Always wear sunscreen
Written by Arielle Stevenson, Nov 28, 2011, 1 Comment
Looking back to the 18-year-old that left Largo High School to start college here in St. Petersburg in 2007, I have some advice for my younger self. Lessons, acquired only through experience.
Blow student loan money before the semester is over and then learn how to manage it better in the future. You won’t learn this lesson until a whole month of food consists solely of ramen noodles and Kraft Mac & Cheese.
Do not buy your books at the campus Barnes & Noble. If you read no other sentence in this newspaper but this one, remember it. They charge way more than anywhere else because of the bookstore advance everyone gets through the university. The university, bookstore and publishers are ripping you off. Buy them online for less than half the price, including shipping. On that note, support the Campus Grind and not Starbucks.
Try not to pay for parking. I survived four and a half years without a parking pass and went five days a week most semesters. There is free parking on Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue North. Legend has it, the Tavern and Campus Grind don’t tow. I spend money there every time I park, just in case.
Date and learn what you like in another human being. Don’t waste time on someone who brings down your GPA. If you do, let it be a lesson that motivates you to kick a– in school thereafter.
Take classes you aren’t advised to take. You have to be your own advocate in a university with too few employees and too many students. A few weeks before my freshman semester, I marched into the journalism department and demanded classes because I had already worked a bit in the field. I brought a demo reel and clips for proof. It worked and I got my classes. Make the university work for you. That’s how I discovered a passion for Southern history and English.
Respect yourself and others. Do not bad talk anyone—it is a small world and it will come back to bite you on the backside eventually.
Be respectful to your professors. There are certain teachers that just seem to speak your language—pillage their minds and reach out to them. Dr. Dardenne, Dr. McMullen, Dr. Arsenault, Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Hallock, Dr. Mormino, Dr. Silvia, Dr. Elliott and countless others. Professors are a wealth of information and generally care about your best interest and future.
Finally, I want to dedicate this column to my high school English teacher, Dr. Robert Eliason who passed away a few weeks ago. Eliason made me hungry to write and eager to push boundaries personally, academically and professionally, for which I am eternally grateful.
“Don’t think outside of the box, burn the box and stomp on its ashes.”-Robert Eliason.
These are wise words and written well (and I love the title) 🙂