Greetings from the Navy Yard!

Hello future Penn State women engineers (Yes, there’s a difference between an engineer and a PSU engineer)!  Now that you know what great opportunities lie ahead of you thanks to the wonderful ladies who already shared their advice and experiences, I thought I’d let you know what to expect on your first day of classes. 

Most people feel so nervous about the first day that they even have dreams about oversleeping and being late.  Luckily for you guys, I’ll give you the step by step guide on surviving your first day.

1.       What should I wear?  EVERYONE tries to look their best on the first day.  To make your morning manageable, pick your outfit out the night before that way you waste no time figuring out what shirt/pants/shorts/shoes combination you want to wear.  (This is especially important for those with 8am classes when time is very minimal when getting ready!)  Having your outfit picked out not only saves you time but also keeps you stress-free when you go to bed knowing you have one less thing to worry about. 

2.       What should I bring?  Depending on how many classes you have will determine what kind of bag you want to carry on an average day.  If you have more than 2 classes in the morning and can’t make it to your dorm in between classes, its best to use a bookbag.  If you only have 1 class, then a small bag could probably be used.  Personally I use a bookbag in both cases J.  On the first day though, a pen or pencil and notebook should suffice for all your classes, unless your professor emailed you notes to print out from ANGEL (which you will learn more about at WEPO!).  Not much is learned the first day of classes, although there have been some classes that jump right into the material. 

3.       When should I leave for my class(es)?  Keep in mind that it takes an average person about 15 minutes to walk from the eastern side of campus (buildings such as Thomas and Life Science) to the western side (buildings such as Sparks, E-House, Willard).  Many times people go to the first class fairly early (about 10 min before) so you can get settled and avoid having to walk over people in lecture halls.  This extra time also gives you some leeway just in case you get lost inside the building or going to the building. 

4.       The campus is so big!  How can I avoid getting lost?  Before you leave your dorm I would glance at your campus map and put the map in your notebook/folder in your bookbag for future use.  When you get to your first class, I would glance at your map again to see where your second class is and so on.  This way you have an idea about where to go without looking like a ‘tourist’ on campus pulling out your map while walking to classes.  I would also do a walk through to all your classes the day before so you have an idea of what the buildings look like (ask your mentors/rovers if they can take you!).

5.       I’m in the classroom/lecture hall, where should I sit?  Depending on the type of person you are dictates where you sit.  If you are really interested in the course and want the professor to notice you, sit in the front center!  This way you are forced to pay attention and the professor sees your dedication to the class.  If you are more of an observing student, the middle of the room should work, this way you can focus without feeling pressured in the front row.  Don’t be afraid to sit next to people!  The first day of classes is stressful for everyone, so relieve the stress and start up a conversation with your neighbor before class starts.  Some common conversation starters:

“Hey, what’s your major?”, “which dorm do you live in?”, “what class do you have next, maybe we can walk there together.”,  “where are you from?”

Hopefully with this survival guide you will feel much more comfortable going to classes and can focus on meeting new people and of course your classes.  Just remember, there are thousands of other students just like you on the first day of classes, so it’s okay to be a little nervous!

Can’t wait to meet everyone at WEPO!

Megan Kraus is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. She is a Mentor for WEPO 2011, and is also involved in SWE, THON, EHouse and serves as an Engineering Envoy. She has completed two  internship rotations for the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Contact Megan at mxk5171@psu.edu.