Party Do's and Don'ts

This one's self explanatory. I won't begin with a lengthy anecdote on the joys of going to a party. You know it's fun.

Instead, I'll cut to the chase.

Do's
Do go to parties in college. You only have this experience once in your life, and you don't want to have regrets on missing out when you're old and wrinkly and going to bed at 8:00 pm. I'm not telling you that you have to drink if you go out. I'm just telling you to go out.
Do go to parties with friends/people you trust and know will help out if any dangerous situation were to arise.
Do try to look cute... you never know who you're gonna meet!
Do be extremely careful if you decide to drink. Keep your cup with you at all times!
Do have a plan of action: how you're going to get home/where you're going to sleep if you're not going home.
Do know your limits. I can't stress how important this is in college. It's the people who don't know their limits that end up in dangerous situations/ruin relationships with people/go way overboard or black out.
Do make sure that if you're going to drink, you stay hydrated and eat a meal before going out to prevent getting a hangover/getting dehydrated and sick.
DO EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE HOOSIER P.A.C.T.
--->http://iusa.indiana.edu/current-initiatives/hoosier-pactlifeline/
Do have fun and be the life of the party!

Gettin ready to go out with some of my girls! #hoedown

Don'ts
Don't go to a party alone. Make sure you will know at least one or two other people there.
Don't EVER get into a ride with a driver who has been drinking.
Don't drink from a cup that has been unattended/ one that you have set down.
Don't be afraid to ask for help in a dangerous situation... whether that be with alcohol, a friend, or someone who is making you feel uncomfortable.
Don't let partying get in the way of schoolwork. Know your priorities, and don't go out if you're gonna be stressed out later about all of the work you should've gotten done over the weekend.
Don't go to a party if you're in a bad mood/know you're not going to have fun. You'll bring others down around you... and noone wants a party pooper! But that being said...
Don't be the girl who's having so much fun that you get sloppy or annoying. Keep yourself in check.
Don't ignore the person at the party who looks too drunk to function/is by herself. Help them out or at least call for someone else to help. Even though he/she may not be your direct responsibility necessarily, when you knowingly leave someone alone who is in danger of blacking out/ getting alcohol poisoning, it becomes your responsibility. If you end up saving a life, it is worth your time.
Don't ignore a sober monitor. In other words, if someone tells you that it's time to go home.. listen to them. For your sake, and for everyone else's.


Like I said, having the opportunity to go to endless parties is something you really only get the chance to do once in your life. Go to parties, but don't overdo it. Have fun, but be smart and know your limits.

Party on, people.

xx, Maddy

Finding Your Niche

Can you believe that Summer is officially over and Fall has finally begun? I think it's about time. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for cute boots, colorful scarves, apple picking, and hot coffee. 

With the arrival of Fall comes the overwhelming realization that you are officially a full-fledged college girl.  You've hopefully started to adjust, found a cool group of friends who you feel comfortable with, and are getting used to the way classes work. But there's something that might be missing from this life you've started to form here that is essential to the college experience: campus involvement. Coming from someone who took a semi-long time to find her place here on campus, I can assure you that joining clubs, organizations, and a sorority have absolutely resulted in IU becoming a home for me. Not only is becoming involved in campus activities a resume-builder, but it helps you to discover what exactly it is that you like and want to do with your life and/or future. On top of that, you meet so many other students who are interested in the same things you are, which creates meaningful friendships and connections.

First off, if you've already declared a major or know what specific school you're applying to or have been accepted to, check out the website that correlates with your school. Most of the time, you will find a list of ways to get more involved with activities specific to your major. If you're anything like how I was as a freshman, and have no idea what your major is going to be or even what school within IU you want to apply to, you can go to http://www.iub.edu/student/activities/index.shtml. Through this website you will find a list of several different organizations, volunteer opportunities, and clubs on campus. Keeping tabs on the IU website is definitely a great way to get informed on different involvement opportunities.

And then there's all of the chalking that I know you've noticed around campus. A successful marketing technique that clubs have been using to reach out to students is through chalking around campus and passing out flyers in high-traffic areas. Although it can kind of get annoying to constantly have other students handing you flyers as you walk through the arboretum, it can't hurt to take one or ask a question. You might just find the club that becomes a huge part of your life here at IU.

