Last minute reminders

Hey new Terps!

Less than one week left until the first day of classes! Is it the same as when you went to your first day of classes in Kindergarden? Probably not! At that point, your parents did everything for you, but now, you have to get it all done yourself. So here are a few things you should remember before you come on Monday.

1. Make sure your schedule is as set as possible. Log onto Testudo.umd.edu to modify your schedule as necessary. However, if you find that a class is too far to get to in ten minutes, or you don't like an instructor, or the course load is not what you expected, you can change your classes until the end of the drop/add period which is the 10th day of class.

2. While you are on Testudo, take note of the classroom locations. Log onto the UMD website and view a map. Find your classes and if you get a chance, come back to campus to find your classes.

3. And while you are on your way to campus, take a few extra minutes to find those alternative routes. ESPECIALLY on the first week of classes, campus is going to be really busy. You're going to have to take some extra time to park and walk to classes.

4. Buy your books now! If you buy your books now, you can get the best copies of used books. You can find your book list on Testudo as well. You can either purchase all your books in the University Book Center or you can go to amazon.com. I suggest that if the book is $50 or less, just buy it at the bookstore, but if it is a big ticket item, check Amazon. Students last week reported savings of up to $70 on certain textbooks.

Those are the big things. A couple other things:

-Ask lots of questions about the syllabus. You want to be as clear as possible BEFORE the semester starts.
- If you are going to keep your schedule, immediately go home and put all your assignments and classes into a planner of some sort. When life gets busy, assignments are forgotten. Don't let it happen to you.
-Find out where you are going to eat on campus. Check out the older post about eating on campus.
-Find a place to study. A lot of schedules are riddled with holes where it's not enough time to go home, but too much time to head to your next class. Find a great place to sit with your readings and do some work along the way. Remember that, if you are a full-time student, you should treat your schooling like  a 40 hour work week. If you go to your classes, do your homework and study within the 9-5 schedule (or something comparable), you are less likely to have to do anything on the weekends.

Take care and good luck!!

What other tips do you have to share with your fellow terps?

I'm hungry

Yesterday I rushed out of my house and on the way to work realized that I had nothing to eat for lunch. Lucky for me, the University provides a plethora of dining options. For a complete list, check out www.dining.umd.edu/locations. But I wanted to highlight some of them for you here.

Food Court- The Food Court in the Stamp Student Union has many options for the hungry Terp. Chik-Fil-A, Panda and Panda Sushi, Taco Bell, Sbarro, Salad Works, and McDonald's are in the upstairs food court. Down by the Terp Zone (bowling and billiards) is Subway and the Food Co-Op, serving organic freshly prepared and packaged food (including the hot meal of the day).

Diners- There are two diners, one on North Campus (near the Comcast Center) and one on South Campus (near the Business School). You do NOT need a meal plan to eat here. All items are a la carte.

Shops and Cafes: Shops and cafes are located all across campus. Cafes are located in the McKeldin Library and also many academic buildings. Grab a sandwich, chips and a drink in between classes when you don't have a chance to sit or other quick snack items. The Coffee Shop in the Union and Footnotes Cafe in the Library both serve coffee and tea items in addition to food.

Restaurants: If you have some extra time or you want to have something a bit nicer, then you can check out Adele's Restaurant in the Stamp Student Union or Mulligan's Grill and Pub at the Golf Course. Both of these options are open to all Terps.

How to pay for food: All locations take cash, credit or debit. If you have a meal plan, you will need to check out your individual meal plan's options.

If you bring your own food to campus, there is a microwave in the union located by the print shop that is open for anybody to use.

No matter where you are on campus, you will never go hungry if you know where the food options are.

And don't forget, the best ice cream on campus is found at the Dairy located in the Visitor's Center on Route 1.

My favorite flavor: Fear the Turtle!

Where do you like to eat on campus? Did I forget any locations that you recommend?