12 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went To SUNY Oswego

While most of us love our college, there are some things we wish we knew before we started. These are the things I wish I knew before I went to SUNY Oswego.

SUNY Oswego is a truly lovely place, but as everyone knows, even a lovely place has its downfalls and lessons. There are a few things that I wish I knew before I came to college at SUNY Oswego, and I am going to tell you each and every one of them.

1. If you were an A+ or B student in high school, you’re in for a rude awakening.

College classes are difficult, no matter how experienced you think you are. Your usual A’s will most likely turn into B’s and C’s until you get the hang of things.

2. Getting a few bad grades does not make you a horrible student.

It is okay to struggle a little, as long as you make the effort to fix the mistakes. Sign up to be tutored if you are having trouble with the material!

3. You HAVE to talk to your professors.

My first year of college I was shy and kept to myself in all of my classes; did all of my work, and my grades were not what I wanted them to be. The second year I made an effort to form personal connections with each of my professors by visiting office hours and reaching out in person after class. The bottom line is that professors are people too, and if you make an effort to connect, they will help you and guide you more than you expect they would.

4. The snow is not what is bad; the wind chill is.

Of course, the snow combined with the wind is brutal, especially when there is a lot of snow blowing around, but the major reason classes get canceled (if they do) is the wind chill. If you have a car, snow is cleaned up very quickly and nicely around campus but in town it’s a little risky to go out in, so be careful!

5. Oswego is a huge party school.

If you like going out and having fun, this is a perfect school for you. We even have a D-Bus, which is known for giving students reliable and safe transportation to parties and bars if they plan on drinking, so they don’t drive drunk! Very clever business if you ask me; it is $2.00 a ride each way, and a ton of students use it. If you like staying in and keeping to yourself, avoid living on West campus, which is the louder and wilder side of campus.

6. If you think you’ve had the best ice cream in your life already, you are wrong.

Go to Bev’s and get yourself a cone. ASAP.

7. High school years are not the best of your life.

Your time at SUNY Oswego will prove it, I promise.

8. You will most likely grow apart from your high school best friends.

This is okay, you will make new friends.

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9. You are going to call Oswego home.

This place won’t just be where you go to school; you will build a separate life here, and you will grow into a different and better individual here. You will make friends that become family.

10. You will become even more independent.

Being away from home will help you form your own opinions, ideas, and start to build your own life. This is where you will become the person you are meant to be.

11. There are three beaches near campus.

And trust me, you gotta go!!

12. If you want a quiet place to study, avoid the library and go to an academic building computer lab.

People talk more than they should in the library.