Communication
The number one most important thing is to establish good communication between all the roommates — regardless of the number. Doing that from the very beginning helps make the situation more comfortable.

“Starting from when you move in, really take the time to sit down and set up some ‘rules’ for your room. When you don’t know someone and you live with them, all of a sudden, it takes some time to become comfortable. Really talking about stuff helps speed up that process,” said Deep Singh, junior mechanical engineering major and former resident advisor.

For first-years just moving into the dorms, this is a key piece of advice. And communication is the ideal way to establish a friendship with your roommate.

By asking these questions you can find a roommate who shares common interests or has similar habits.

Friendliness
But the most important thing to remember is to try and become friends with your roommate.There are a number of things you can do to bond.

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

I’m here to provide you with a guide to getting through these four years, straight from the Queen’s mouth.

Queen B, that is.

In my two years here at Davis, I have discovered that a Beyoncé music video can get you through almost any shitty situation. Maybe it’s the sparkles. Maybe it’s the voice. Either way, it’s real. Beyoncé will save your life.

So pull up YouTube and get ready to change your life.

“Start Over” is pretty straightforward. You’re in a new place and you’re allowed to be whomever you want to be. This could involve a $7.99 box of hair dye from Rite Aid (word of advice: splurge for the $14.99). Maybe it means adopting a British accent for the first day of school, or dying your entire wardrobe black. Just remember that this is your chance to figure out who you really are, and it’s OK if that’s a different person than your high school self. Actually, I really hope that it’s a different person than your high school self.

And that person you choose to become? It’s all about them, as Bey points out in “Ego.” This is a time for you to focus on yourself. Be proud of who you are. Post mirror pics on Facebook.

College is all about you. A time to be completely selfish and not depend on anyone. Because they will probably just disappoint you.

But don’t think that you don’t matter in the big picture. As scary as it may seem, we are the future, and one day, we will run the world. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be just the girls, as suggested in “Run the World (Girls).” But that’s a feminist column for another time.

But seriously, we’re going to be in charge. Luckily we go to a top university, where you can find resources for ruling the world and the professors really do want to see us do well. While classes may seem like a pain in the ass, try to learn as much as you can before you get to the adult world. We’re all depending on you. I also suggest reading up on zombie apocalypse literature.

And while college may be all about you, don’t forget to give back. Go watch the music video for “I Was Here.” Then sign up to volunteer, go change someone’s life and get a meaningful job (at The Aggie!).

Probably the best advice you’ll get from Mrs. Jay-Z is that college is a “Countdown.” To finishing school. Getting a job. To having a child who’s more famous than you are. Real life. Just like Beyoncé and baby Blue Ivy.

Make the most of this awkward in-between stage when you have little responsibility and lots of opportunity. Let Beyoncé’s beautiful music remind you to do something meaningful with your time here, like writing for The Aggie.

So, Class of 2016, welcome to Davis. And don’t forget to be the best Beyoncé you can be.

HANNAH STRUMWASSER is happy to discuss the possibility of a Michelle Obama/Beyoncé Knowles 2016 presidential ticket anytime, and can be reached at managing@theaggie.org.

Yeah, your lifestyle changes, I admit that. You no longer live with mommy and daddy, you no longer get your lunch packed for you and you no longer have a curfew, or hardly any rules at all. But is that really change?

Packing my own lunch and not having a curfew hasn’t changed me. On average, I may be a bit more tired than when I lived at home and my health is sub-par to what it was back home, but how has that changed who I am as a person? So I yawn in class more often and I get the sniffles every once in a while. Oh, no, I changed so much!

As much as this goes against the grain, I don’t think college has changed me at all. I have the same personality and outlook on life. I still have the same interests and disinterests. I enjoy the same hobbies and have the same motivation to do them. My grades look the same as they did in high school and my priorities around my academics are nearly identical to when I was in the fifth grade.

But, I have undergone a change that is quite major this past year — now I eat my pizza with ranch dressing. By definition, yes, that is a change. But it isn’t this magical transformation of self that everyone is talking about. I am still Devon Bohart, I am still the same moderately intelligent yet goofy person — I just found something else to put on my pizza, and it’s damn good too.

People think that this culture shock, this sudden U-turn, in a person’s way of life brought on by college, is going to change who they are as a person, but I can’t see that as being true. If anything, one may find that they are developing into a perhaps more defined version of themself, but not changing. Never changing.

As adults, legally anyway, we have already mostly defined ourselves. It may be a bit elusive in some areas, but we have the skeleton of who we are. We just have to fill in the meaty parts. And I am not talking about careers. That is an entirely different idea that may never be clear to some.

But as far as who you are as an individual, filling in those gaps in your persona isn’t change, it’s development, and based on my experiences, college is the epicenter of development.

To clarify, I like change, and see it every day. I like to rearrange my furniture just to feel like I have undergone some change. But just because you go to college doesn’t mean you have to change. It’s possible, nearly anything is possible, but this definite fate of morphing into a new person is not real.

You may pick up a few new quirks during your time at Davis, or feel more strongly about something you have become more educated about, but that isn’t change. It’s character development, a healthy process for anyone. Except for me; that extra ranch on my pizza is anything but healthy.

