As Binghamton University freshmen prepare to pack up their cars and make the trek to campus with their parents in a few months, certain thoughts may be weighing heavily on their minds. Worries about registration, major selection and roommates may all seem daunting, but there are faculty and offices on campus here specifically to help eliminate all the first-year jitters.

New students may feel pressured to arrive at BU with a major already in mind. According to Career Development Center Director Nancy Paul, students shouldn’t feel pressured to make a decision early and should instead take advantage of their fist year.

“Students who don’t know what they want to major in should spend their first year taking classes they enjoy,” she said. “They should explore a variety of subjects and see what sparks their interest.”

She advises undecided students to talk to upperclassmen about their majors in order to help them decide if a certain career path will suit them.

Paul also encourages students to get involved in extracurriculars on campus to help further prepare for their post undergrad careers.

“When it comes to preparing for a career, it’s important that students get involved in campus life,” she said. “There are not a lot of majors that in themselves prepare students for a job. It’s their major combined with skills and experiences.”

Class registration can also cause incoming students a great deal of angst.

Since freshmen have the last shot at registering, they often find themselves closed out of classes with limited space. According to Lawrence Greenfield, Harpur Academic Advising director, this is nothing to stress over.

“Virtually anything a freshman enrolls in will move him or her closer to a degree,” Greenfield said. “If a student’s first Gen Ed choice is full, the time might be right for a student to be a little bit adventurous in choosing a backup.”

He also emphasized the fact that just because a class is full, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get into.

“Like other students, freshmen can petition to enter a full class,” Greenfield said.

Another issue that has caused a great deal of angst for many college students is that of the random roommate assignment. Unless the new student has come to college with a friend or acquaintance who has already agreed to live with them, they’re preparing to spend the next year of their life sharing a room with a complete stranger.

Students should know, however, that there are programs in place to assist them and their roommate with the transition.

“That’s what resident assistants are there for,” said Ashley Mears, assistant manager of the University Call Center. “They’re there to help with any problems that may arise.”

However, if a situation arises where two students feel that they will not be able to live with each other for the entire school year, students do have the ability to change rooms.

“Students can submit requests for second semester changes,” Mears said.

Another undesirable rooming situation many new students find themselves in is that of being forced to fit three students in a room designed to house only two. The tripling of rooms occurs when there is not enough space in dorms to house all the students.

According to Mears, the best way to avoid this is to submit housing forms as soon as possible, as rooms are assigned on a first come, first served basis.