How to win DU LIFE: Freshman Magazine 2012

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How to

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DU L I F E

A guide to playing your cards right in college, exclusively for the University of Denver Class of 2016

Welcome home.

Dear incoming class, Discoveries week can seem like one long, exhausting summercamp day that somehow is supposed to change the rest of your life. So in case you don’t feel at home yet, we upperclassmen wanted to let you know that you’re part of the family.

College will be more fun, more difficult and more rewarding than you can probably imagine. But when you are staring at hundreds of majors, courses, resources and rules, it can pretty confusing too.

Let us do you a solid and tell you up front that no one has it all figured out. But sometimes it’s not all about making all the right moves and winning the best postgrad degree. More importantly, it’s about enjoying the game, wins and losses, with some a great team.

No cliche intended.

We know that sometimes all the grown-up advice in the world can’t replace someone who’s been there. Well believe me, we have - the all-nighter, the hangover and the student loans.

So read on and get the honest scoop on college life from your fellow students.

Trust us, it’s never been more exciting to be a Pioneer.

Anita Balakrishnan Editor-in-chief DU Clarion Special thanks to Clarion staff: Anita Balakrishnan, Editor-in-chief Manthan Bhatt, Managing editor Sarah Ford, News Editor Gigi Peccolo, Asst. News Editor Anna Gauldin, Sports Editor Alex Proietti, Asst. Sports Editor Katy Owens, Lifestyles Editor Hannah Gilham, Asst. Lifestyles Editor Alex Johnson, Opinions Editor Dylan Proietti, Entertainment Editor Ryan Lumpkin, Photo Editor Adam Hammerman, Asst. Photo Editor Jake Bockhorst, Web Editor Mike Snodgrass, Copy Chief Noel Mckillip, Copy Editor Emma McKay, Copy Editor

Your guide to

Staff writers: Hsing Tseng Skye Savage Makayla Ciceneros Kim Carbonari Marley Schaefer Business staff: Ali Donnermeyer Olivia Lubeck Pearce Olson Maggie Long www.duclarion.com facebook.com/DUClarion twitter.com/DUClarion

The Clarion is the student newspaper at the University of Denver. Open meetings are held weekly at 6:30 p.m. in Dricoll Underground. All are welcome to attend.

The Game of DU Life is a magazine presented by the Clarion staff and its contributors. The magazine is acollection of anecntodes about life as a University of Denver student. The editorial content of the magazine serves to represent the University of Denver student body. It does not neccesarily reflect the opinions of the DU faculty, staff and/or administration. Reproduction of this magazine, in whole or in part in an form written, boradcast or electronic without written permission of the Clarion is prohibited. The Clarion reserves the right to reject advertising and editorial submissions that it eems graphic obscen or that discrimitate on the basis of race, culture, gender or sexual orientation.

DU L I F E

SET UP

Draw your cards and choose your path - just don’t get too attached because it goes by quick

Meet your roomate, learn to compromise

BY GIGI PECCOLO

College can be intimidating. Not only are you leaving the comfort of home, but you’re also sharing your new space with someone you may not even know.

Chances are you’re going to be paired up with a total stranger, hoping against hope that they at least have some of the qualities you were looking for when you filled out that survey earlier this year.

When you are away from home, we realize that we may not be as messy, social or studious as we thought in comparison to the new roommate – it’s all a matter of degree. No one is as cookiecutter, but we all fall victim to habits that make us hard to live with. By knowing what you are getting into, hopefully you can make the best of the cards you are dealt.

THE DEFINITION OF ‘CLEAN’

Your room may have been hard to navigate at home, but now with a slob roommate, it’s just hopeless; your OChem textbook may not resurface from beneath the dirty laundry and snack wrappers. If you can’t handle the mess, ask that they at least keep it to their side of the room, or figure out what you can both do to keep the whole place tidy.

