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Viewpoint . 6A gamecock?? Thursday, Aupust 7, 1986 Courtesy Consideratit key to surv Living in a small dorm room with a stranger may seem impossible at first, but if you only remember to use the rules of common courtesy, dorm living at USC can be fun. Really. One of the key words in roommate survival is com munication. Just remember to talk things over instead of shouting. Working out most problems immediately can prevent a semester-long grudge from occurring. And there are plenty of potential problems. For example, noise. A big problem for many roommates is quiet time for sWnincr and stndvine Discuss your sleeping habits and the quiet times you'd like to establish in your own room at the start of the semester, not halfway through. Another thing to pay attention to is the telephone. That small instrument can cause a lot of problems if you and your roommate are not careful. Never monopolize the inh qiu/qvc |/IIV.'IIV UIIU Ul "UJ.J I VIIIVIIIUV1 to write down messages. An erasable note board is probably one of the best investments in harmony you'll Learning e not just fr 'Booklearning' isn't the only learning that you will do at USC. Another part of your education will be meeting new people, experiencing new things, and learning how to live on your own. The 'college experience,' however, won't come to you; you have to go and create it. Involvement. That is how to take full advantage of what USC has to nffpr It lining vmi fr? mrpf nrw friends, accustom yourself to a strange new campus, polish your social skills and build your self-confidence. There are literally hundreds of clubs, sports, and other groups to be a part of. The Division of Student Life issues a brochure listing more than 2(X) such clubs. The groups range from the chess club to parachute jumping to a group dedicated to frisbee-throwing. The intramural sports department at USC offers a wide array of intramurals that anyone can participate in, and chances are your dorm has a team in several of the sports. If not, you can join one of the independent teams by calling the intramural office and finding out what's available. The greek system at USC is strong also. With 20 fraternities and 12 sororities to choose from, a student can easily find a new group of people willing to help him adjust him to USC. Tho Cai A mAV* vm hditor in Chief Tracy Mixson Viewpoint Ed Jennifer Ru. News Editor Photography Amy DelPo Jennifer Ste Spotlight Editor Advltor f'uulu Wethington BUI Rogers Send us a Letters to the editor must be t; than 300 words. Include your n and where you can be reached t< fhe Gamecock reserves the editorials. Send letters to: Edi Russell House, Columbia, S.C. I m for others ival in dorms make, as is a phone with a 1 1 1 A ? 1 lUIIg IUIU lllitl CUU UC laKCIl out into the hall. Be sure and discuss with your roommate your dorm's visitation policy. If you live in a dorm on D plan or apartment plan, you'll have to talk about your personal open house hours. Also, remember to use simple rules such as knocking on doors before entering, being respectful of your roommate's property, and keeping your room tidy. And roommates aren't the only people you have to live with. When you live on a hall, the gold fish-bowl atmosphere makes it npfpssarv to hp con siderate of your neighbors too. Try to be thoughtful of the people you share the bathroom with. It's nice to share any care packages from home with your neighbors as well. The one word that describes the key to roommate relations best is courtesy. Just remember the word, what it means, and then put it to practice. xperience om books Involvement is a good way A A 1 TCr? 1 a ~ IU gCl llliu UOV^, UUl uc careful. Everyone who joins organizations and participates in sports runs the risk of overinvolvement. Often this results in the student being overworked and overstressed, often called burnout. There are so many extracurricular activities to take part in that one could forget the need for study. College is whole different Kaltnomo than hinh c/"> V?/-* r? I It UUU^UIUV IUUI1 111511 OVUVWI. u usually requires much more study, and each person must set his priorities to make sure he has enough time to do what, in the final analysis, he is here for ? studying. USC publishes its academic suspension policy notice in the registration bulletin sent out at the beginning of each semester, and any grade under a 2.00 is considered scholastically deficient. But there is help with studying and setting priorities. The Counseling and Human Development Center in the B.A. building can help a new student budget his time, set priorities, and have time for study and fun. So have a good time while you're here at USC. But remember that budgeting your time and setting priorities will help make your college career much easier ? and a lot more fun. mecock a Director Hor Hill Clements it Production ' hdltor Lewis Covington ib Mark Armstrong Advertising M antigen Margaret Michels letter yped, double-spaced and no more lame, address, telephone number or verification. right to edit letters and guest tor, The Gamecock, Drawer A, 29208. _?-?l??-?t?n( n 'u . ?K ? T"= *ts2 i*' < . (i '.1 4. \Y y?^ _ . ^jCcllege Press Servi "Well, this is it. Just one Man on the Wlia; were I "I thought it was great, but it also looked really big. at I was a little scared at first, it I being a freshman, though. It lot soon got easier, however, wo and I adjusted to campus chc lite. Rhonda Ellington Senior, sociology Psssst! Hey, Andy Duncan is a former Gamecock umnist who now writes in Greensboro, He sent in this column for the benefit a class of 1990. 