Freshman Survival Guide

College is supposed to be one of the most exciting and enlightening periods of your life. Portland is an excellent city in which to attend school. It’s not as rough and cutthroat as some cities. Plus, it is a beautiful place full of good-looking people. There is a lot of fun to be had here, and at some point you’re going to have plenty of time to experience all that it has to offer.

For some of you reading this, you may be undertaking your first year of college, have never lived in a city before or may have never lived on your own before, or perhaps all of the above.

Although this is a fantastic place to go to school, and the city of Portland is wonderful, I won’t sugar coat it—there is a lot that can and will go wrong at some point. You’re going to be broke and starving, drunk and puking, sick as a dog, and in serious need of condoms or tampons in times you never thought you would need them. This can all happen in little chunks or all at once—one can’t be sure.

Here are some tips to help you trudge through the troublesome challenges college life can hurl your way.

Food

College is a place where you can finally pick what you eat all the time. Your first reaction may be to eat out every night and you certainly can do that. If you’ve got a fixed amount of money every month, then spend moderately—but not too moderately. Seriously guys, don’t be too frugal with your food budget; in my experience, it’s always better to be poor and fed rather than starving.

Try to hit up farmers’ markets to add some variety to your meals. There are numerous farmers’ markets around Portland, one of which is located right on campus weekly. This is going to be especially appealing if you’re on a student meal plan.

The Saturday Market

8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., March–October

9 a.m. to 2 p.m., November and December

The Saturday Market is very easy to find—just go to the park blocks next to the Smith Student Union Building.

There will also be times when you find you’re hungry, and it’s two or three in the morning. Obviously this limits options, but hunger will draw even the most timid person into the mean streets late at night in search of food. When it does, you’re going to find yourself at one of two places on campus: 7-Eleven or Plaid Pantry. These are two places located right on campus that are open all night, where you can get yourself some late-night munchies.

7-Eleven

Located at the corner of Southwest Broadway and Market.

Plaid Pantry

Tucked under the Ione Plaza Apartments on Southwest Mill Street, next to the Streetcar tracks.

If it’s not Saturday and it’s not three in the morning, then maybe you just need a grocery store. There is only one actual grocery store located right near campus and that’s Safeway. However, here is a list of some nearby grocery stores you may choose to visit.

Safeway

1030 SW Jefferson St.

Fred Meyer

100 NW 20th Pl.

 

Housing

College is likely the first time most of you have ever had a roommate. At Portland State, roommates are often assigned based on a preference card, so you never really know who you’re going to wind up with. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to get along. While you should try to make things work out with your roommate, sometimes just talking your issues out isn’t going to be enough. Your Resident Advisor (RA) is going to be there to help you figure out problems with your roommate, so don’t be afraid to ask your RA for help. There are a lot of other things for which you may need your RA. One such reason would be if the people above you turn on their shower and water blasts down through your ceiling, or mushrooms are growing on your windowsill.

Resident Advisors

Your RA will schedule a meeting at the beginning of every term. Go meet them, get their number and save it in your phone.

No matter how careful you are, stuff is eventually going to get so old that it will break without warning. Anything from toilets, doors or appliances are going to bust unexpectedly. In a dorm you really don’t want to even bother trying to fix things yourself, especially at Portland State where the housing department is quite good at fixing things quickly.

Maintenance work order

To get something fixed in your dorm, just go to www.pdx.edu/housing and click on “Maintenance work order” under the Housing Portal tab.

Getting locked out sucks, and no matter how hard you try to keep it from happening, you may just forget. Luckily there is a solution for when you just don’t remember your keys. To get back into the room, you’re going to have to get the advisor on call. That will be different for everyone depending on which building you wind up living in, but your RA will be able to hook you up.

Medical

The Center for Student Health and Counseling

Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The SHAC can be found in the University Center Building on the corner of Southwest Sixth and Hall.

Phone: 503-725-2800    

Dental Clinic: 503-725-2611

It’s always important to know where to find a doctor—whether you broke an arm when you spilled your bike or have a mysterious rash on your junk after having sex, you need to know where to go to get it taken care of. Luckily, as a student at Portland State University, you have an incredibly valuable resource available to you. The Center for Student Health and Counseling offers general medical services to help you get over whatever it is that ails you.

As well as general medical assistance and testing, SHAC also has a staff of counselors to help you get through stress, depression, drug abuse or if you are having suicidal thoughts. The staff at SHAC can help you through it.

SHAC also has dental service. It’s true! Cleanings, drillings and sealings right on campus.

Sometimes your problems may require a specialist or a hospital, in which case SHAC can refer you to one nearby that might be covered under your student health insurance. Visit SHAC during orientation to get more information and ask questions.

Women’s Resource Center

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Women’s Resource Center is a little difficult to find, as it is tucked away under Montgomery Hall. It can be found easily if you go to the courtyard behind Montgomery Hall located at Southwest 10th and Montgomery.

Phone: 503-725-5672

An easy misconception would be that the Women’s Resource Center is just for women. While the center is in fact a fantastic resource for women, it is also a center for help in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault which you may very well find yourself dealing with during your college life. The Women’s Resource Center provides advocacy and can help you find the resources you need to figure things out. So if you are in a relationship and your partner gets all kinds of nasty with you, this is the place to go to seek help.

Additionally, the student-driven Women’s Resource Center provides lessons on healthy and safe sex practices.