Dear Class of 2030,

Welcome to WashU! Congratulations on embarking on your college journey. We’re so incredibly excited to meet you. 

Our Starting Line issue is filled with advice for new students, tips for navigating WashU, sports previews for some of Division III’s best athletic programs, and a guide for enjoying St. Louis to the fullest. Starting Line is one of our favorite issues of the year! Not only do we get to relive our first years, but we also get to share the advice we wish we knew then. We are sure you have already begun to learn about WashU from endless Facebook and Instagram posts and have been inundated with advice (wanted and unwanted) from friends and family. We understand that this can be overwhelming and we hope this issue will help turn up some advice for you to prepare for the transition to WashU and life in St. Louis.

Our Starting Line issue is put together for you, WashU’s new incoming class. And on that note, we would love for you to make Student Life part of your WashU experience. At this point, you might be wondering who we are. We are the independent student newspaper of WashU — since 1878. Student Life is a community of writers, photographers, designers, videographers, editors, newsletter writers, crossword makers, and more! We cover everything from breaking news on campus and in St. Louis to WashU athletics, cultural events, and everything in between. Stay in touch with us through our daily newsletter of all the best news and coverage of this campus, or through @studentlifenewspaper on Instagram or @studlife on Facebook. And whether you were an editor of your high school’s newspaper or have never written an article before, there is a home for you in Student Life. We would love for you to contribute to and join us. 

If you have any questions about our community, feel free to reach out to [email protected]. Otherwise, we will see you at the Activities Fair and other new student events at the beginning of the fall semester. If you are feeling lost, bored, searching for a community, or ever have any questions, feel free to swing by our office (third floor of the DUC) where we spend every Wednesday night putting together the paper!

See you soon!

Laurel and Lewis

2026-2027 Student Life Editors-in-Chief