<p>I've noticed on some other CC pages that current students have been giving little tidbits of advice here and there to incoming freshman. I thought it might be helpful to some of us '10-ers to here some inside suggestions from those of you (if there are any current WashU students who read these things). I'm talking about things like tricks for signing up for classes, certain things we should bring that they don't tell us, common frosh mistakes and things to avoid doing, etc.</p>
<p>This is kinda the idea I was getting at:</p>
<p>i was going to start this thread after reading the jumbo one too...</p>
<p>-if you are an english major, steer clear of profs whose last names begin with R. i know, that sounds silly, but it will be worth your while.
-take advantage of the gym on the s40. it will be your best friend, girls, when the freshman fifteen start piling on.
-GO TO CLASS! it sounds so obvious, but just wait till you get to wash u... once you start skipping, it becomes a habit, and then everything goes downhill from there.
-scope out menus at diningservices.wustl.edu in the morning before you go to classes. that way you can pick out whether you want to eat at holmes or the food court for lunch (or subway!)
-speaking of food.. i highly recommend the spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread in mallinckrodt. it is SO FREAKING GOOD!!! also the lime glazed turkey carvery in holmes is also delicious!
-more food.. if you have no class from say, 11-12, try to eat at like 11:35 or 12:35ish. right after class gets out and you get MASSIVE lines, right before class gets out and you have all the people who got out of class early.
-make sure you get down to the loop a lot. it is seriously awesome and so much fun!
-do not try to use a fake ID at blueberry hill, pin up bowl, or halo bar. it will NOT work.. the same guy owns all three, and the places are legendary for the amount of fake ids they confiscate.
-if you are underage and trying to buy alcohol at schnucks, don't do it on the day of WILD or bauhaus or some other big event. they have undercover cops outside the store iding people as they leave.
-tom's in the cwe ($5-10 cab ride away and right near the med school, so you could take the shuttle) has karaoke on friday and saturday nights, and they DO NOT CARD at all. it is a really fun place to go!
-j buck's in clayton is a little classier/older crowd, but they also don't card. it's a nice place if you wanted to go on a date for dinner and get some drinks.
-girls, do not hook up with frat guys freshman year. THEY DO NOT WANT A RELATIONSHIP. i promise. and please, please, don't hook up with multiple guys from the same fraternity if you are going to hook up with any... it will get around, and you will never be able to shake your reputation.
-rush!!! even if you never thought you would be in a sorority (and im sure the same goes for guys too), you meet SO many people just through the process, whether you pledge or not. it is so low key and friendly here!
-find out where good happy hours are. for example, at fridays, applebees, and houlihans you can get half price appetizers at certain hours during the day, whether you drink or not. and at tejas and cj muggs, FREE food!! can't beat it!
-on wednesday the engineering school has this thing called cheap lunch... you can get two pieces of pizza and unlimited chips, cookies, soda/water, etc for like $2 or $3</p>
<p>can you tell i'm procrastinating doing homework? i'll add more if i think of any :)</p>
<p>more!
