Sifter

So you’ve made it to college (or back for the returning students) and you’re wondering what happened to that seemingly endless summer that just zipped by. Now here you are facing the grindstone with some dread, excitement, general apathy or a little bit of everything, depending on your personality type. For those of you feeling a little overwhelmed, or for you seasoned veterans who may not have thought of everything, the Sifter offers these tips to help ease you back into the school frame of mind.

Books: Always too expensive. Save yourself a few hundred bucks and check out Amazon.com to see if you can find better prices. Most of the time, you will.

Read: Besides leafing through your textbooks (which you should ’cause they cost you an arm and a leg), you should check out the local publications, like the one you’re holding now. Chico is a unique community; get to know the town and what’s going on in it.

Class: Give yourself some extra time to find your classroom, especially if you’ve got classes in Chico State’s Holt Hall, the Bermuda Triangle of campus buildings.

Cell phones: Save yourself the embarrassment and turn them off before class starts. No one wants to hear your übercool ringtone in the middle of a lecture; it’s just rude.

Food: Want to save some more cash? Pack yourself a meal instead of eating out or on campus. It will probably be healthier, too.

Bikes: If you’re riding your bike through the bike-friendly town to get to the not-as-bike-friendly Chico State, remember the campus has banned riding bikes in the center of campus 24/7. Walk it, or you risk getting a ticket.

Side note: Stop at all stop signs. The fine for running a stop sign on a bike is the same as in a car.