Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

Being a first-year student at Western is an exciting, yet intimidating experience. For most, it involves living on campus in a dorm room that feels similar in size to a closet, immersing yourself in an entirely new group of strangers that are suddenly your neighbors, as well as learning the pros and cons to that 8 a.m. course you thought would be a good idea — trust me, it’s not the same thing as an 8 a.m. in high school.

Learning how to cope with these new circumstances is something that takes ample time and energy; being focused on that will result in the school year going by in the blink of an eye. With so much happening at once, it can be difficult to remember to stop every now and then and make the most of your beginnings at Western. Make sure that in your first year here as a Wolf, you manage to complete most, if not all, of our First-Year Bucket List.

• Go to Midnight Movies at least once. It’s cheap, and usually an unforgettable experience if you’re going with the right people
• Attend those Residence Hall Association events. A lot of work went into making those as fun as possible for students — plus you’ll usually get free things.
• Borrow the keys to the kitchen and make your friends and yourself a homemade meal. Sometimes you just need to get away from Valsetz for a night.
• Sleep in a dorm that isn’t yours for a night. It’s hard to explain why, but it’s always more fun and ends up feeling just like a slumber party.
• Go to a sporting event you wouldn’t normally go to. Games are happening constantly: grab a group of friends and head to one.
• Join a club or organization. By the end of the year, you’re going to want to have more friends than those you made in just your dorm or classes. It’s a good way to meet new people.
• Have a movie night with your hall. It can be such a memorable experience to get together, eat popcorn and watch some B-List Netflix horror flick that will leave you laughing when you should be screaming.
• Take a spontaneous road trip with friends. On a personal note: my first night hanging with my now best friends, they took me to the beach at 12 a.m. — I will never forget that night.
  
• Pull an all-nighter. If not for homework, sometimes it’s worth it just to stay up for a classic Monmouth sunrise. They’re truly beautiful.
• Take a free class at the Health and Wellness Center. Zumba, anybody?
• Adventure around Monmouth on your own. You never know, you might fall in love with a coffee shop and become a regular.
• Take pictures. Lots of them. You’re going to want to print those out later.
• But also, don’t live on your phone. Sure, snap that photo, then put it away. Live in the moment.
• Take a late night walk around campus with a friend or group. Another personal note, doing this with my now boyfriend of 11 months is how I fell for him.
• Get to know some upperclassmen. They know so much about several aspects of Western and most would be glad to give advice.
• Go to a party. If parties aren’t your thing, host a party alternative on your own where you spend the entire night doing things you love.

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu