Adelphi University

Date: Jul 15 2005
Major: Anthropology (This Major's Salary over time)
I honestly enjoy being at Adelphi. Then again, I was fortunate enough to find a group of people on campus who are great friends, have cars, and we are busy half the time if not all the time.

Not only that but trips to the Mall to see movies, all of it, is fun and relaxing outside of the rather stale grind class can have.

The professors are phenominal, the facilities need some new furniture and a paint job in places—but these aren't huge seminar style 300+ classes. No, these are close quarters, one-on-one sometimes and it's phenominally fun to get to know your professors. They are some of the greatest educators.

Getting through first and second semester's a challege with the distractions I had. But you learn to manage yourself.

Public Safety, the oncampus security staff (Rent-a-Cops/Retired police offiers), they are bothersome and absolutely irritating. The going joke on campus is 'Pubic Safety', because they don't actually do a whole lot. But that's the reality on all campuses—it's to make your mom and dad feel safe. Public safety is good at informing people, sending out notices if something happens.

On campus make sure that you use common sense. Watch your cellphones, some people got the cute idea to steal a lot of them on Campus. If you bring a Laptop, make sure you realize where it is at all times. Things like that—basic common sense. And don't trust your security devices, such as plastic locks. Unless you've got your lappy bolted to the desk, watch it, stuff it somewhere. Valuable things need to be hidden. Keep your doors locked—common sense stuff. Now, I don't want to scare people off with that, it's just the fact that when you dorm around people your first year you need to realize that no matter where you go, if you're a dorm student or even a commuter bringing their stuff on campus to use—you need to be aware, protective and sensible.

Public Safety won't do that for you.

There's a lot of little things you need to get to know about the campus, who to talk to, when. Get your validation sticker on your campus ID.

Dorming with someone is fun—get to know them and the people on either dorm beside yours. It helps. Don't be afraid of upper classmen (especially if they have blue hair and are called Ink!)

Chapman Hall rocks, Linen Hall is okay but I prefer the lounge (stay away from the bathrooms in Linen!)… Linen is Chapman Hall's evil reflective twin (they mirrored Chapman and came up with the screwy blueprints for Linen), Eddy Hall is off kind of shoved in a corner. People in New Hall get swallowed up and eaten. I don't see those people practicly at all. Most are seniors in Linen maybe one freshman'll get into New Hall but that's it. Waldo Hall, right behind blodget, is kind of for the kids Adelphi'd like to get rid of… Earle Hall is for theatre majors, honors college kids—people like that. Earle Hall has the best campus access but Chapman (go chapman first floor girls!) is wonderful too. I dislike the rest for their placement. That and Waldo needs another door rather than having to swing around all the time into the quad.

If you're new and coming to Adelphi it's a nice school but you have to get to know the right people. Potheads leave around second Semester, lazy people usually leave second semester, and nobody will make you get up and go to class.

Another thing—bring headphones. Be polite to your roomie, write a contract before you enter the dorm with them, or just a verbal agreement (No sex, no drugs, no alcohol, no parties, or whatever)… If you feel your roomie is a psychopath after week one and you fear damage to your stuff, first off—pack up all things valuable, talk to your RHD (at the -beginning- of the semester, remember, it's harder to find placing during the semester). RHD are a godsend.

Adelphi has a few parties, unless your into Greek life I don't know how extensive the parties get—I just know that on campus the non-Greek folk we do pretty well so long as you can keep quiet and behave (stumbling drunk is not a good thing).

There are cameras everywhere on campus to monitor your behavior. Don't do things stupid until you know where the camera blind spots are. Public Safety will investigate complaints if you're being overly loud—save that for the weekends when everybody goes home.

Be sure to bring money so you can go into the city or out with friends. If you like sushi hang out in the Chapman Hall lounge—s'where a lot of us group for sushi binging.

Lackmann food (the food provider for the campus) is okay. But your intestines are going to revolt at about week 2 when the stuff you ate on week 1 finally finds it's way down the digestive track. Okay, it's not that bad, just be concious of what you eat.

If you want to work out in the gym—get a membership. $125 dollars for a year's access to the gym—just do it.

Campus Health Insurance sucks—have a private plan if you can, if not then it's your only option really.

Get a big ass keychain for all your keys. Just do it or else you will lose your keys. Trust me, I've watched intellectual people do some of the stupidiest things with keys (myself included).

Campus room inspections in Chapman are not too bad. Keep anything like hot-pots/electric teakettles hidden. They can't go -through- your stuff unless there's 'probable cause' don't give them probable cause. Don't bring incense, candles or EXTENTION CORDS. Extention cords are an absolute no-no and you will get introuble for them. Bring longer surge protectors for extensions. You need 3-4+

If you're in a triple, convince someone to move out. Triple rooms are only big enough for two people. But the double rooms are nice.

Have a place of refuge on campus from roommie. Garden City campus has so much to offer—walk around Swirbul, or the ampatheatre, or are Blodgett where you'll notice there are no cameras in one spot.

If you're a smoker—20 feet from all buildings. It smells on the second floor, don't taunt the people who live there, please. I smoke, just realize it's polite—even if your bum is getting wet/snowed on/hailed on etc… If you don't and the RHD catches you, you -might- be in for a ride after the first warning.

If you're a bored freshman and want to go to concerts or hang out—find the people who squat rooms on the first floor of Chapman. The clan there is unbelievable. Be prepared for chaos.

Adelphi's a great school—you just have to know how to make it a great school. A lot of people don't understand or have the capabilities of making it a great school for themselves outside of the classroom. Social life, anti-social life schemes to save your sanity, be prepared for dramas (Adelphi Junior High at times)… but if you can get culled into a fun group of people (who aren't totally self destructive) you can make it one of the greatest years of your life.

Have fun on your college search and feel free to contact me!