Blair Thornburgh - Stuff Every College Student Should Know

Copyright 2014 by Quirk Productions, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2013911678

e-ISBN: 978-1-59474-711-3

Designed by Amanda Richmond

Production management by John J. McGurk

Quirk Books

215 Church Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

quirkbooks.com

Stuff Every Lawyer Should Know: The publisher and author hereby disclaim any liability from any injury that may result from the use, proper or improper, of the information contained in this book. We do not guarantee that this information is safe, complete, or wholly accurate, nor should it be considered a substitute for a readers good judgment and common sense. In other words: Study for all your exams. Ask before borrowing anything from your roommate. And never move into an apartment that has the chalk outline of a body drawn on the floor.

v3.1

To everyone on Team Burton-Judson

If youre not having fun, youre doing it wrong.

I do believe all such citizens
have two countries: one of their nature,
and one of their citizenship.

Cicero, De Legibus, Book II, Section V

We can do anything we want!

Were college students!

National Lampoons Animal House (1978)

Youre about to learn a lot. Not just from this bookthough, obviously, theres plenty of good stuff herebut from your whole college experience.

College is unlike any other time in your life. For many, college means independence, exploration, and finally living away from home; for others, college mainly means doing your own laundry for the first time. Either way, college is a time of change. Youre leaving the people and places youve known for the past 18 years and going to a totally new place you chose yourself (or that chose you, as it were). Being a college student is like having dual citizenship: you belong to the home and community you were born into and to a new community driven and defined by people with intellectual pursuits like yours.

Oh, and you can do anything you want. Youre a college student.

Youre going to meet new people, youre going to go to class, youre going to forget to go to class, youre going to oversleep and pull all-nighters and survive on nothing but pizza and Lucky Charms, and, yes, youre going to learn from all of these things. Youll read books that will change the way you see things, shake up your status quo, and totally blow your mind. This is probably not one of those books. But with any luck, this little guide will help you through the sticky spots and be no less valuable to your education.

For the next few semesters, your dorm room is your castle but cinder blocks and linoleum dont exactly scream homey. Heres how to make your new home cozier.

Beg and borrow. Ask family and friends if theyve got any old furniture, lighting, or decorations theyre dying to get rid of. When you get your room assignment, reach out to your new roommate so the two of you can discuss who can scrounge what (you only need one mini fridge). If you can stand to strip down your home bedroom, its easy enough to bring along some familiar stuff. But remember that your new space might not have room for that full-size loveseat or a ceiling that can handle your light-up disco ball.

Find free (or cheap) stuff. Beat the move-in-day rush and scope out sites like Craigslist or FreeCycle before you even get to town. Search the campus online classifieds early and often. The closer it gets to a time of major exodus (like the end of a semester), the likelier you are to find an everything-must-go buyers market of furniture and appliances.

Be ready to clean house. Dont count on your dorm room having been cleaned recently (or ever). Bring along essentials like a broom, a dustpan, sprayable surface cleaner, disinfecting wipes, and a few sponges (you can send the cleaning supplies home with your parents if it turns out your dorm keeps some on hand). A quick sweep and surface wipe-down on move-in day will (literally) brighten your space.

Hang some curtains. The standard-issue roll-down shade is depressing. Even the cheapest pair of drapes will make your dorm look more like a bedroom and less like a cellblock.

Throw down a rug. A colorful floor covering makes a room cozy and comfortable. Keep it low-pile (no shag!) unless you have access to a vacuum; thicker rugs will get grody.

Invest in mood lighting. Harsh overhead fluorescents are for supermarkets, not your home away from home. A good floor lamp, desk light, and even some strings of Christmas lights are warmer and easier on the eyes. Or replace the existing bulbs with natural light versions that shine the full spectrum of light waves, which keep study-related eyestrain at bay.

Get comfortable. Ample pillows and blankets are obviously a must, but a mattress pad or foam egg crate (or both) can transform a dorm bed from rock hard to super comfy.

Set up a message board. In the dark ages before the Internet, wall post meant a handwritten message stuck on a physical wall. And the concept still works! Hang a chalkboard or dry-erase board on your door for notes/doodles/hieroglyphics from visitors.

What to do when you want a hot meal but the dining halls closed and takeout is too much trouble (or too expensive)? Turn to dorm room cookery. Your microwave oven can do so much more than reanimate lackluster leftovers.

Scramble eggs by greasing a microwave-safe bowl and beating together two eggs with a fork. Nuke on high power for 1 minute and then continue cooking in 30-second intervals until eggs are done to your liking.

Steam vegetables with a microwave steamer, or steamable plastic bags (find them in the grocery store), or in a covered microwave-safe bowl with 23 tablespoons water.

Microwave popcorn (not the fake-butter kind that causes cancer in lab rats) is easy to make: Add around cup unpopped kernels to a plain brown-paper lunch bag, and fold down the end of the bag a few times to close. Microwave on high for 23 minutes, or until theres about 5 seconds between pops (after youve done it a few times, youll figure out the best timing for your microwave). Season to taste with salt, oil or butter, Parmesan, powdered garlic, or chili powder (or all of the above).

Make real easy mac and cheese: Combine cup pasta with cup water in a mug and microwave on high power for 2 minutes. Stir (be careful not to burn yourself!). Cook for 24 more 2-minute intervals, stirring after each, and then stir in cup milk and cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake a personal-sized chocolate-chip cookie: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a mug on 70 percent power. Add 3 drops vanilla extract, pinch salt, 1 tablespoon each brown and white sugar, 1 egg yolk, scant cup flour, and 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, stirring after each addition. Microwave on 70 percent power for 40 secondsif it isnt done, blast it with another 10-second interval or two.