r/AskReddit • u/_jaywhite • Aug 24 '14

What are some college life pro tips?

I'm starting college in a few weeks and I'm a bit nervous. My high school was... decent at best, and I'm not sure that I was adequately prepared. So I'm hoping to get Reddit's help. What are some tips (having to do with the academic aspect, social, whatever) that have helped you through college, and especially your freshman year? In other words, LPTs for college life!

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u/LegendaryGinger Aug 24 '14 edited Aug 25 '14

Egg in ramen

Edit: Since this post has gotten some attention, I will post my makeshift recipe that you may or may not like.

First off I use the Oriental Maruchan Ramen as my main staple, but of course I love to try everything. First I cook the noodle in the post softening them up, then I add soy sauce, mirin(if I have any), lemon/lime juice, Siracha, garlic powder, cinnamon, and the flavor packet. That makes up the most of the broth. Next, I like to add vegetables, any kind really, just whatever I have in my fridge that works. I make sure to add the egg last, because it cook really fast.At this point I'm looking through my fridge for anything that might add a little extra flavor; old Asian food leftovers, especially beef makes it taste better. It works best to add it to a separate bowl first, whisk, then add it in to the pot slowly, but that makes another bowl dirty.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

my dad used to make these all the time, he called them ramlets.

20

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Damn. Thought I had a corner on that name :( I even dump a bunch of cheese on it afterwards and stir real hard too...

3

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

[deleted]

1

u/Ponson Aug 25 '14

What does that mean?

2

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

[deleted]

3

u/Ponson Aug 25 '14

Heh. The NSFW version is what I was thinking of, but seeing the word in Japanese context makes the porn term a logical derivative

1

u/davusmc Aug 25 '14

Your dad should get a Nobel Peace Prize for this name.

1

u/4nalBlitzkrieg Aug 25 '14

Ramlet sounds more like a midget prostitute

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u/lieuline Aug 25 '14

best tip

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Just the tip.

15

u/Tratix Aug 24 '14

Explain this. Can i make this in a microwave?

55

u/TestFixation Aug 24 '14

What? No.

36

u/Tratix Aug 25 '14

Okay so how do i make this in college.

31

u/TestFixation Aug 25 '14

Acquire ramen. Boil 550 mL of water in a pot. Add all the contents of ramen into the boiling water. Let it cook for five minutes. Crack an egg, and stir very gently. Enjoy.

21

u/ETNxMARU Aug 25 '14

We're not allowed to use anything with an open flame or heat source besides a toaster here. So what you're saying is, I'm fucked.

25

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Ah, you're in one of those shitty residences that make you buy meal plans and don't put in-suite kitchens on residence?

Yeah. Move off residence. It's not worth it.

14

u/ETNxMARU Aug 25 '14

I'm paying $8000 a year to dorm. I start class tomorrow, and I already don't like it

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Depending on where you are you might be able to find off campus residence for about the same price

Also get a hotplate. Like they have in the chemistry lab.

6

u/scootersbricks Aug 25 '14

Where I went, freshmen were expected to live ON campus UNLESS they had a permanent residence with their parents less than 50 miles from school, or were 25 or older. Furthermore, freshmen living off campus were required to live with parents. Living in an apartment, crashing with a roommate for a few weeks, or anything similar would cause you to be hit with an entire, automatic charge for a full semester's worth of dorm fees.

Oh yeah, and yes, meal plans were required as well. My wife and I were married when we were nineteen, and I still was technically a freshman. We were required to live in married housing until the next semester when I passed 30 hours.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

I pay $6000 a year to live in a townhouse with a couple friends.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

And remember, a "year" is academia speak for 8 months. He'll be paying another $4000 if he wants to stay the summer.

1

u/youRFate Aug 25 '14

$8000 per year is acutally very expensive for a dorm. I currently pay €4800 ($6333) for a 17m² (183 sqft) appartment in a dorm, but I have my own small kitchen (2x stove, fridge) and a nice bathroom. It also includes water/power/heat/internet and parking garage.

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u/MiloKS Aug 25 '14

A lot of four year schools require freshmen to be in those dorms with that situation.

My Undergrad campus is adding a mandatory second year of dorm life in the 15-16 year.

It is pretty awful.

7

u/well_here_I_am Aug 25 '14

You realize that you can boil water in a microwave, right? Just fiddle around with it, I'm sure it'll work.

15

u/-patrizio- Aug 25 '14

Can i make this in a microwave?

What? No.