If you're wondering how I've gotten involved on campus, which you're probably not, I'll tell you. I'm a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and am interning as a campus representative for Fluent representing Macy's. I also worked at the Indiana Daily Student (the school newspaper) for two years as an Advertising Account Executive, and am currently a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Starting in a few short days, I will also be a contributing writer for HerCampus.com, a website specifically for college girls. Lastly, in a few weeks I will be announcing a brand new Food Recovery Network chapter on our campus that is getting started by yours truly. This organization's goal is to take all of the leftover food from on-campus dining halls and greek houses and donate it to homeless shelters and soup kitchens. If you're at all interested in joining my Food Recovery Network team, you can shoot me an email at msweil@indiana.edu or at brandnewatiu@gmail.com.

My coworkers from the IDS. Aka my second family

Joining these activities, clubs, and organizations on campus has definitely helped shape the person who I am today and has allowed me to meet the people who are now my closest friends. Remember how it felt to have that special bond with the people on your sports teams in high school, your friends from camp, or just those people who understood you? You get to have that all over again in college. I truly believe that sharing interests with people and having that unique connection is the root of all friendships.

Me and a couple of close friends who I met through my sorority 

I seriously recommend-- actually, no, I insist-- that you take a few minutes out of your day to look up something that interests you and send an email to the person in charge. You won't regret it.

Like always, if you have any questions, please shoot me an email! I have enjoyed chatting with the few of you who have reached out :)

xx, Maddy

The College Fifteen

Why did I title this the "College Fifteen" as opposed to the obvious "Freshman Fifteen?" Because the "fifteen pounds" that you gain during freshman year doesn't just evaporate after the year is over. It will stick with you and make you wish you could get your high school body back every day until you do something about it. Luckily, it isn't too difficult to avoid the dreaded fifteen and stay healthy and in shape, if you know how to do it.

First of all, you might wonder why it is that all of a sudden you gain weight when you enter college. IU is known for being one of the greatest party colleges in the whole country. Well, with parties comes alcohol, with alcohol comes lots of calories and hangovers, and with hangovers comes being too lazy the next morning to get your butt out of bed and to the gym. Not a drinker? You're already a step ahead of the game. But also remember that you aren't getting mom's home cooked dinners every night, and as deliciously greasy and amazing the IU food court food is, it's no secret that it's not the healthiest. Unless you're munchin' on salads every day, (which, if you are, you are doing something wrong), you might notice that you've packed on a few pounds after being here for a while. On top of all of that, you are probably so caught up in the new academic and social life that you are beginning to create here that sometimes, going to the the gym might get shoved to the farthest back burner in your mind.

So what can you do about it? Exercise, portion control, water.

Tip # 1: Schedule time every week to get to the gym, go for a run, go play tennis, really anything that will get you up and moving. And don't just tell yourself you'll squeeze it in; actually add it to your planner. What helped me freshman year was finding a few girls on my floor who also wanted to work out, and making a weekly schedule of days and times that we all had free time to head to the SRSC. Going with friends honestly motivated me to go so much more than if I would've had to motivate myself every day. Even just 30 minutes of exercising per day, or every other day, is enough to stay physically fit.

Tip # 2: Portion control is everything. In our buffet style food courts, it's so easy to go back and take more and more helpings of food, and we don't even realize that the calories just keep adding up. I am not at all a believer in calorie-counting... it's way too much work, and I've seen friends become obsessive to the point where it affects their quality of life. If you just manage your portions, you will notice a difference.

Tip # 3: Drink a lot of water. A lot of times when you feel like snacking, it's triggered by emotions, and causes you to have cravings, more specifically, salty or sugary foods. When you feel like snacking, try drinking a glass of water. If you are still hungry after you drink the water, chances are you are actually hungry and should have a snack. But if you are feeling satisfied after a glass of water, chances are you weren't actually hungry, and just wanted to fulfill a craving. You can also tell the difference between actually being hungry and not by if you even have a craving. If you are truly hungry, most any type of food will sound satisfying, as opposed to one specific food group like salty or sugary snacks. If you want that specific type of snack, drink a glass of water instead.

Tip # 4: If your jeans aren't zipping up as easily and you're not feeling so hot in your yoga pants anymore, cut back on or eliminate processed foods and starch from your diet: pasta, potatoes, white rice, corn, cereal, cookies and anything made with flour and/or sugar.  Simple carbs are a gut bulker and do nothing more than increase our cravings for more of the same.  So many of us are used to eating bread and starchy foods with our meals, but our bodies really don't need them.  Choose carbs with a high thermic effect, or complex carbs that require our bodies to burn calories just to metabolize them.  Some examples are steel cut oatmeal, quinoa, flax seeds, nuts, brown rice, actual whole grains (instead of "whole wheat bread," which can be very misleading). The less a food item has been processed or handled, the better.