1.Don't expect college to be like high sc Too many people treat their freshman as if it were the 13th grade. Put high s< out of your mind. Put it with the bicycle I ing wheels and the written driving test an other hurdles long past. College is \ you're trained to think, to reason, to tion, to explore; high school is where y trained to move from room to room hour at the sound of a bell. 2.Don't worry about making a living. If you major in the subject you most e you'll be good at it. And if you're good you will get a job. No one can guar you'll knock down six figures a year, t what? If all I had wanted was lots of mo could have become a proctologist, wouldn't have had much enthusiasm coming to work in the morning. If al want out of college is to learn a trade, be better off at one of those institutes c styling or fender straightening or mechanies. 3.Don't worry about your major. Most people change their majors aj imately umpteen times before they set the one that suits them. That's fine; it' better than sticking with a major yoi even more. Being undecided is fine, to< f the best ways of charting a course tf ollege is to make it up as you go alon .Make lots of friends. Making friends at college is easy, 1 iame reason it's easy to make friend I f * "Ho/I iilnn /?i- />/?m m An r\r/\hlomc a r* i iiautvi tKvaiwi . vwiiiiiiv/n |/i wuivui.i uu^ quarters. I made friends with the first p met at college. 1 arrived early for rn class ? 9 a.m. Monday ? and sat in th ty classroom feeling all my guts drain < to the carpet, positive that I would ^ ~ ^ / /v CQ" ) ) word of caution, your roommate street vour first impres # ? \ ~ \ n 'I first saw the university "I'm here t freshman orientation, and class in sumrr I a - ... * ooKea like it would be a when I first s of fun. I also thought it sity, I liked il uld would be really was attractivi illenging." pie were very the library." Frank Gourdine Senior, criminal justice Freshn am Kid! Wanna bu\ C()i- | . N.C. WT * the I- ... I pwww I . : I id (he w vhcrc J J1 ques- jfl ir ""^i: ou'rc 1 every i njoy, r:i Andy Dunce ney, I ** uul 1 make a single friend in college aiiu that about signed myself up for four years of " y?u loneliness and misery. While 1 amused i you d jn wayt a gjr| j<Cp( wa|king to and fi ?f hair t^e Gpen doorway. After 10 minute diesel walked in, dumped an armload of bo< the desk in front of mine and began a breathless introductory sentence that >prox- something like: "Oh God I've been w tie on all over this building for the past hour s a lot this Speech 140 Professor Hcnson I jus j hate pvc got the room right I know I'd just ). One had to get up and leave class 'cause I h trough wrong one arid oh God I'm not very co g- am I and I just don't know what to dt With that, she put her head down or the books and looked so lovely and miserat Is in a 1 would have married her on the sp< j close minister or a ship's captain or Professo erson I son had been handy (professors can d y first did yon know?). eemp- 5.Don't woriy about how you look, jut on- In high school, wardrobe and hairst never very important. In college, no one care i _ J ?o C\ fcjflg ^ Gfnl II 3 answers to Commando Bob." ? sions of USC? m' nusBarn. p; ? ' i' aking my first "The campus was really ler school, and beautiful, but I was scared aw the univer- to death at first. When I t. The campus started meeting people, e and the peo- though, they were very friendly. I love friendly and helpful." $ Mel Raab Dianne Piazzola lan, humanities Senior, nursing \ sucial science and psycliuluyy f some hot tips? "' your wear or where your hair goes, so long as you bathe regularly and stay within EPA guidelines. I tell you this partly to warn you about some of the impromptu 8 a.m. fashion shows you will see as you stroll across campus | ? some mornings you will think you've j stumbled upon a road company of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." If you're still in doubt about your ensemble, keep it simple: 1 went through four years of college with seven sweat shirts and four pairs of jeans. 6.Go easy on the romance. Don't be in a big hurry to meet somebody and fall in love. You should allow at least two or three weeks to pass before your libido kicks in. When you start dating, don't allow your prospective soul mate to see you eating pizza ^ until about three months into the relation- w mship. 7.Study hard. J Take extensive notes in class and decipher 1 had them that afternoon, using your textbook as abject backup. Ask questions if you're unsure of myself something. Read the stuff you're supposed to o past read, marking the things you find interesting 5, MIC ui aiim.Miig vjumwi y uuuit:* aic <i nui;. vv iitii jks on test time comes, read your notes and the i long, marked portions of your book, and think of went all the sample questions you can derive from alking those sources. Then keep at it until you can and is answer all those questions out of your own t hope head. die if I You may ask, "Why should I worry so lad the much about grades?" You shouldn't worry; hercnt that's the point. You should so train yourself in study habits that you banish the F lunk on her Monster forever and go into every exam with ?le that a clear conscience. The real goal is to do your )t if a best. If you do, it doesn't matter what your r Hen- grade is. I sound just like your mother, don't o that, I? 8.1 lave fun. That'* ttlV Olllv r*f iwlvirc I'm cnr#? - " "V "" / l"vvv *' * ,VV * ?M'V y!e arc you'll follow. Good luck. 1 envy you. Call if ;s what you need anything. 4 *