Big welcome back to campus from everyone here at KRUX!
I was doing some thinking about all the things that I learned, experienced, and would have liked to know as a freshman. Things that I wish I had someone to show me/teach me. So, I thought it might be helpful to make a list of helpful tips, study spots, and advice that I felt would have been good to know as a first-year student who is also brand new to Las Cruces.
Firstly, I want to mention the spots within walking distance from the dorms on North Campus. Right across the street from Garcia and Pinon, we have a selection of fast-food restaurants, a grocery store, a couple study spots, and a gas station. The Pan-Am Plaza houses Milagro Coffee, Toucan’s Grocery Store, and the Dollar Store. Milagro Coffee is a great study space with a designated back room. They have an affordable menu with a great selection of sandwiches, paninis, and assorted beverages hot or cold. Toucan’s Grocery is a short walk that’ll get you in and out quickly. It’s a pretty small store with a good selection of produce and meats. Make sure to take you Aggie ID for 10% off every day. The Dollar Store is a great option for those of us on a budget. You can get some food options, organizational products, cleaning supplies, etc. for pretty cheap.
Adjacent to the Pan-am Plaza there is the Speedway gas station that everyone uses before a holiday break. Good for quick snacks, some over the counter medication, and some basics like flour and baking soda. The Corbett Student Center can help you out with some bagels from Einstein’s and some pre-packaged fruits and veggies from the Food Court. I really liked their salads. Then further down South Locust Street there is another little study spot called Spirit Winds. It’s a bit further of a walk but has a cute little environment. It’s not the biggest, but it is worth the check out.
A little further down University, there is another little plaza that has more study spots and good eats. Chains like Kiva Juice, Chick-fil-a, and Starbucks are all right there, along with an array of different locally owned cuisine from burgers to sushi. A couple of my favorites in this stretch are Mom’s Coffee, a good study and meet-up spot. Great sandwiches and good coffee! And then Voodoo Burgers. It’s a little bit on the pricey side, but has delicious hand shaped patties.
If you can drive off campus, you can venture a bit further a little easier. In this case, the next stop on our list is the Downtown district, which has been developing in recent years in some big ways. The easy must hits are the RAD Retrocade and Grounded. The Retrocade is your ideal arcade, a selection of the classic arcade games, mixed with a sports bar, mixed with a diner, all 80-90s themed. They do require 21+ after 7pm, so make sure you go at the appropriate time. Then at Grounded, we’re looking at a totally different vibe. It’s a real place for the common artist to create their next masterpiece. Tons of seating options, couches, booths, tables, indoor, or outdoor. Their Margarita Pizza will have you craving it over winter break and their Acai bowls are perfect for a hot day. (Every day ;))
If you can get up early, the Farmer’s Market on the weekends is always good to check out. Go with friends or go alone! It’ll sure to be a nice stroll down North Main Street. Food vendors, artists, musicians, etc. line the streets of Downtown Las Cruces. Every first weekend of the month there is the Fine Arts Farmers Market. Be sure to check that out too!
Downtown Blues is a cool little coffee shop/thrift store. Pick up a coffee while listening to local musicians while browsing used coats. I’m also told that have dipin dots, which is a major plus. Up next is the local record store, Eyeconik Records and Apparel. Super cool people. VHS, Vinyl, CDs, Tapes, they’ve got it. There is also a giant bookstore called COAS. They offer store credit and have a huge selection of books to choose from. You could spend hours just browsing. There is also a little music store called White’s Music Box and a Comic book store called Zia Comics.
There are two major theaters in town, both Allen Theaters. One at the Mesilla Valley Mall, Cineport 10, and one on Telshore, Telshore 12. They do $5 movies every Tuesday. Bring your friend, go it alone! Make Tuesdays movie night! :)
Some good restaurants to hit up that aren’t chain: First up, Luna Rosa on Avenida de Mesilla, Italian wood oven pizza and house made gelato. Really known for their wines, from the Luna Rosa vineyard in Deming, NM, they like to say that their pizzas are served with wine. It’s such a lovely environment that is perfectly fit for a date night with friends, family, or that special someone. They have amazing options menu-wise, including deserts all made in-house and fresh daily. Their chocolate ganache cake is probably the best I’ve ever had and their gelato is the perfectly refreshing.
The Shed located on South Valley Drive, is such a good place for a chill, casual, and cute breakfast. It’s got a cool environment with colorful and funky decorations and ceiling fixtures. Indoor or outdoor seating available on a covered patio. Their menu is extensive and has a little something for everyone. I go for breakfast and get the Plain Old Breakfast. Their little papas are so addictive! When you are no longer a freshman and are into your 21st year, you can take advantage of their $3.50 mimosas on Saturdays. All their breads are house made fresh every day, including Green Chile Cheddar and Cinnamon Raisin.
We’ve already talked a little about Grounded but to reiterate, they have the best margarita pizza I think I’ve ever had! The environment is perfect for studying, lounging, a casual little date night, and so much more. Grounded is very much a community-oriented space. Watch out for live music and other little events that happen inside and outside the venue. Grounded has its own patio that puts you in new little world full of other small and local businesses. You’ll feel the creative juices flowing while you snack on an acai bowl with fresh fruits. It is a little bit on the pricier side, but I think it’s worth every penny.