Or, you may encounter the polar opposite of the slob. Maybe their side of the room is practically gleaming: there isn’t a speck of dust on their desk, and their bed looks like it came out of a Pottery Barn magazine. If they’re perturbed by the lack of perfection on your side of the room, remind them that you don’t always have time to clean up, but agree that you’ll get around to washing those dirty dishes this weekend.

Either way, consider splitting or scheduling the cleaning tasks up-front.

It may seem awkward, but at least you’ll know what you’re getting into.

STUDY TIME

Perhaps your roommate is always paging through some book or furiously writing down the answers for some assignment. Sure, you’re here to learn, but they seem to have taken this to the extreme.

Since they’re probably a week ahead on homework anyway, invite them to take a break; everyone needs to recharge their batteries at some point, and college isn’t just about grades, it’s about fun, too.

On the other hand, they may not have the best grades, but they know how to relax. How do you know? Their vaporizer gets more use than their laptop.

If you’d actually like to have the door to the hallway open so you can, you know, ltake a breather and hopefully, they’ll be in a good enough mood for a few hours to oblige.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

You may come to find that the party animal has arrived – and they can’t keep it on their side of the zoo. This type of roomie will be out a lot, so unless you’re tagging along, you’ll probably have the room to yourself quite a bit. However, you will have the pleasure of dealing with whatever or whoever is there the next morning.

Make sure to lay down some ground rules at the beginning of the year so everyone is happy come Saturday night.

Or, your roommate may be kind of a wallflower. They keep to themselves and may seem fine hanging out on their own, but are often looking to you to make the first move. Take the initiative and invite them to grab a cup of fro-yo; you might just be the one to bring them out of their shell.

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

You may not have loved sharing a room to begin with, but just when you’d finally gotten used to it, someone’s significant other shows up. Let’s be honest: These

rooms can barely hold two people, let alone three. Remind them there are plenty of other unexplored places on campus to make out; if this suggestion doesn’t work, remember: spray bottle.

SHARING

You’re all for sharing; after all, that’s what you learned in kindergarten, right?

However, this roommate thinks whatever is yours is also theirs. They’re borrowing your printer, and before you know it, they’re borrowing your favorite pair of jeans. You can’t padlock your entire room, so if you’re not comfortable with the taking and giving, say so. This may be obvious, but somehow it still bears repeating: If they offer to let you borrow something, treat it like it was your own.

FRIENDSHIP

You’ve hit the college jackpot - you two hit it off from the moment you walk in the door, and things only get better from there. You love skiing, they’ve got a cabin in Aspen. Statistics got you stumped?

Business major to the rescue. Don’t limit yourself to just one person, though; get to know the rest of the dorm dwellers too.

Regardless of whatever type of roommate you get, you’re going to have to learn to compromise. If you’re staying up late finishing that English paper, you might have to go work in the lounge while your roommate gets some shut-eye. It may be a pain at times, but sharing a room, like the rest of college, is a good learning experience.

Now, it’s your first week of college.

Your roommate will be the first person you meet, and you may just want to hang around this new friendly face. However, don’t tie yourself down to just one person.

Wander up and down the hall and introduce yourself (offering up some snacks will get you friends in no time). Everyone else is just as nervous and excited as you are.

Declare obscure major, rearrange class schedule

BY SKYE SAVAGE Here’s an important college fact - the more popular a major is, the more sections of the required classes there will be.

For most of the larger majors, like business and international studies, there will be at least two sections of required classes.

This means more flexibility. Can’t fit the 12 p.m. into your schedule? Well, good for you, the 8 a.m. is still open (whether you like it or not).

However, if you’re going into a smaller major, it’s less likely there are multiple sections of a required class, increasing the chances of having to do some tricky class schedule maneuvering.

When I was a freshman, I came in having little to no idea what I wanted to major in. Due to the large number of college credits I already had, I didn’t have the luxury of being undecided, since you’re required to declare a major at a certain number of credits.

To make a long story short, I ended up declaring a Russian major, making me one of about 20 at DU. And of course, there is only one section of each required class for the major.

My first quarter as a Russian major, I was confronted with the dreaded problem: my required Russian class conflicted with my required Honors science class.