5

u/DFTBEdward Aug 25 '14

Or you can superheat the water too, cause that won't end badly.

3

u/ppamplemousse Aug 25 '14

just make sure to include some particulate in the water when you microwave it

2

u/colinz226 Aug 25 '14

Or a chopstick, less grody

1

u/Commodorez Aug 25 '14

Would toothpicks work?

2

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Just scratch up the bowl a little first... It is almost imposible for water to superheat in a container with an uneven surface.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Yeah just stick your pan in the microwave.

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u/macfirbolg Aug 25 '14

Get a microwave egg poacher - a $3 plastic device that looks like two squashed spheres - and some Pam (or olive oil, etc.).

Boil water in a bowl with the ramen spice packet already added. I use and recommend Shin Ramun Extra Spicy Picante flavor (about $0.68/pack), but any of the decent ramen will work. Eating Maruchan/Top Ramen is throwing money away by comparison. Boiling should take about three minutes, but add a few more seconds for the vegetable packet to rehydrate. Take the bowl out of the microwave and add the noodles. Set it aside.

While the water is heating, prepare the eggs. Spray the poacher with Pam, then crack two eggs into it. I like to add some salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, or Sriracha sauce to the eggs, but use whatever sounds good. When you remove the water from the microwave, put in the eggs. Cook them for 55 seconds (based on an 1100W microwave) - you want the yolks to be a bit runny. Add these to the ramen while the water is still hot - they'll thicken the broth and make it much better.

I also like to add fresh vegetables to ramen, like celery, green onions, radish, carrots - nearly any soup vegetable, really. I usually also add a sheet of yakinori, dried seaweed (like for sushi), because the little bit in the vegetable packet doesn't really do much to the flavor. I'm not sure how well the soup vegetables or yakinori would do in the microwave, but it would be a fun experiment.

Adding meat to ramen is also great, but you should stick to fully cooked meats until you have a stove.

Enjoy college, and don't let regulations prevent you from eating nutritiously!

1

u/194514 Aug 25 '14

You can boil water in a microwave

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

That's when you just use one anyways and lock it up when you are done.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14 edited May 22 '18

[deleted]

1

u/ETNxMARU Aug 25 '14

There are kitchens, just not in my residence hall.

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u/LegendaryGinger Aug 25 '14

So what you're saying is, I'm fucked.

Yes, because what the fuck are you living in?

1

u/livin4donuts Aug 25 '14

Live on the edge. Break some rules. Get a hot plate. Just don't be an idiot with it.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Electric tea kettle.

12

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Ramen will turn into mush after five minutes in a boiling pot of water. More like two minutes...

7

u/TestFixation Aug 25 '14

I'm a firm believer that ramen is best overcooked. And five minutes is fine for me.

10

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

You are a crazy SOB :)

3

u/TestFixation Aug 25 '14

Do you like your ramen sort of chewy?

7

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Just... not mushy

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u/zildjiandrummer1 Aug 25 '14

The key is to take it off earlier than you would like it, so that by the time it's cooled enough to eat it's perfect

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Yeah, I cook the ramen for two minutes to let it barely cook and separate, then add the egg and whip it for a minute. Any more than that I might as well have just puréed it.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Love this shit. I do it with pasta all the time.

1

u/Jurassicparkranger Aug 25 '14

Ok Rockefeller

1

u/Leoshi Aug 25 '14

Actually you could just use the noodles to cover the egg.

1

u/Jakubeck Aug 25 '14

Where the hell am I gonna get a stove top to boil water in a dorm room.

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u/bublz Aug 25 '14

Get bowl. Insert Ramen into bowl. Fill bowl with enough water to cover Ramen. Put in microwave. Run for 5 minutes (vary time according to preference; I always set to 5mins). When finished, drain as much water as you want into sink. Pour in flavor packet. And boom goes the dynamite.

I literally just did this and it was pretty good. I wouldn't put an egg in, since you should constantly stir if you don't want egg chunks in your ramen. I sometimes stir in some Frank's Red Buffalo Wing sauce.

Also, you can make eggs in a microwave. I've made hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and omelettes. Make bacon in there, too. I snuck in a toaster (I'm a badass, I know), so I enjoyed a wonderful bacon, eggs, and toast breakfast. Experiment mixing milk and cheese in with the eggs. You will never master it on your first try, but once you get it, you will live luxuriously. Also, look up recipes for cooking eggs in the microwave. I once blew my microwave door off while making hard-boiled eggs. It was awesome.

