5 Things to Avoid at Humboldt State University

If you’re interested in this list, chances are you want to get straight to some substance. So here are things to avoid like the plague at Humboldt State University:

1.) HSU Parking lots

The parking situation at Humboldt State University is utterly miserable. There are only a few lots on campus that don’t even come close to accommodating the student population. Save yourself a couple hundred bucks on a parking pass and just take the bus (which is free for students), or live close to school.

I remember laughing at cars lined up in the only daily traffic jam in Arcata. This happened every Monday-Friday around 4 or 5 PM like clockwork, when students and faculty were leaving the library parking lot.

2.) Classes at Founders Hall

Unless you’re an English major, there’s pretty much no reason to purposefully schedule classes at Founders Hall. Sometimes there aren’t any options left. But if there is an option, take it! School is exhausting, and I see little to no point in making the trek up that massive set of stairs every day.

3.) Buying books at the book store

This can probably be said about any college campus anywhere. But in a small town that rarely has lines for anything, waiting for books at the bookstore was oddly irritating; even knowing that it was probably the only time I would actually have to wait in line for longer than fifteen minutes for about the next four months.

However, if you don’t have any options left, hit the bookstore early, or later in the day. The better option, of course, is to support a local business, such as Tin Can Mailman or Northtown Books.

An even better option is to find people who have the same major as you and already have the book; they might be willing to sell it to you at a really cheap price, or make a trade, or maybe it’s free if they like you.

4.) The library during midterms and finals

There’s pretty much one reason for not depending on the library to get your work done: the internet goes out in Arcata as frequently as it rains. Which means that when stressful tests and storms hit, students flood the library because web connection often stays up when it’s down everywhere else.

When this happens, it’s almost impossible to focus or get any work done. Once, a teacher recommended backing up all data in three ways: on a computer, on the web, and (most importantly) on a flash drive. This small bit of advice saved my grade more than a handful of times and allowed me to bring my work wherever I went.

Suddenlink: This is probably the worst internet service provider you could ever encounter. There’s absolutely no reason to ever give them your money. There are better local and national internet service companies out there, don’t be duped by their “low rates.” Please. Don’t. Do. It.

If you are enrolled at HSU, here are the things you must do before you graduate.

Dean Sorrgen graduated from Humboldt State University in late 2013 with a BA in English. He now spends the majority of his time writing and exploring the world around him.