Science is typically taken in either your freshman or sophomore year, but due to my situation, I’ve ended up having to wait to take science until my senior year. It may not seem like such a big deal, but trust me: You want to get those requirements out of the way as soon as possible.

Another issue with smaller majors is that many classes are only offered once a year, unlike larger majors where the same class is often offered multiple times a year. For example, if you’re a music major, you’re required to take music technology. If you can’t fit it into your fall quarter schedule, then you’ll have another chance in spring quarter. If you’re dealing with a smaller program, then that’s less likely to happen.

This can also be a problem for anyone when dealing with sequential classes. Not being able to fit a prerequisite class into Fall quarter may mean waiting an entire

year to take a sequence.

I was faced with potentially starting my major a year late and having to delay my graduation if I couldn’t get into the first-year sequence. So I offered to study the first-quarter textbook and teach myself the basics during winter break. This may not be an option for everyone, but it’s certainly something to ask about if you’re facing a similar problem.

There is an up-side to declaring an obscure major, though. Smaller programs can give you much more individual attention, and can be much more accommodating to any special circumstances you might have. When I talked with the Russian department head about

my schedule conflict, she mentioned that if most of the people in the class I need are okay with it, I might be able to have the class time changed in a future quarter. Try influencing the scheduling in the business school.

It would be ignorant to say only people in obscure majors deal with scheduling conflicts, but if you find yourself in a smaller program and facing issues because of it, talk to the department head.

Talk to your major advisor. They have much more time to spend on you and will be more than willing to accommodate you, especially if it means keeping you in their program.

Choose major in high school, hate major in college

BY MANTHAN BHATT

Though you might not “grow up” in college, you do grow. And sometimes you grow into things and grow out of them just as fast. That’s what happened to me. I started as a physics major my freshman year, changed to political science second semester and now I’m racing to graduate with an economics degree. I have way too many political science credits and some useless physics credits as well.

I always sure wanted to do physics or engineering. I had joined the physics club and told everyone in high school I was going to be a physicist. I loved every moment of it in high school. When I started college, I quickly grew out of it.

Maybe it was Jon Stewart, maybe it was all my “hippie commie” friends, but I had changed. So I did what any compulsive irrational freshman would do: I took every political science course I could—actually, I took 20 credits worth (which is a lot).

Some months later, I went study abroad and by chance took an economics course. I had fallen out of love with political science and fell head over heels for my new gal, economics. My senior year is coming up now and I’m barely going to graduate on time because I thought I knew what I wanted. I had committed to something when I wasn’t ready to.

Now, I’m stuck between two majors, trying to graduate with a double major. And honestly, I hate the fact I’m cheating on my drunken shotgun marriage with political science when my true love, my mistress, is economics. I wish I had married her instead.

So trust me, and most academic advisers, when we say: Take your time. In fact, you don’t really have to decide a major until late sophomore year, early junior year. No matter what degree you’re in, you have requirements. Take them.

Test the waters and figure out what you want and don’t commit freshman year.

PAY DAY Work a part-time job, collect $5k

Make college pay, retire to Millionare Estates - or at least get experience and avoid starvation

BY SARAH FORD

If one stereotype about college kids holds true, it’s most of them are broke.

So broke that you steal envelopes from the Hallmark section at Safeway because two dollars on real ones is too much. For many, this problem is remedied through finding a part-time job to put a little money in the pocket.

Working students enjoy the ability to go to a movie, dinner or a show without having to worry about the cost. However, part-time jobs also drains free time from the day that could be spent studying, sleeping or spending time with friends.

In fact, all that money earned can start to pile up when, instead of going out on a Thursday (or Wednesday) night with friends, you’re stuck at work. Or stuck doing homework there wasn’t time for in the week after taking on that extra shift.

Having a job while attending school

comes down to two words: time management. Life suddenly becomes about being able to budget the times when not in class to ensure enough work gets done during the day. If you don’t, you’ll suffer for it around 2 a.m. when everyone else has been in bed for hours.