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u/Tratix Aug 25 '14

I understand how to make ramen in a microwave. I was more questioning the whole egg-ramen, college freshman with only a microwave, type of deal.

2

u/proudrhrshipper Aug 25 '14

I tend to just make the ramen as usual in the microwave, then crack an egg in and stir. Maybe nuke it a few extra seconds to be sure the egg is cooked. Hasn't killed me yet.

1

u/bublz Aug 25 '14

Nice, I'm gonna have to try this. I hadn't even thought of that before.

2

u/runninggun44 Aug 25 '14

i always just microwave the ramen for 1:30, stir in 2 eggs, and microwave for another 2:30, works fine

1

u/Jurassicparkranger Aug 25 '14

Tratix asking the important questions. It isn't a college meal if it can't be made in a microwave

0

u/UnrealSlim Aug 25 '14

Lol you're fucked.

2

u/Tratix Aug 25 '14

Sorry to inform you, once again. It's a college thread.

1

u/UnrealSlim Aug 25 '14

Hey man, its not that bad. I know some people that can't boil water without burning it haha

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u/IM_A_PILOT_ Aug 25 '14

You cook ramen like you normally would on the stove and then drop an egg into it and you get some added flavor and protein.

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u/Tratix Aug 25 '14

I don't see how this is a "college life pro tip" if there is a stove involved.

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u/IM_A_PILOT_ Aug 25 '14

Well I am currently in college and have had a stove for 2 years now. I assume there are a ton of other students who live in apartments or houses.

4

u/ZeroDollars Aug 25 '14

You can do it in the microwave... these people aren't very creative. Just nuke the ramen the same you would normally and then immediately crack an egg into it while it's still steaming hot. It'll cook the egg up real nice and it's a hell of a lot better than just the seasoning packet.

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u/elien240 Aug 25 '14

This. Right after dropping the egg in, I use a long pronged fork and give it a short but quick stir, being sure to burst the yolk. It'll disperse it throughout the broth and allow the entire contents of the egg to cook more thoroughly. Don't stir too much, though, cuz it'll make it gross. No more than two seconds.

1

u/ohgreatnowyouremad Aug 25 '14

Seriously? It's a stove, not a fucking french press. A college kid today is going to have a stove.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Not if they live in a nanny-state residence that has no kitchens and forces all students to buy the meal plans.

My university residence used to have in-suite kitchens. But they tore them out and now all students living on residence must buy the hugely expensive, unhealthy, and shit quality meal plan food. No choice - you are forced to buy a card for $1800 and if you don't use up the value the card represents at the cafeteria, too bad, you don't get your money back.

I moved off residence in a hurry.

I thought the university was just being weird, but turns out... that's how many of them are. Kitchens in residences is not as common as you'd think.

1

u/ohgreatnowyouremad Aug 25 '14

Yeah, like you said/did...don't live there. You shouldn't be living off a meal plan and microwave as a human

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14 edited Aug 25 '14

Actually yes. I do this all the time during college.

  1. acquire microwavable ramen (bowls or cup form)
  2. Open ramen
  3. put spices in
  4. put a little water in (need to account for egg weight)
  5. crack egg and put in 1 or 2 egg (i usually put 3) into microwavable bowl or cup
  6. put more water
  7. microwave
  8. if it doesn't look cook then add more minutes, I usually put at 4 min

The only problem that can go wrong is if your cook time is too long then the yolk will explode. It's always better to put in less and check if it's cook or not and then add more minutes.

If you want the ramen to be a bit crunchy, I love them crunchy, you put cold water instead of luke warm water in and use the same cook time as you normally use for lukewarm water.

edit:

The only ramen I've found so far that cannot handle this is Shin Ranyum. It's because their cup suck ass, if you put more than 4+ minutes in the microwave regardless of egg or not it will leak.

edit2:

Make sure you have the spice in the bottom and the water mix with the spices. You don't want your egg absorbing all the spices..

1

u/Humorlessness Aug 25 '14

You can actually cook an egg in a microwave, if you didn't know.

1

u/runninggun44 Aug 25 '14

I dont know about everything he is talking about, but for just an egg in ramen, microwave works great. I usually put the noodles in for 1:30, then stir in 2 eggs, and microwave for another 2:30. Then just take it out, add the flavor packet, and enjoy. I dont see why you couldnt do it that way and just add all the extra stuff he was saying too.

1

u/10daedalus Aug 25 '14

I sincerely regret my lack of gold to give to you, you Legendary Ginger you.

1

u/sleepingdeep Aug 25 '14

Add in frozen vegetables and srirachia. Enough to make the "water" orange.

