#donsfeatures

Being a first semester transfer student. it took a while for me to find a place to study. I tried a lot of spots but had no luck. It was also more difficult living on Lone Mountain (LoMo), I didn’t want to walk up and down the steps 20 times a day to and from main campus. So, most of my studying happens on the LoMo side of campus.

During a nice day, I love studying outside of Rossi Wing! It's nice and peaceful. The view also helps destress and relax your soul.

Depending on the night and my mood, I either go to the famous Del Santo Reading Room or a classroom in LoMo.

Now, Del Santo Reading Room is a great place to study, but if you're rowdy like me I would try a different place. The reason I say this is because it's a quiet environment, and most of the people there are fully committed to what they are doing.  On the other hand if you get easily distracted, this is the place to go because you're almost kinda forced to finish homework/studying since the vibes of determination fill the room.

On days I really don't have much to do I usually find a classroom in LoMo, and it's honestly the best! I love listening to music while I study, especially to The XX, so I almost always carry my personal speaker and have it playing in the background as I do my ethics readings. You also have the boards, and projectors that you can use to study or take a study break!  I use the boards to write down notes and also to keep me on my feet on long nights.

While there are hundreds of places to study on campus, LoMo has one of my favorite places to study. 

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My experience living in the dorms really was great. Looking back on freshman year, I had so much fun in Gillson, my freshman year residence hall, and met so many great people that I'm still friends with and have continued to live with through my years here at USF.      

Thinking back on when I moved into Gillson as a freshman, I was both anxious and excited. It was a scary thought to leave the stability of my life behind just to move in to a room shared with a stranger and a bathroom shared with 50 other people. But the nerves subsided quite quickly as I began making friends with my roommate and other people on my floor. You adapt so fast and so easily and you'll wonder what there was to worry about in the first place.      

One word of advice to incoming freshman living in a residence hall for the first time would be to keep your door open! Once you've moved in and are acclimated, keeping your door open is a great indication of sociability. My roommate and I used to do that when we were in our room, and we made good friends with the girls across the hall because of this. Freshman year, everybody just wants to make friends. It's a lot less intimidating to approach a room of people you don't know when their door is open, rather than gathering the strength to knock on a door with strangers on the other side of it.       

Also, don't be afraid of your RAs! They're there as an ally and they truly are there just to assist you with whatever issues you may have. They're a good resource to go to if you're having an issue or just want to chat with somebody.       

Living in a dorm is such a unique experience that you won't come by in the future, so look at it as something to get excited over! You'll look back fondly, even if at the time it was a little bit challenging. But take the opportunity to meet people and build connections that you'll maintain forever, because you won't get this kind of experience again!

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