Orientation Week 2017 is officially underway and the Class of 2021 has a lot ahead of them. The next four years will be filled with, love, laughs, both incredible and shitty classes, rough nights, and wonderful memories. With so much to prepare for, the current DU students and alumni thought it best to leave the freshmen with some anonymous advice
1. “Don’t wear CU Boulder stuff. You’re at Denver. Be proud.”
2. “Don’t be cocky. Upperclassmen are nice if you don’t act like a stupid freshman.”
3. “Introduce yourself to pretty much everyone, especially during O-Week.”
4. “Say hi to people you’ve seen/met before, even if you can’t remember their name. You want people to know you and know you’re friendly.”
5. “Don’t be afraid to ask people to hang out. Everyone wants more friends.”
6. “Make all of the friends. Some will be really shitty and some will be awesome. It’s all about trial and error.”
7. “Don’t be worried if you have zero close friends after fall quarter. It takes time to make worthwhile friendships.”
8. “The people you meet during O-Week will definitely most likely not be your friends later on. And that’s fine.”
9. “Your roommate only has to be a good roommate, not your best friend.”
10. “Never live with your best friend!”
11. “No matter how much you may like your roommate, in the end it is your first time probably sharing a room and issues will arise. Be ready for them and be willing to talk them through as to not bread resentment.”
12. “Don’t let your roommate walk all over you. Stand up for yourself and talk about rules.”
13. “Try to meet people from the other dorms (still looking at you, J-Mac).”
14. “Be proud to live in Towers even though Halls kids will shit on you… they don’t know the luxury.”
15. “Keep your door open!”
16. “Sunday is the worst day to do laundry, just saying.”
17. “Figure out early that no one cares what you are wearing in the dining hall and go to late night in your pjs.“
18. “Would not recommend walk of shaming into the dining hall on a sunday morning rip me.”
19. “Eat as much ice cream from the dining room in halls. You’ll miss it once you don’t have a meal plan.”
20. “Find dining hall hacks to mix things up!”
21. “You can always ask the cooks if u have a request- gluten free, plain grilled chicken, etc are all available if you ask.”
22. “Nagel is life until you tired of it.”
23. “Late Night is delicious but can also give you the Freshman 15.”
24. “Use meal plan cash wisely (especially halls people).”
25. “Lots of restaurants around DU take Flex, so take advantage of that!!!”
26. “Illegal Pete’s and Snarfs are all you will ever need.”
27. “Illegal Pete’s is much better than Chipotle.”
28. “Get Pho’kd uppppppp”
29. “Get ALL the coupons at the start of school! You can get free sandwiches and coffee and burritos and awesome deals.”
30. “The RTD pass goes to both South Pearl St and Cherry Creek. Both have amazing food options!!”
31. “Use the lightrail!! It’s free. Try different stops and see what you find.”
32. “Take advantage of Denver and explore. Go to the Pearl Street Farmer’s Market, Wash Park, Santa Fe, First Friday Art Walk, the lower highlands, RiNo, and more!!”
33. “If you don’t own a car, prepare to become best friends with someone who does.”
34. “Get outdoors! Hike, ski, bike, fish, rock climb, etc.!”
35. “If you have the money for it, try to get your hands on some lift tickets, and head up to the mountains — the earlier you go, the more crowds you’ll beat.”
36. “Go to Red Rocks shows!! Best concert venue anywhere.
37. “Colorado is the most beautiful place on earth so enjoy it while you are here.”
38. “Orientation Week is awesome. Love it and remember it. No need to blackout the first week.”
39. “Go out every single night even if you don’t drink.”
40. “Try and meet as many new people as you can during O-Week. This will help you so much later on because you’ll actually have people to talk to/greet on campus.”
41. “Get used to not getting into classes you wanted.”
42. “If you don’t get a perfect schedule, don’t worry. You’ll survive. It’s only for 10 weeks.”
43. “Know thyself. Early classes/late classes and all classes bunched together/breaks between classes are important preferences to consider.”
44. “Try your best to put your passions and mental health first when creating your schedule!”
45. “The most important thing when looking at classes is the professor teaching them. They make or break your grade so pick classes on the professor’s Rate My Professor score above all else.”
46. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to advisors! They are there to help you. Take advantage of it!”
47. “Register ON TIME!!! Or you won’t be in the classes you want!”
48. “Don’t go out the night before a exam.”
49. “School is more important than bars.”
50. “Try not to procrastinate because it can really make life hard on you last minute.”
51. “You can’t learn 4-7 weeks of material in one night.”
52. “Do the study guides (if your professor gives you one) and take time to learn the material.”
53. “Read the dang syllabus.”