DEVON BOHART can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

UC Davis has three housing areas for first-year and transfer students. These three clusters of dorm buildings are hotbeds for new students to make friends and get to know each other better. Sometimes the housing areas will put on events for its students like Halloween or Christmas parties, potlucks or even NFL playoff viewing parties.

Each housing area has its own dining commons (DC). While people often claim that different DCs taste better than others, their menus are nearly all the same. The menus for each DC can be found on the housing page on the UC Davis website.

Another important detail about the dorms it that all three regions have a student services center. The student centers, while all different, offer the same amenities including a computer tech hub, tutoring, free printing and even sports equipment and cooking supplies for free use.

While each dorm has something different to offer, each provides a similarly memorable experience to every resident.

CUARTO

Cuarto is located northwest of the campus but is hardly on campus. Residents have to cross the street to get to campus — which can be good for some students who like to have a separation between their home lives and their academics.

Due to the distance, some students take advantage of Unitrans and take the bus to class. However, Cuarto residents are the closest of all dorms to the University Mall (U-Mall), putting them near various eateries and other shops on the edge of campus.

Jeffrey Nguyen, a second-year economics major, lived in Thoreau last year.

“Cuarto basically forces you to talk to your dormmates because there’s not much there since it’s a bit far from campus. The good thing is that it’s closer to local stores,” Nguyen said. “The bad thing about living in Cuarto is when it rains; it’s really troubling to get home.”

Cuarto consists of three halls; Thoreau, Webster and Emerson. It used to include Castilian as well but that was closed last year. Webster and Emerson have a pool and spa, something unique to Cuarto.

Cuarto is also unique due to its suite-style layout. There are two to four rooms that all connect to a main common area, where many students install televisions and create a living room to share with their suitemates.

SEGUNDO

Segundo is the largest of all three dorm areas on campus and is located a short way from Cuarto, on the south side of Russell. It is divided into four regions: Regan Hall, Segundo Towers, Segundo North and Primero Grove.

Regan Hall has seven halls and houses several specialized living-learning communities such as “Music, Arts, and Performance” and the Multi-ethnic program. Regan students are also privileged to have their own courtyard for sports activities, social gatherings or even studying.

Segundo Towers is made up of four halls, all of them five-story high-rises. The first floor is simply a large common area accessible to any student living in that building, complete with couches, television, a kitchen and even a piano. The high-rises are situated closest to the Segundo DC, which students say they consider to be a benefit.

Segundo North has three halls that are considered to be more aesthetically appealing, mainly due to the fact that they are newer additions to campus. The halls are located next to each other and are closest to the local Rite Aid down the street. Segundo North is home to the Integrated Studies Honors Program (ISHP) floor.

Tessa Siu, a sophomore animal biology major, lived in Segundo North’s Miller Hall in the 2012 school year as part of ISHP.

“I liked the location since it was close to the U-Mall and the DC. I knew everybody in my dorm,” said Siu. “The DC got crowded really quick sometimes too.”

Finally, Primero Grove, a recent addition, beginning to house students starting in 2011. Primero Grove are apartments that house transfer students. It has three buildings, all creatively named after trees. The fourth building that is farthest north, Laurel, continues to run as a private apartment complex for upperclassmen who still want to live on campus.

TERCERO

Located on the south side of campus, Tercero is famous for its cow smell because of the close proximity to the Dairy Cattle Facility. Because the smell has been known to intensify during certain hours of the day, former residents advise to never open the windows.

Tercero closed its letter buildings for demolition to make way for new buildings. Therefore, there are currently three regions of Tercero: Lysle Leach Hall, Tercero South and Tercero South II.

Leach originally was made up of single residence rooms but, because of the influx of students, they are being turned into doubles.

Tercero South, consists of two halls: Kearney and Laben. These two buildings were built at the same time and have similar floor plans. Designed to house large numbers of students at once, Kearney and Laben consist mostly of triples.

Tercero South II consists of three halls: Wall, Campbell and Potter. They were recently opened in 2010. One of the area’s special design features was a large awning hanging over one side of Wall Hall, sheltering students from rain and sun and creating a unique spot for any Wall resident to study or socialize. Wall is also home to the Davis Honors Challenge (DHC) too.

Natalie Larios, a senior human development major, said she enjoyed her time living in D building, currently under construction, in Tercero.

“I liked it but I didn’t hang out much in my dorm room,” said Larios. “There wasn’t much not to like.”

MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Frank Delgado. Major: Chemistry
“Because of the forensic science program here.”

Eugene Arai. Major: Neurobiology, physiology and behavior
“It was the best school I got into.”

Rachel Johnson. Major: Exercise biology
“I’m [from] out of state and I’ve always wanted to live in California, since I’m from Colorado.”

Natalie Ford. Major: Undeclared in biological sciences
“I just like how everybody was so social and nice. It’s also a really pretty campus.”

Edgar Cuautle. Major: Undeclared
“It’s a really quiet town, a lot different from L.A. which is where I’m from.”

Rudy Cisneros. Major: Music
“It gave me the best financial aid.”

Terence Huang. Major: Music
“It’s well known and keeps my parents happy.”

Kailla Watson. Major: Biomedical engineering
“I know they have a good science reputation and are flexible if I want to change my major.”

Amanda Green. Major: Human development
“I just love it here. It’s really pretty and it’s a good school.”

Shyam Venkataraman. Major: Computer science
“It was close to home and it’s a good university.”