Freshmen approaching their first year at Wash. U. are sure to have loads of questions about college and campus life. Here are some frequently asked questions that don’t always appear in the endless stream of beautiful, glossy booklets and brochures sent out over the summer.
How can I get involved?
There are tons of ways to get involved at Wash. U. With more than 200 student groups, there’s something for everyone. There are cultural groups like the African Students Association, the Chinese Students Association and the Korean Students Association. If singing is your thing, you can also try out for one of the many a cappella groups. For athletes, there are varsity sports, intramural sports and club sports. Students may also be interested in community service, in which case the Campus Y and the Office of Student Activities are the places to go. You may also consider joining a religious organization, a social action group, a political group-such as the College Democrats or the College Republicans-or a group that’s just plain fun like the bowling or juggling club. And writers, photographers and future journalists are sure to find a place at the newspaper Student Life. Whatever the passion, there’s a group out there for it. It’s easy to become a part of it at Wash. U. For more information about student groups, check out the Activities Fair, held at the beginning of each semester, and getinvolved.wustl.edu.
What are some fun things I can do on campus or around St. Louis?
After a long week of classes, there’s always plenty to do and there’s something for just about everyone. Sports-lovers may want to check out the basketball and sand volleyball courts on the South 40, and “the Swamp,” also on the 40, is a great place to find soccer or Frisbee games. Thrill-seekers can head over to Six Flags St. Louis and Hurricane Harbor for some big roller coaster and water slide action. Shoppers can take the MetroLink to the St. Louis Galleria, a big mall with just about everything. Many students enjoy the ease and location of the Loop, located just off of campus, for an assortment of restaurants and shops and even a year-round farmer’s market. For film aficionados, the Esquire movie theater is a 15-minute walk south of the dorms and the Tivoli is 15 minutes north on the Loop. Animal lovers will enjoy the St. Louis Zoo, located in neighboring Forest Park, which is fun and best of all, free. Also housed in Forest Park is the St. Louis Art Museum, one of the premier art museums in the country-perfect for the art aficionados looking for a free venue. Forest Park also has paddleboats and fountains, which are great during the warm weather months. And if you have access to a car, definitely visit the City Museum-a giant playground with caves, abandoned airplanes, tunnels and more. It’s a must-see.
What will I need for classes?
College classes don’t require any particular set of binders, folders or notebooks. Basically, all that you need are books and maybe a calculator for a math or chemistry class. It’s up to you as far as what you’ll use to take notes or whether you’ll wear a backpack or carry a bag. Enjoy the freedom, but be sure to bring a pen and some paper on the first day of class.
Are the classes a lot harder than high school?
The answer to that is yes.and no. It depends, of course, on what classes you take and the level of difficulty you experienced in high school. From my personal experience, I can say that it’s just different from high school. Professors tend to give less busy work than they did in high school. You will certainly need to spend time studying. All in all, most classes are challenging but also very interesting and you’ll learn a lot. It’s up to you to make the effort though. Many teachers don’t even take attendance, so if you skip class, you’re the one missing out.
How do people dress for class?
In general, people dress pretty casually for class at Wash. U. No more dress codes, kids. Feel free to dress up, but the laid back look is perfectly fine too. Indulge in your own unique style. There are always people on campus with their own unique looks.
What is an RA, and what can they do for me?
I remember when I first got to school, I really didn’t know what an Residential Advisor was. After all, I’d never been to college before. Finally, I found my RAs and they were two of the friendliest, nicest people around. My RAs were great throughout the year. They were always willing to talk about fun or serious stuff. They also planned gatherings for my floor and got us free food on occasion. Overall, get to know your RAs because chances are they’re pretty awesome and can probably answer a lot of your questions.
When is it appropriate to Facebook “friend” someone?
This is a tricky question, and the answer may vary from person to person. Personally, I don’t recommend “friending” people you’ve never actually met before just because they look attractive in some way. Chances are you might not actually ever meet that person and if you do, there might be some awkwardness as you both consider the goofy pictures you’ve already seen, the odd facts you mysteriously know about one another and the fact that you have already programmed their cell phone number into your phone. That could border on what we college kids call “Facebook stalking.” Of course, don’t freak out if you’ve already “friended” the whole class of 2011 (and ’10 and ’09 and ’08). In the end, it’s not really that big of a deal. In fact, some people may be flattered by your random friend requests, thinking to themselves, “She thinks I’m awesome!” On a side note, I do think it’s OK to friend someone you’ve never actually met before as long as you have some sort of connection. For example, you could friend someone who will be a future teammate (hint, hint to future cross country teammates actually reading this). Of course, sometimes you just have to friend someone you don’t like because their profile is set to private and you want to see their pictures.sounds stalker-ish, but oh well. All’s fair in love, war and on Facebook (well, except for nude photos).
Is it acceptable to sit with people you don’t know in the cafeteria?
While Wash. U. is an overall friendly campus and it may sound like fun to just go sit at a random table to meet new people while you eat, this does not happen often after the first few weeks of school. When you first get to campus, you might not know anyone-but don’t worry, all the other freshmen are in the same boat and you can meet lots of new people on your floor, from class or from a club that you join. You might feel more comfortable sitting with people that you somewhat know and then introducing yourself you to their friends or the random people at the next table over.
Best of luck when you arrive on campus and if you have any more questions, feel free to send me a message on Facebook.