25 things I learned at UR

Your experience at this university is what you make of it. There are some things that you get used to; there are other things that you learn to avoid. And if you ever get outside of the bubble, there are some things about this university that you learn to appreciate. Adapted from the ubiquitous "25 Random Things About Me" Facebook lists, below is a list of observations, complaints and general (college) life lessons unique to the home of the Richmond Spiders:

1. Walking around campus and asking every acquaintance about their general well being. This instinctual habit throws off my friends from home, who don't quite know how to respond: "Er...I'm okay, I guess. Thanks for asking."

2. Leave your sweats at home -- you won't be wearing them to class anymore.

3. Instead of snow, Richmond gets rain -- a lot of it.

4. People with fears of spiders are going to have to man up for the next four years.

5. If you're not happy here, transferring, studying abroad or going to CAPS is still an option.

6. Learning how to interact with people from different circles.

7. Looking forward to the beginning of every semester to check out the new batch of exchange students.

8. Every moment is a Facebook moment.

9. You never know who your friends know. Case in point: "Wait, you know Bryan Boy?!" "Girrl, I know everyone in Manila!"

10. Can platonic friendships with the opposite sex exist?

11. Lodges are merely prerequisites to the bar/club.

12. Learning fratty lingo: bro out, freshman skeeza, care, etc.

13. Some Pier shows, like the Art of Kissing, might have seemed like a good idea at the time.

14. How to get downtown in five different ways, depending on the scenery, the speed limits and the stoplight traffic -- if you go.

15. Life is about making sacrifices in order to appreciate the finer things: Renovated activities such as going to D-Hall, getting mail and going to the gym never seemed sweeter.

16. No one talks about race. In my hometown, we're comfortable enough to joke about it - maybe it's not right, but at least there's generated discussion rather than silence.

17. Phenomenal summers start with early planning, applying and networking.

18. The rules of basic dancing etiquette: Think before you move.

19. STIs are rampant on campus and testing occurs far too infrequently. So did you use a (Durex) condom over the weekend?

20. How to be a prepared tourist when going abroad: STA (cheap deals, lazy planning), Lonely Planet (food and maps), Time Out magazine (bars/clubs), Free Walking Tours in Europe (meeting people) and talking to people familiar with the area.

21. How to make the best out of bad situations, especially abroad.

22. Being molded into a yuppie-to-be: Thank you, Flex, for my daily guilt-free Starbucks fix.

23. Do all the crazy stuff during college. Get it out of your system. After college, those habits become stigmatized.

24. Sometimes you have to accept living at home after graduation. It happens.

25. Someday, you'll have something to say in The Collegian.