On one weekend per year, an endless fleet of U-Haul trucks and jam-packed minivans descend upon Big Rapids as parents say a tearful goodbye and students begin a new semester of college.
This turbulent time is known as welcome weekend, and it’s a great time to not only look forward to the next year of classes and experiences, but also to reflect on one’s own life.
For example, one might question why they opted to bring a 72” TV to move into a dorm room that can hardly accommodate one human body. Or perhaps they could reflect on why they’ve accumulated approximately five billion hand towels, yet the thought of bringing even one pencil with a viable eraser to college didn’t cross their mind.
An individual is also likely to reflect upon his or her social choices. Maybe they’ll make more friends with pickup trucks for next year’s move in, for example.
Of course, moving into student housing on a college campus is about more than just reflecting on questionable life choices. It’s also about moving on.
For many people, leaving home for college is the first extended period of time that they spend outside of their guardian’s household. Living on one’s own can be a daunting task that many may not be prepared for.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but laundry does not wash and fold itself automatically. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches also don’t fall from the sky with the crusts cut off.
These are services that parents provide that students may have taken for granted all of their lives, and are now being forced to live without. Yet shockingly, there is a way that these luxuries can still be taken advantage of while in college!
It’s called doing it for oneself, and it’s something that everyone must do at some point.
Sure, new students may be accustomed to safety scissors, but it’s time to move on to the real deal. Trust me, even freshmen can handle actual grown-up scissors.
Moving into student housing is like a rite of passage. After all, what better way to usher in adulthood then by sleeping on a twin-sized bunk bed?