does anybody else have something to add?</p>
<p>and thanks a lot, washu07!</p>
<p>LOL those are all sooo true :)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>As for professors, if you are interested in Psych take whatever you can with Duchek and avoid Reid like the plague. </p></li>
<li><p>agree about the menus - not only do they post what's offered every day at each of the dining locations but you can see the ingredients in each dish (great for people with dietary restrictions) and also the nutrition info. Yes, a large order of chicken fingers has about 66 grams of fat. </p></li>
<li><p>more food - if you want something made differently or completely new, just ask. As long as they have the ingredients they will make anything you want - I've seen people get fresh grilled chicken on their salads, french fries in their burritos, rice in their crepes, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>DONT GET THE LARGEST MEAL PLAN unless you really really really think you will need it. Most people have extra points (especially if you are a girl, dont mean to be stereotypical but it's true) and if you run short you can always buy more from a student who has extra (for less than you would have paid from dining services)</p></li>
<li><p>ditto on the eating times - 11am MWF and 11:30am/1:30pm tues/thurs are really really crowded times to eat. If you can avoid them, do - coming at 10:50 instead of 11 makes a HUGE difference. </p></li>
<li><p>when you turn 21, the riverboat casinos are a really fun place to hang out for a change of pace. drinks are like $1 and they have free shows on weekends - and even for a non gambler it's fun to pretend you're on vacation (since it's a hotel as well). </p></li>
<li><p>Tony's is a ridiculous FANCY italian restaurant - go there for a special occasion, you won't regret it. </p></li>
<li><p>try to schedule your classes back to back, but leave room for lunch. It's really annoying to have gaps in your schedule but it's also important to eat!</p></li>
<li><p>be careful of floorcest. I'm in a 3.5+ year relationship that started as a floorcest relationship, but I'm the exception to the rule. if it doesn't work out, things can get awkward fast - and don't think people won't know about you :)</p></li>
<li><p>when you're registering for classes, have backups ready. as a freshman a lot of the classes you want to take might fill up before you have a chance to register, but you'll have a chance to take them later on. If you do get waitlisted for a class, email the teacher and you might have better luck (depending on the class - some are known for being junior/senior classes because they fill up so fast) and make sure to go on the first day. a lot of teachers will let waitlisted students who come to class off the waitlist. </p></li>
<li><p>bon appetit soup on campus is delicious. mmmmmmmm. </p></li>
<li><p>i personally think center court has the best menus on sunday and monday nights - but check the menu before you go! </p></li>
<li><p>SMALL GROUP has amazing food. don't miss out just because its a slightly farther walk than bears den. </p></li>
<li><p>get involved :)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>a few more</p>
<ul>
<li><p>less is more. you'll probably never use half of the stuff you bring with you to college so err on the side of less. </p></li>
<li><p>make sure you have a great alarm clock that will wake you up. </p></li>
<li><p>take advantage of forest park </p></li>
<li><p>trader joes is cheaper than schnucks for "healthy foods" and organic foods if that's what you like. the shuttle stops at target which is in the same shopping center. </p></li>
<li><p>if you're an art student, Art Mart has great selection and will give you a discount with your WU ID.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>bump.......</p>
<p>if you're an engineer, take advantage of the CEC! (especially the hidden 5th floor lopata cluster/lounge) And join the engineering societies! you'll meet lots of people for homework help, and get access to the lounges... where there are couches for napping :)</p>
<p>even if you're not an art student... visit artmart, it's the greatest!</p>
<p>awesome, thanks for all the advice!!</p>
<p>there must be more wustl student thoughts/suggestions to help keep this going</p>
<p>WOw this thread is cool. Thanks for the advice everyone!</p>
<p>Oh yea I have a suggestion: Any advice for premeds? I'm sure there's a premed person lurking around at WashU -_-'' LOL.</p>
<p>I have a question about fake IDS, since they were mentioned earlier. How good are the bouncers at identifying fakes from other states? I've seen amazing California fakes, scannable at all. Would they take those away too? Or just those from Missouri and surrouding areas?</p>
<p>I think that totally depends on where you're using it.</p>
<p>OH yea I was wondering...</p>
<p>Is it possible to survive college without a laptop or a personal computer? Do people bring laptops to class (I visited a chem class...didn't see many laptops out) ??</p>
<p>You could survive without one, but it would probably be inconvenient. I know one person who survived until mid-sophmore year without one. When you can get a laptop for $500 (see <a href="http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=17&CMP=ILC-FPM04%5B/url%5D">http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=17&CMP=ILC-FPM04</a> ) that you could probably get basic use out of for 4 years, it's worth getting a laptop. It comes in handy for working in the library, or any other place besides a computer lab. Having a computer in your room, or accessable to you at any time definitely comes in handy when you have to write papers, and all freshmen have to take English composition.</p>