs by the B-52s, Human League and Wall of Voodoo, plus meet plenty of people who shared my interest in new music. Some of these folks are still my good friends a quarter century later. In that regard, the college experience never ends.