"All bags are packed, I am ready to go..."

Do you know the song "I'm leaving on a jet plane"? It always comes to my mind when I think about the arrival of new students in the summer and my own experience two years ago. A lot of Scotties that will be joining us next year share with me their excitement. I know that many of you are already planning your trip and arrival. This is very exciting and I remember myself making to-do lists and trying to prepare myself well. I realize that it can be a stressful time as well, especially for the international students and really anyone who lives far from Agnes Scott. Please remember that there is a bunch of people working at Agnes to provide resources that will help you with the transition to college. One group is the Orientation Council, who will welcome you as you arrive. Xiaoxuan Liu "Lulu" (class of 2015) and myself will have the pleasure of being the coordinators for the International Student Orientation.

Lulu (on the right) and I can't wait to meet you in August

As you start to think how possibly you are supposed to fit everything in one or (depending on the mercy of your airlines) two pieces of luggage, feel free to use these guidelines that I created based on my own experience.

What is a Scottie dress code?

1. Your favorite, comfortable set of clothes. One of the aspects of American culture is individualism that is prominent for example in the way people dress. This definitely applies to the daily dress code at Agnes. All styles - formal, classy, comfortable - are acceptable and no one will judge you by the way you look. In other words, there isn't a dress code that you will be expected to follow. 
2. Formal set of clothes. There are multiple occasions during school year when festive or formal attire is required. The most fun that comes from the opportunity to dress up is the picture time. Everyone seems to love taking pictures here.

   

   Photo credit: Center for Student Engagement
3. Be prepared for ALL kinds of weather. Coming to Atlanta, I expected the climate to be "tropical" in my understanding. I was surprised though when it started snowing in February. The solution is to dress in layers. Warm jacket, hat, scarf and gloves will be very useful. Shorts, dresses or any other summer clothes are a must-have for sure.

Spring and summer in Atlanta are beautiful. In addition to light clothing, a water bottle is an important accessory. 

"I'm singing in the (Decatur) rain..." 

Seeing snow after a beautiful summer and fall weather was a surprise for all the Scotties, but a nice one.

 

Shopping for personal care items

1. When leaving for the first time, I thought that I should pack the supply of toiletries (like shampoo, toothpaste, shower gel etc.) that will last for as long as possible. Unfortunately, this kind of items weigh the most and after taking just a few, there is hardly space for anything else. My advice: take a travel size bottles of the toiletries. You can buy all the other personal care items here in Decatur. In fact, we will take you on a shopping trip a day after you arrive. Here is what I discovered: most of the products like shampoo or shower gel in the American stores are size XXL. It means that you can buy one thing that will last you for a very long time which is money efficient and simply convenient.
2. Although there is a big variety of products in the stores, I personally prefer to have my favorite items from back home like my make-up. Therefore, this is my recommendation: bring the items that you are most attached to. I am positive though, that with time you will find a great substitute among the many choices offered in the American stores. 

Scottie Study Gear

1. Just like you don't have to worry about packing the personal care items for the entire semester or a year into a luggage, it's not at all necessary to bring notebooks, pens, pencils or other school supplies from across the ocean. There will be multiple opportunities to go shopping and purchase these items before the classes start. Also, did you know that we have our own bookstore on campus? It is one of the places where you can buy paper and other accessories once you run out of them.

   

   Besides books and school supplies, our bookstore sells clothing and accessories with fun Scottie logo on them.

2. Regarding personal computers, it is definitely helpful to have your own. However, it is not required and you can definitely get around without it. In fact, I have been without my own computer for a semester now and I have been perfectly fine using library computers for my assignments and other projects. I also want to share with you that this year our library purchased five iPods for students that we can rent, so there are plenty of resources that you can use even when you don't have a computer.

As I mentioned before, Lulu and myself (your Orientation coordinators) will take you to a shopping district a day after you arrive. There, you'll get to purchase bed linen, reading lamps, cell phones and anything else that you'll need. We will prepare for this trip together before we go, discuss the best deals and our recommendations.

This crazy bunch of Scotties from your Orientation Council is so excited to welcome you to our community! Can you see that red is a dominant color here? This will be a color of class of 2018. 

I hope that you can find some of these tips useful. Thank you for visiting my blog and working with me on your applications throughout the year. It has been a great pleasure to be getting to know so many of you and helping you out on your college search. Right now, I am off to prepare for the final exams and start my summer break, during which I will be travelling around Europe and studying abroad with the Agnes Scott program in Spain. If you need to contact us during summer, please write to admission@agnesscott.edu. Starting in September, I will use a new link for this blog: www.agnesupclose.com. I look forward to meeting you next semester as well as sharing even more of the Scotties' experiences on the blog. Good luck with the rest of your school year and see you soon.

Karolina Klimczak '16

Office of Admission International Fellow

141 E. College Ave

Decatur 30030 GA

globaladmission@agnesscott.edu