The End of Shopping Period
Shopping period is over which means school has officially BEGUN. Orientation followed by a week of shopping lulled you into a false sense of security. But now that the first two weeks of Brown have flown by, you're starting to realize that going out every single Wednesday through Saturday night is not a sustainable lifestyle. Now you actually have homework? Sections? Labs? If your professor is particularly cruel you might even have midterms coming up (do they not understand what "mid-term" means???) You won't even be able to complain to your parents or friends because when you say, “Brown is so hard, I actually have so much work for all my classes” they'll just hear, “today we lay on the Main Green while finger-painting on each other's naked bodies.”But never fear! We feel your pain. Here are Blog’s top tips for surviving your first post-shopping period meltdown. Actually read the class syllabus. While checking Canvas every day is a good idea in general, some classes may not set assignments online, in which case you won't get a nifty little Canvas alert. But don't fear, all of the weekly readings and assignments should be on the class syllabus, which you can find either on Canvas or at cab.brown.edu (we know you lost the paper copy already). Unlike in high school, many professors won't remind you of due dates. It's your responsibility to look out for what you have to do! Go to the libraries. It is now socially acceptable to start going to the library. And trust me, you’re so much more likely to finish your work if you’re surrounded by a crowd of other silently working people rather than snacks and your bed.
Make Class Friends. Now that registration is over, it's time to start choosing your new "class friends." These special types of friends are super important because they will provide needed human contact while you're drudging through your workload. Class friends are awesome; you can do homework together, if you miss a class you can look at their notes, and they can poke you awake when you fall asleep. If you're a bit lost, don't worry. Making friends in class is easy. If you feel like your classes don’t really leave a lot of room for being friendly, this three-step method works for small classes and big lectures alike. Step 1: Memorize some of your classmate’s faces. Step 2: When you see one of them in a more social setting (e.g. dining hall, MG, around your dorm), go up to them and say “Hey, are you in ___ class?” and use this to initiate a conversation. Step 3: Sit next to them in your next class and act friendly. You now have a Class Friend. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. You probably signed up for a million different things at the Activities Fair, but soon you're going to realize that you just can't attend 5 meetings, 2 labs and a sports practice all at once. Think about what you really want to be doing with your time and narrow it down. You'll get more out of the few extracurriculars if you're fully committed. It's also important to find the balance between schoolwork and social life. You shouldn't let workload stress interfere with having fun and making friends. BUT if you have a 9 a.m. class on Thursday morning, really consider whether or not it’s a good idea to go to Ale House at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night. 
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