Freshman Survival Guide

Whitney Hicks & Emily Maranto

Hello, Freshman Tigers!

PRESS START

We're your friendly guides, Whit and Em, here to spill all the tea on being a freshman. Figuring out how to adult on your own can be challenging. Just wait until you have to schedule your own doctor appointment, and they start asking about insurance! We might not know anything about insurance, but we can help you navigate your first year as a Tiger!!

BUDGET

The hardest part of being a freshman may be choosing to eat ramen instead of Panda Express for the fourth time in a week. Here are tips we’ve acquired on how to budget on a student’s income.

Eat out only with others. Save your cravings for an occasion with friends, making the money worth it. Stick to campus and groceries when home alone. There’s nothing worse than having to turn down a Friday night with friends because your funds are low.

Use your Tiger Card to save money. Places such as Amazon, Apple, Burger King, FedEx, etc., offer student discounts. Never feel embarrassed to ask at checkout if there’s a student discount! Our favorite is Student Thursdays at Movie Tavern Citiplace; tickets are $6 and you get a free popcorn.

Look for free food, services, and events. Check MyLSU, bulletin boards,and Free Speech Alley to find opportunities to meet people and take home goodies, especially during holidays or finals. Midnight breakfast during Dead Week (because you’ll be cramming), coffee /donuts with the Center for Academic Success, and UREC movie nights are fond freshman memories.

Make a budget. Budgeting may seem daunting, but don't sweat. Start with short-term, attainable goals. Build a weekly budget first, because you’ll probably know how your week is planned. Plan for unexpected expenses (likeiced coffee). Set long-term goals for things like travel, concert tickets, etc. Nothing motivates more than an exciting event or trip!

APPS

One of the perks of attending a large campus is the resources available to you. While you spend your next four years here, you want to get the most out of the many options available to you. Here's something you can do right now: download an app! These four apps will definitely help you navigate through your first year.

1 Reveille

Never be out of the loop with news that roars! The Reveille is the famed campus newspaper that publishes twice weekly, but the brand new app allows you to access printed content, breaking news, and additional features. From the passionate opinion column to the yummy eats on the entertainment section, you’ll always find content relevant to students!

2 LSU Shield

This app is focused on the most important thing: safety! When you set it up, create a profile and make sure to allow location services. Here are some of the best features: Emergency Call - This feature calls authorities and sends your location. iReports - Use this to safely report any incidents on campus. FriendWatch - If you're going out alone, this feature allows you to describe your activity and set how long it will take. If you don't respond in the amount of time, it alerts your emergency contacts so they can check on you.

3 TransLoc Rider

This app is the best way to navigate LSU Tiger Trails. For set-up, pick LSU's bus service and set the routes you'd like info on. There are 25 buses in total, but I recommend starting with the Purple and Gold routes: they operate immediately within campus and are easy to understand. Through the Rider app, you can see where a bus’s exact location is, how full the bus is, and its planned route.

4 LSU Mobile

This app is essentially a mobile version of the website MyLSU. You can access classes, schedule, tiger card, events and so much more. Perfect for checking your grades on the geaux or filling up your tiger card while you’re in line at Panda Express! It also has a handy weather feature that allows you to see what the (unpredictable) weather on campus is like that day.

GETTING AROUND

LSU can often feel big and overwhelming, but various methods of transportation make all ends of the campus more accessible.

Tiger Trails full-service buses run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Night buses run from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. – great for a late study session in the library.

Campus Transit System Door-to-door service is available through Campus Transit – great for students out late who feel unsafe walking to a bus stop. This system operates seven days a week from 5 p.m. to midnight. Students can call (225) 578-5555 (hint: 578 spells LSU on your phone keypad) or can request a ride through their TransLoc app. Once a ride is requested, a van or minibus will be dispatched.

Gotcha Bikes are the newest form of transportation at LSU. The commercial bike-share program launched in the summer of 2019. It covers LSU’s campus and downtown Baton Rouge. Through the “Gotcha - Ride On” mobile app, scan the barcode on a bike and ride for as long as you want. You can pay as you go or get monthly or annual subscriptions. Hubs are at Broussard Hall, East Laville Hall, Kirby Smith Hall, Lod Cook Alumni Center, LSU Faculty Club, Nicholson Gateway, Patrick F. Taylor Hall, the Student Union and the UREC.

PRINTING

The No. 1 one rule of printing on campus is never wait until the last minute. As a wise professor once said, printers can smell fear. Make sure you leave yourself ample time to find a printer (and a backup). Printers are in a variety of places on campus, available for any student or faculty member to use. Students must have money on their Tiger Card to print. Fees vary depending on document size and whether black and white or color. Public access printers are in Middleton Library, Patrick F. Taylor Hall and the Business Education Complex. Printers in many residential halls are free to use for students who provide paper.

FINALS

Finals week can be one of the most stressful times of your college career. Following a few simple tips will help you keep your studying (and stress) under control. Remember, grades are not everything!

Find the perfect study space. Often, the desk in your dorm room isn’t going to cut it. It’s hard to focus with so many distractions around you. Find a place other than your dorm or apartment where you can completely focus on schoolwork. Some people can focus well in the library or the Union while others prefer quieter areas such as classrooms or dorm study rooms.

Don’t procrastinate. Aim to have all materials together and study guides finished at least a week prior to your final exam. This eliminates the stress of finishing the study guide and gives you ample time to look over everything. This also gives you the opportunity to email questions to your professor.

Make your own study guides. Sure, it may seem easier to borrow your classmates’, but actually making a study guide prepares you just as much or even more than studying. Writing down material is one of the best and most efficient ways to learn. Your study guide will be smaller and more tailored to the areas you need to address.

Schedule time to not study. Here’s a secret: pulling an all-nighter is never good. If you don’t know the material 12 hours before the final, you probably won’t learn it. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep so you wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Likewise, make sure you carve out time to eat, rest, socialize and even watch a little Netflix. Finals week is all about time management. If you manage and spread out your studying, you won’t be stuck in the library for an entire week.

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FRESHMAN GUIDE 201927