Who am I to always be giving you these tips, you might ask? You're right, personal experience really is my prominent outlet for giving you advice. But for this blog post, I have had help from my mom, whose expertise is health and wellness, as she is a personal trainer and fitness instructor. 

Anyways, it's obvious that being in college can be stressful. That stress alone can definitely contribute to weight gain, but being proactive about staying in shape and eating the right foods will not only help you stay healthy, but will take away some of that stress, as endorphins are released through exercise. So you'll start lookin' good and feelin' good. 

Well that's all I have for now. Hope I wasn't being too preachy... I guess I got it from my mama ;)

Until next time!

xx, Maddy 

The Roommate

One of the most exciting, nerve-racking, and unique parts of freshman year-- something that can be wonderful and frustrating at the same time-- is living with a roommate. You might have experience with that sort of thing, if you've shared a room with a sibling before. But even that is extremely different than sharing a room with a friend, or in a lot of cases, a complete stranger. You might end up leaving freshman year as best friends, worst enemies, on good terms, on bad terms, with a whole new outlook on life, with a whole new wardrobe of your roommate's clothes or with tons of clothes missing... whatever it may be, living with a roommate is great practice for the future, because let's face it, you are probably going to live with someone at some point in your life. And also, you don't really have a choice as an IU freshman ;)

I'm lucky to have had these amazing roommates for my past two years here at IU.. Lauren and Taylor ♥

Things that are very important to keep in mind for the next few years as you live with roommates: First off, respect your roommate's space and personal items. My freshman year roommate and I made an agreement on how we want to share/borrow each others' stuff. First off, we were both pretty good about letting each other borrow clothes and other things, but our number one rule was to ASK FIRST. No matter what the item is, or for however short of a time you need to borrow it, it will save you a lot of trouble if you just ask your roommate first. "You weren't there when I needed to borrow it" is not an excuse. Welcome to the 21st century. We have cell phones. Text your roommate, call them, etc. That was just a super basic ground rule that worked really well for my roommate and me and saved us from getting into petty arguments.

Secondly, COMMUNICATION IS KEY. We've learned this concept since we were in kindergarten. If you are having a problem with something your roommate is doing, let them know! Chances are they do not know that they are doing anything wrong, so nothing can be changed if they do not know something needs to be changed. Make sure you are rational and level-headed so not to come off sounding rude. In most cases, if you talk to your roommate about how you're feeling, she will understand and try to fix the problem. If nothing is fixed after several attempts at talking to your roommate, that's when it's time to take the situation to a Residential Assistant. But like I said, if you just communicate with your roommate about the situation, 9 out of 10 times it can be resolved.

Another thing that you really should do as a roommate is watch out for each other. I know you may think you're being annoying and don't want to act like you roommate's mom by bombarding her with texts, but honestly checking in with your roommate every once in a while is really a good idea, and can prevent dangerous situations. Even if you know you are going to go out and not be back till morning, let your roommate know so she doesn't worry that you're in trouble. If your roommate is gone for more than 24 hours, definitely text or call her to make sure everything is okay. On such a huge campus, she could be anywhere, safe or unsafe, so checking in every once in a while is really essential.

My freshman year, my mom bought me a novel called "The Naked Roommate," written by Harlan Cohen, and I was hesitant to read it because, honestly, the name just sounded weird... but one day when I was bored and nervous about going away to school, I decided to open it up and WOAH was it a good book. It is absolutely loaded with tips on how to live with a roommate and stories about crazy situations that might come up, and plus, it was really funny. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you want some advice from a professional!

Anyways, like always, please e-mail me if you need any advice or have any comments about anything I've mentioned, at BrandNewatIU@gmail.com.

Until next time!

xx, Maddy

Looking Forward

Since I'm completely new to blogging, I thought I'd put together a list of ideas for future posts and show you guys ahead of time, so you can let me know if there's something that you'd like to read about that's not on my list. Obviously there will always be something to write about-- I mean campus has more going on in a day than I will in my entire life...okay hopefully not-- but anyways, this is just what I've thought of off the top of my head for my next few posts.

Introducing...