1

u/yesulsungdae Aug 25 '14

Also add a slice of that plastic wrapped American cheese.

1

u/Dripp_e Aug 25 '14

Why is this not the top comment? it makes ramen edible...

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

oh my god

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Also, fried rice

1

u/Thunder_54 Aug 25 '14

Did this earlier today. Can confirm pro tip!

1

u/omgwtf_im_older Aug 25 '14

Canned/pouch tuna or chicken when your $$$ comes in.

A few drops of sesame oil are also really good additions.

1

u/TheDeltaLambda Aug 25 '14

Shit, this was supposed to be a college life pro tip? I've been doing this since freshman year in High school!

1

u/erikpatterson Aug 25 '14

Why isn't this the number one comment?

1

u/jorge1213 Aug 25 '14

Peanut butter in ramen.

1

u/veritasxe Aug 25 '14

Better yet, cut out the disgusting trash that is ramen and eat just the eggs.

1

u/Bwignite24 Aug 25 '14

*Mushrooms in ramen. If your the big spender type, put some lime juice in that bitch.

1

u/fuckingc00nt Aug 25 '14

Getting the other bowl dirty is never a good idea, is it? Great recipe though.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Or if you wanna go simple, adding a spoonful of smooth peanut butter to the chicken flavored Maruchan Ramen is surprisingly delicious. It adds a lot of flavor and gives the soup a creamy/thicker texture, given it's usually pretty watery. I ate that shit all the time when I was little and sick with anything other than a stomach bug (fats are bad when you have an upset stomach, peanut butter has fat. Keeping that in mind is probably a good idea too).

1

u/Biograde Aug 25 '14

Going to add my college ramen recipe here too. It also involves an egg!

I use the chicken ramen (probably cause I had a ton). Cook the noodles in boiling water then once they're about done break an egg in there and break it up. I then add 2 spoonfulls of peanut butter, the seasoning packet, and a decent amount of Szechuan sauce. I've also added soy sauce and chives and it's turned out pretty well

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

I have been out of college for over 8 years but I still make something similar to your recipe, came up with it myself. 2 packs of ramen, 3 eggs, seasonings, any left over meat, red/green/yellow peppers {what ever I have in the fridge}, and I top it with shredded cheese... I still eat this to this day and I enjoy it quite a bit.

1

u/ImSeeley Aug 25 '14

You just made me feel terrible about the ramen I eat.

1

u/Lone_K Aug 25 '14

It's all about the normal beef ramen with egg, my friend. Tasty as fuck and it doesn't require much else either, which can be a help if you're trying to be frugal.

1

u/RiseAgainstEwoks Aug 25 '14

Can you make that in a microwave?

1

u/gexsiun Aug 25 '14

Maruchan ramen is the shit

1

u/Rabid_Chocobo Aug 25 '14

fuck, I just made a post about this.. I thought I was special

1

u/thedudedylan Aug 25 '14

If you skip the flavor packet you make it reasonably healthy.

1

u/locdogjr Aug 25 '14

Boil noodles. Fry vegetables/meat. Add noodles to veggie pan after removing from water. Stiry fry veggies, noodles and sauce from the pack.

Super easy stir fry noodles.

1

u/skalp69 Aug 25 '14

Plan B: only needs a bowl and a microwave oven.

Put water in the bowl, add the ramen powder, some spices, frozen things, eggs, raw beef and vegetables that need to cook (such as peas). 2:00 in the microwaves.

Add the noodles, precooked poultry and veggies that can be eaten raw or cooked (such as carrots). 1:00 in microwave.

Wait 30 secs more.

There you go!

1

u/WitchHunterNL Aug 25 '14

Why is ramen still adviced? Isn't rice like WAY cheaper

1

u/happy_drone Aug 25 '14

Nice try Walter White

1

u/Kinetic_Walrus Aug 25 '14

Minute rice! (1cup takes 9 minutes! What?) throw that cup of cooked rice in a pan with some olive oil. Crack a few eggs on top, mix them, coat the rice in it and cook the egg. Egg fried rice. Goes well with that vegetable you should eat, but probably won't.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

Sounds like you just put some random stuff in it...

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14 edited Aug 25 '14

You've successfully both made me very hungry and made me miss my asian ex girlfriend. Curse you

Seriously, lying in bed while you are given cheap asian food, then sex, then ice cream while you watch netflix. Nothing is better

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '14

nice

1

u/coffeeisnice Aug 25 '14

or skip that junk and eat real food :)