About a year ago, I was a freshman. I had just moved into Lassen Hall and had a teary goodbye with my parents. Then that was it. I was alone. My roommate wasn’t there and all the girls on my floor were buddied up with their roommates.

I thought I would be productive and go get my books from the bookstore — this was something to keep me from remembering that I was alone and stranded on a new campus with no one I knew. So as I opened the doors to leave the dorm, I realized I had no idea where I was going.

While I walked around the foreign campus and searched around for the bookstore, it was obvious that I was a freshman. I had my backpack on and a school map crunched between the deathly grip of my hands. I had confusion in my eyes as I wandered around campus. I even called my friend from home as I was walking so I didn’t feel so lame and lost.

So to keep you from feeling the way I did that fateful day, I’ve listed and described a few places every incoming Chico State student should know.

Butte Station

This little building between Plumas and Tehama halls was my saving grace from time to time. Whenever I needed a quick lunch, I would go straight to Butte Station to pick up a sandwich or a salad.

If you didn’t know, sicknesses go around like the plague in the dorms. Butte Station was a great place to pick up some cold medication when the deathly dorm coughs went around. It was very convenient to be able to access those remedies immediately rather than having to bike or walk to a distant grocery store. Butte Station may be small, but it’s packed with must-haves for every student on campus.

Whether you’re looking for a Scantron sheet you forgot to buy before your exams or an energy drink to help you make it through your morning class, Butte Station has you covered.

Student Services Center

In my English 130 class last semester, we were offered extra credit if we went in to get our essays reviewed by a tutor. As soon as I heard extra credit, my head shot up and I immediately asked where I could go to get this help. Lo and behold, my professor told me to go the Student Services Center. I entered the tutoring office and was greeted by one of the tutors. My name was put on the waiting list and I didn’t need an appointment.

The tutoring session was amazing. The tutor was friendly and willing to help me with whatever I needed. Not only did I get extra credit, but I also did well on that paper because of the tutoring session. Outside of tutoring, the SSC also has academic advisers, counselors, a study abroad office and the Wildcat ID card office.

Bell Memorial Union

First off, everybody calls this building the BMU, so don’t get confused when someone says this. This building contains many different resources. First off, the Wildcat Store is there, which is basically a larger version of Butte Station. Everything you need to survive your first semester is right there. There is food, school supplies, textbooks and everything else you could possibly imagine.

Also in the BMU is another on-campus eatery, Marketplace Cafe, which is only open for lunch. Of the variety of selections including tacos, sushi and burgers, my personal favorite is the salad station.

Wildcat Recreation Center

The WREC is always packed with students, so there are a lot of people to meet. My friends and I would go rock climbing, which I was no professional at, and learned it was a great workout.

Not only is there a rock wall, but there’s also a basketball court, an indoor track, treadmills,  a pool and a weight room. The pool here is a great place to be on Friday afternoons. It is packed with students tanning and swimming to celebrate the end of the school week. I love going to the pool because it is a great place to socialize and to relax.

After a stressful week of school and running around campus to discover new tresure troves, the pool is a great place to hang out and unwind.

Lindsay Pincus can be reached at [email protected] or @LindsayPincus on Twitter.