Groceries can be a hard thing to budget and figure out, especially if you’re on your own for the first time, are cooking for the first time, or are trying to alter your diet for the first time. It’s expensive out there right now. It’s hard to stay under $50 for much of anything. It’s important to price check different grocers to make sure you are getting the best prices for produce, your meats, your dairy products, fruits, snacks, etc. Toucans, Albertsons, Walmart, Target, and Lowes Food are all great options.
We’ve talked a little about good study spots off campus, but I wanted to bring attention to the plethora of study spots on campus. The libraries are an obvious choice, Zuhl has a Starbucks inside as well as the NMSU Bookstore. Branson is a little more on the serious side, so if you need a hardcore, no-distractions-whatsoever study session, this might be the better option. Zuhl has study rooms that you can rent as well as on the second floor of Corbett. Corbett has great options for studying too. Study rooms and seating options line the entire first and second floors. Don’t hesitate to use the Computer Lab, even if you have a laptop, there are some good seating options in there as well.
Now, everyone knows NMSU has a nightlife starting on Thursday night going all the way to Saturday and sometimes even Sunday. Parties are never hard to find, and events are always happening. If you want to get away and cross into Yee-haw territory (sorry Texas natives), you are only a 30-minute drive away from more options. Be sure to drive safely and responsibly! Little Bit of Texas is an extremely popular spot. Dancing and cowboy boots are to be expected. Apart from that, El Paso is a little more “on the map” when it comes to concert venues. There are a lot more artists going to El Paso than Las Cruces. If a concert that interests you comes up, go! It’s not that far and it’s so worth it.
Back on campus there are a few more tips and pieces of advice that I should tell you. As far as eating in Taos or somewhere else on campus, don’t be afraid to eat alone. I promise you don’t look as lame as you think you do. But if you have someone in mind that you want to get to know, invite them for a meal. Taos is the spot in your first year to meet up with people. And on that note, use your dinning dollars! There are so many places that you can use the dinning dollars. The Frenger Food Court has a few different options that all take the dining dollars, along with all the restaurants on campus including Chick-fil-a, Subway, and Panda Express. And then don’t be afraid to run out of meal swipes at Taos. Even with the smallest meal plan (for non-Dona Ana residents) you won’t run out unless you’re going like 6 times a day. But most of us go maybe twice. Go into Taos just for ice, just for dessert. You’ll make it to the end, I promise.
Try to study anywhere but your room. To keep your room a relaxing environment, go study at the library or even someone else’s room. Clouding your room with stress from homework you can make you not want to be in your room which is something you don’t want. Along those lines, try to decorate and make your space as customized to you as possible. It’s your space, treat it as such. Put up the posters, buy a lamp, if you need two trash cans because it’s more convenient, get two trash cans. It’s all about convenience, make the space work for you. And try to work with your roommate if you have one!
Utilize the Activity Center and the Aquatic Center. It’s free to use for full time students. Free weights, cardio equipment, basketball courts, track, and indoor and outdoor pools. All you need is your Aggie ID.
Print in Corbett with Wepa Print. Download the app on your phone or tablet and log in to your Microsoft account. Now you can access your files form your phone and can send them to print. It’s about 10 cents per page.
If you live on campus, in north housing (Pinon, RGH, Garcia, or Juniper) and you come home later than 9pm, be prepared to walk. They like to sell a lot more parking passes than there are parkings, so get your walking shoes on and grab a buddy because you’re probably going to have to walk from the Pinon overflow lot.
Beware of cold water in the early mornings!
Try talking to your neighbors. In your classes and the people that you live next to. It doesn’t kill to be friendly.
Take advantage of the free therapy that NMSU offers. I know plenty of people that used this service, including myself, in their first year. It’s a rough transition, we all know it. It’s not hard to schedule and it’s not that scary, I promise. And if you try it and hate it you don’t have to go back, but at least you tried.
Find a campus crush. They’ll keep you motivated. You’ll want to look cute and then you’ll feel cute. And you’ll want to get to class on time for the possibility that you might pass them on the way there.
If jumping in the duck pond sounds like a good idea, I can assure you, it is not. You will smell for days and very likely get very sick. That is not clean water. Refrain from the urge.
There is a piano free for anyone to use in the Spiritual Center right across from Pinon.
Take honors classes if you are eligible. They are so much more engaging and interesting. The professors are always cool and honestly, it’s not that scary. Anyone can do it.
Student Media likes to host events for students weekly. KRUX hosts Karaoke Nights and The Round Up hosts Trivia Nights at Pete’s Patio. Follow the KRUX and Round Up Instagrams (@kruxfm) (@nmsuroundup) to find out when these events happen! Student Media with ASNMSU also host concerts on campus from time to time. Be on the lookout for those as well! There are also a couple of drag shows from time to time on the outdoor stage of Corbett.
As a closing, here is some more advice from other no-longer-freshmen.
- Stay on top of homework, it’s easy to fall behind.
- Prioritize yourself, if you need to miss a class, miss a class. There is always tomorrow.
- Do more than just school, get off campus and have fun. Otherwise, you’ll get burnt out.
- Don’t pass up new opportunities, even if it’s new and scary and you don’t know if you should. Take the leap. Adapt and grow.
- Prepare and accept challenges. If you aren’t being challenged you aren’t learning, and you won’t grow.
- Try to take in-person courses as often as you can.
- There are going to be people that love and care for you exactly as you need and want. Don’t accept love that isn’t exactly what you deserve.
So, I wish all the first years the best of luck this year! I hope some of this is helpful or at least interesting for you all. Enjoy your first year of freedom!
Best, KRUX