54. “STUDY for midterms and exams. They actually matter.”
55. “Don’t talk in the basement of the library even during finals week – the upstairs floor is for people who want to talk.”
56. “Make sure you reach out for help if you need it, a professor should never hold it against you.”
57. “Office hours can be the difference between a B and an A (or a D and a C).”
58. “My biggest regret from freshman year is having the mentality that “college is hard” so getting a bad grade was okay. But now that I am finishing up college I’ve realized how insanely doable those classes were despite the negative ideology floating around that it was impossible to be successful.”
59. “The quarter system goes by so quick so stay on top of things.”
60. “There are ‘midterms’ from weeks 3 to 8 it seems. Just look at them as tests and it will be less stressful.”
61. “The quarter system is dope because you get to take so many different classes. Take advantage of this and really branch out/try new subjects you might not know much about.”
62. “We aren’t kidding when we say join a club.“
63. “Making friends is hard when you sit in your room all day with nothing to do!”
64. “Join all of the things and then stop going to the ones you figure out you don’t like.”
65. “I’d recommend going through recruitment, you meet a lot of people and have no obligation to actually join a chapter.”
66. “Greek life isn’t that big of a deal, especially if you’re a girl. If you’re a dude, it means more opportunities to party if that’s your scene.”
67. “Find your thing and stick to it. It’s better to be super involved in one thing that you love rather than spread yourself too thin.”
68. “DU gives a lot of free stuff for events sponsored on campus so there is no reason you shouldn’t walk to Driscoll Green when something is going on.”
69. “Staying with friends in Keystone for Winter Carnival is where college memories are made, so go!!!”
70. “Music Fest is sick and always a good deal.”
71. “The Hockey Campout is such a fun way to become part of the spirit.”
72. “I would encourage the Freshman class to contribute; head over to some hockey games at least, and scream your head off.”
73. “Say yes to everything except drugs.”
74. “Please don’t do any hard drugs too much because those things are addictive and no one is invincible.”
75. “All you gotta do is find your people who like what you like and you guys can dig yourselves into whatever holes you so desire together.”
76. “Teen drinking is very bad but be like J-Kwon and get a fake ID tho because everyone will be at C&G/Border getting tipsy (blackout).”
77. “Stad is for upperclassmen, Ceeg is typically athletes, Border is ratchet/gross but also fun.”
78. “Don’t go to Border and Ceeg every night.”
79. “Learn your limits for alcohol – the altitude is not your friend when it comes to drinking.”
80. “House parties are typically small, everyone knows everyone.”
81. “It’s there if you want it. But there’s plenty of other things to do if you don’t.”
82. “Just because someone buys you a drink at the bar doesn’t mean you have to hook up or even kiss them.”
83. “Don’t think that an upperclassmen who hooks up with you is interested in anything more. They’re probably not.”
84. “Don’t stay in a relationship from high school unless they’re coming to DU too.”
85. “If you want to have (consensual sex) every weekend you can but there is no pressure whatsoever.”
86. “You can buy these dope condom packs in some of the dorm bathrooms, which should have all that you need.”
87. “If you like someone, don’t be afraid to ask them out on a proper date. Norms are created and enforced by individuals every day.”
88. “DU is very small which is something you will realize quickly. That one time hookup you will most likely frequently see around campus for the rest of the year.”
89. “Tinder in Centennial Halls will be weird because you will see the in the elevators.”
90. “I know a lot of people who had a lot of really negative experiences this year (myself included) because it’s super easy to feel like you know someone really well since you are with them all the time in our little DU bubble, but people will surprise you and can be very selfish. I guess I’m just saying be careful!”
91. “Be mindful of people around you, even other DU students. Some people don’t care if they hurt you.”
92. “If you need someone to talk to, go to the Health and Counseling Center.”
93. “There are confidential resources on our campus (CAPE) if you experience or have experienced assault, and if you do, it’s not your fault and we believe you.”
94. “Don’t be alone at night. DU’s campus is relatively safe, but don’t take your chances.”
95. “Our campus safety here is amazing. They are not here to be your parents nor ruin your life. They generally care about the safety of you and others so do not be afraid to reach out for help.”
96. “Surround yourself with the right people, be dumb in a way that isn’t permanent.”
97. “It can get pretty lonely. Just know things get better after fall and winter quarter.”
98. “College is the most fun you will have ever had and it goes quick. Be diligent, take photos, and above all else go to class.”
99. “You’re not going to be perfect. You will fail. You will miss a class. You will mess up. Thats the point. It’s a learning curve. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Ask for help. You’re not alone and you will get through, it just might suck sometimes. Embrace the suck, learn from the suck.
100. “DU is amazing if you let it be.”