1. How to live with a roommate
2. Beating the Freshman 15
3. Getting involved on campus
4. Party Do's and Don'ts
5. Study tips
6. To Rush or Not to Rush
7. Top 10 spots for date night, girls night, coffee, studying, etc..
8. Getting off of campus
9. Fall trends on campus

Shoot me an email at BrandNewatIU@gmail.com if you'd like to see something else on this list. I'm always open to suggestions!

xx, Maddy

Some friends and I enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall in B-town

Dorm Livin'

Let's talk about dorms. Living in a dorm is part of the the quintessential freshman year experience. It's an exciting thought-- you're finally living away from your parents, on your own, in a ginormous building filled with tons of people your age. And yeah, it is pretty great. First off, I have to tell you that I have yet to meet someone who wasn't okay, if not completely satisfied, with their freshman year dorm by the end of the year. It will definitely take some adjustment to living with dozens of other people your age, when you're coming from living with your family in a house or an apartment. You may have an all-girl floor, or you might end up on a co-ed floor. You might have communal bathrooms, or you may get lucky with private bathrooms. There might be a food court downstairs, or there might be a C-Store. But no matter where you end up, you will find your niche on your floor and in your dorm, and you will eventually feel right at home. And I also must tell you that no matter which part of campus you end up living in, whether it be the territory you chose first, second, or not at all, you will find that there are unique positives to every dorm hall.

Take Northwest for example. This is where I stayed my freshman year-- and woah, did I love it. Not only did we have Gresham Food Court, but we had the McNutt C-Store, home to the best subs you will find in any college food court. Some say that these dorms are considered the "party" dorms. I'll tell you that yes, living in McNutt was really, really fun. Sometimes a little bit distracting, even. But I will also tell you that it's all about what you make of it. You can be the girl who goes to any and every floor several nights of the week looking for a party. You will find one, but you will also screw up your grades, which is not something you want to do-- especially at the start of your freshman year when you are just getting accustomed to everything. Or, you can be the girl who studies at the library when dorm life is getting too distracting, and therefore is able to leave her door open to be social when you're in your room. You need to be careful that you have your priorities straight when you're living in Northwest--school, then social-- but if you do, you will definitely be pleased with living here.

These are pics from my dorm room freshman year in McNutt. I must say my roommate
Taylor and I were very proud of it.. but it didn't look this neat and tidy for long ;)

 

 

Then we have Central. These dorms are pretty much smack dab in the center of campus. Not only does it have the most awesome food court ever- Wright Food Court- but living in Central, you are pretty close to where you will have the majority of your classes, and super close to the library (which is where studying is a must freshman year-- I'll tell you why later). You pretty much have it all living here: great location and even greater food. And to add to that, you are the closest to the SRSC, which is where you will need to drag yourself on a daily basis if you don't want to gain that Freshman 15 (something else I will talk about in an upcoming post.. it's real guys). Central dorms are also known to house the more studious and serious students- but then again, it's all what you make of it.

Lastly, we have Southeast. Southeast dorms tend to house a lot of music students and International students. This area of campus is also known for being right near all of the best restaurants and food courts. Read had El Bistro, where you can have homemade omelets and waffles- woah. Forest is just down the block from Red Chopsticks-- if you're into sushi-- and also from Bloomington's most famous pizza: Mother Bear's. Southeast dorms are also right near all of the Third Street classroom buildings, so you can literally roll out of bed and get to Third Street classes within minutes.

Like I said, every dorm hall will have its positives and negatives, and although there are definitely stereotypes to each dorm, as you will notice quickly, dorm life is what you make of it. You can be the party girl, the studious girl, the artsy girl, or all three, in any dorm on campus. I promise you will find your place quicker than you think and sooner or later, the dorm you're living in will be your home away from home.

xx, Maddy

Brand-New at IU

Are you a freshman, transfer student, or just a girl who's going to be new to IU come Fall? Will you be living minutes, hours, or hundreds of miles away from home and are you overly excited but a little nervous to start your life on the beautiful campus of Indiana University? Do you want a little advice on how to find your own, personal place here at such a huge school? If you answered yes to any of those questions, well, then this blog is for you. My name is Maddy, and I'm here to give you the 411 on everything a gal who's Brand-New at IU might need to know. From the cutest places to shop around campus, to romantic little locations to go on a date, to deciding on rushing a sorority, to the best spots to grab a bite to eat (or if you're me, to inhale ice cream like it's my job), I'll give you the inside scoop on how to survive your first year in style (or if you're me, like a complete clutz). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, because the next year, let alone the next four years, are going to go by way. too. fast.

xx, Maddy

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/09/0905_indiana/image/17_samplenight_1.jpg