College
ESSENTIALS
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Recent Graduates Offer Advice for New College Students
High school graduates walked across the stage in May and, soon, many will be packing up and heading off to college. It’s common to get butterflies on the first day of school, but moving away from home for the first time can be even more daunting. To put the minds of first-time college students at ease, recent graduates from Cherokee and Cobb counties shared expert advice.
RACHEL MURPHY Rachel, a 2015 graduate of Etowah High School, graduated from Mercer University School of Law in May with her Juris Doctor degree. Rachel recently completed the Georgia Bar Exam and will be working for the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office in Canton.
What were your dorm essentials?
Other than the obvious things like chargers, extension cords, power strips ... stackable storage containers with drawers were a good space saver, especially when having to share a bathroom with little or no drawer space. Also, my first year of college, I had to do all of my laundry in the dorm laundry facility, so having lots of quarters on hand is a must. I did not get an air fryer until I got to law school, and it changed my world! Definitely wish I had one in college. My rice cooker and Crock-Pot were huge lifesavers. I would meal-prep and freeze a lot of meals. I could easily grab one out of the freezer, stick it in the Crock-Pot for a few hours, and have lunch or dinner with little prep work/cleanup.
What are your packing tips?
One thing I tried to do to save space was to consolidate small things within large things. For example, if you have a lot of tennis shoes, you can store socks inside the shoes to save space. Also, if you run out of bags for your clothes, keep the clothes on hangers and place them inside a trash bag. Tie the bag shut by wrapping the garbage ties around the hangers; that way, your clothes are more likely to stay flat. When you get there, you can hang up the hangers and cut away the trash bag. This saves a lot of time when unpacking as well; plus, the hangers provide a good handle when transporting the bags. When packing a car, I recommend using towels or blankets to line your seats and trunk to make sure you aren't scraping your car or damaging the interior.
How can you meet new friends?
Get involved as much as you can! Making friends when you first get to college can be hard, especially if you are going to a school where you don’t know anyone. Getting involved in clubs, organizations, campus jobs, school events, etc. helps you meet new people easily. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. A lot of other people may be feeling apprehensive about going to these events alone, so you might meet others in your same position and quickly bond over that small thing. Rachel with her parents, Randy and Jodi Murphy. 24
AROUND KENNESAW | August 2022
