How to survive freshman year at Delaware
Trabant is a zoo during lunch time
Dear Incoming Blue Hens,
Congratulations on choosing the best school around, the University of Delaware! UD is an awesome place that you will love over the next four years. Your college experience will be exciting, challenging and an eye opening new chapter of your life. As it’s understandable that college can be daunting and overwhelming too, here is some advice for how to have the best freshman year.
The South Green
Make friends with your floor
Your freshman floor is the first people you’ll ever talk to in college, and often times how you meet some of your close friends. Branch out and be friendly, especially if you live in George Read on North Campus where it is suite style, where the floors tend to be less social.
North Campus
Go to the gym
…except during the first couple of weeks of the semester when literally everyone is there and there’s barely any room to move. But still go. The Freshman 15 is real and the gym is the best stress reliever. The UD gym, the ‘Little Bob’ is three floors of awesome equipment with even an indoor track and a rock climbing wall so definitely make the most of it.
Study Study Study
Stay on top of your school work and stay organized. Make the Dean’s list and get good grades. Go to office hours. Just don’t fall behind and academically start yourself off ‘in a hole’ in college. UD has great programs and professors in nearly every field so you will definitely find your passion in your time here.
Go to Einstein’s in the ISE Lab
This great bagel place is perfect to eat lunch at, or just to get a snack from while you’re studying in the ISE Lab (Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory). The ISE Lab was completed in 2013 and is a modern and great place to study.
Avoid Trabant during lunch
Trabant is a great student center, but is a complete zoo during lunch time. There’s always long lines for food and never enough tables. Instead, go to the dining hall or Main Street. Main Street has everything, from Starbucks, to Chipotle, to Panera, to Salad Works.
Join something
Whether it’s Greek Life, a sports club or a regular club, get involved on campus. It’s the best way to meet people and make many new friends. Frats rush in the fall and spring, while sororities only rush in the spring. There’s also special interest Greek Life, with business and service fraternities, etc.
With my friends in Gamma Sigma Sigma
Visit Club Morris (a.k.a. the library)
Nicknamed Club Morris during finals week, study, or use resources from the library. It has so much to offer with tons of desks, quiet spots, and over two million volumes available to check out.
Do UDance!
This twelve hour dance marathon held annually every March benefits pediatric cancer through the Be Positive Foundation. Tons of Blue Hens volunteer and dance for some or all of the time. It’s a touching and great experience to have. There is even a silent disco, an hourly line dance and a rave hour.
UDance 2016
Have fun
UD is the perfect balance of school work and social life in my opinion. Just be yourself and you will make tons of friends. Get your work done on time, but it’s totally fine to take a break, ‘go out’, go off campus- just do what makes you happy! Don’t do something just to do it or because you feel pressured to, but do whatever interests you and you’ll have a great time.