By Rebekkah McKalsen, Contributing Writer
OSWEGO, NY – Fall classes at SUNY Oswego start in a few days, when more than 4,300 residential students return to Oswego.
SUNY Oswego freshmen move in Friday, Aug. 26; classes start Aug. 29.
Many of the first-year college students are leaving home for the first time.
We asked current college students what necessary items they have found themselves without most often in order to help students be more ready for move-in day.
Tooth brushes and other small items topped the list, especially for students who visited home throughout the semester.
Shellemar Rider, a Parish resident who is currently a sophomore at TC3, said that she didn’t forget anything when she first left home.
But, she said that she did end up forgetting things when coming home for isolated weekends throughout the school year.
“I forgot things a couple of times when I was coming home and going back. I forgot my tooth brush and [hair] brush several times so I ended up leaving a set at home and a
set at school.”
Between coming and going from school, this reporter has also left small items such as a hair brush and make-up.
Another concern was batteries and chargers for electrical devices.
Katie Cloe, who is studying at Wells College, listed several items including batteries and the TV remote, which she left at home.
“I always forget essential things,” she said with a laugh.
Even students who believed, as Kerri Knopp did, that they “had all of the bases covered,” found themselves without essential items.
Knopp, a residential student at SUNY Oswego, said, “I wish I had brought a printer with me so I didn’t have to walk through campus to get to the library at night.”
Knopp said that doing so made her nervous because the campus “can be creepy at night.”
Knopp’s concerns are legitimate ones; according to Security on Campus Inc, a nationwide non-profit organization, 72 percent of crimes on college campuses happen
at night.
There has also been research conducted by the US Department of Justice suggesting that as many as one in four women will be raped while enrolled in college.
Rather than walking across the campus to go to the library and print a paper, which is something most students do alone, having a printer is a much simpler option that leaves students with peace of mind.
Other students wished they had been more prepared for the challenges of college.
Joshua Lamb, a Fulton resident who studied at Liberty University in Virginia, said that he wished he had been reminded to manage his time better.
“With more freedom comes more responsibility,” he noted. “It is not as easy as being at home.”
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