Managing your time means there may be a little less time spent tanning on Driscoll green or watching “Modern Family” with friends during those long weekdays, but it also means getting enough sleep in a night to be able to function the next day.

The responsibility of managing work, school and leisure time does pay its benefits. And not just those sweet, sweet checks that start to roll in. It’s a great way to build friendships and connections, and demonstrating that you can handle school and a job looks good on a resume – and in general. It’s something nice for

your parents to brag about to friends and neighbors, and they will be grateful to be spared those college-standard calls begging for money halfway through the quarter.

There are all sorts of resources around campus to help with the process.

There are job fairs every quarter, not to mention pamphlets and flyers waiting on tables and pin boards all over Driscoll. With a ready resume and a winning smile it won’t be hard at all to secure some form of employment on or around campus.

And let’s face it: School can get boring without something to take up those gaps in the day. It’s demanding to take a full course load, but many students still find themselves bored when there is no work to do or friends to hang out with. A job fits perfectly to balance out that time, and may wind up paying dividends later.

valuable. You are paying to get that school credit, and you should feel that you are learning as much as you would in a class.

But don’t feel pressured to climb the job ladder too fast. You are a student, and the possibility of a future job shouldn’t take time away from your education.

Internships can show you that you don’t like working in your field of study. Don’t be afraid to focus your time elsewhere. Be fair to your boss and let them know your situation, and they’ll be fair to you.

Have unpaid internship, hold your ground, move ahead

BY ANITA BALAKRISHNAN

Internships can be rewarding and informative, and set you apart from the competition. But they can also be a bank-breaking time-suck that leave you filling coffee cups instead of filling your bank account.

Good news: internships aren’t forever.

Make them count with these tips.

GET SCHOOL CREDIT

Almost every internship worth doing (and some that aren’t) is eligible for school credit through your department. While you may not get paid, you will be saving money by getting credits out of the way while gaining working experience for your resume.

But beware, because many departments limit the number of credits you can do, and all require you to get your internship approved.

Also remember that your education is

YOU ARE NOT THEIR SECRETARY

Being at the bottom of the totem pole means having to do the less glamorous jobs, and that’s part of the working world. It’s okay if you occasionally have to work a signin booth or enter items in a spreadsheet. But a good boss will give you your own projects that allow you to be creative, take initiative and show off your skills.

If you aren’t using your education, or more importantly, your brain, then it’s time to approach your boss. Likely, they’ll appreciate the initative.

INTERNSHIPS CAN BECOME JOBS

The great thing about doing unpaid work is that it can lead to paid work.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE PART OF WORK

Being around for that watercooler talk can be the path to new projects or responsibilities – or even just getting invited to that after-work barbecue.

Seeing co-workers or supervisors outside of work can do wonders for your network. Just make sure to maintain a balance – drinking yourself under a table or getting romantically involved can keep you permanently at the “intern” level.

Ask parents for money, spin again, risk dignity

BY MANTHAN BHATT Asking your parents for money is inevitable. It’ll happen. What most freshmen don’t know is that if you do it in the right way and think it out, you might actually get what you want. Here are some quick rules to live by:

FIRST RULE

Never - ever - lie to your parents about money. Lying usually doesn’t work with parents but even if they are the gullible type, it’s just a jerk move to lie to get money. Totally un-Pioneer like.

SECOND RULE

If you ever plan on asking your parents for money, keep your financial life totally open to them. Talk to them about it, share them in on your bank statements, tell them about your job and how many hours you’re working. When you actually need money, your parents will know where you’re coming from.

THIRD RULE

Only ask when you need money.

No matter how rich your parents are, you’ll only have a limited amount of times you can play this card. Twenty dollars in the checking account and an upcoming bar night with friends is not a good reason and probably won’t play too well with your parents.

FOURTH RULE

Just like everything, it’s not what you say but the way you say it that matters. When “rolling the dice,” tug at your parents heart strings. If you’re their little baby, why wouldn’t they help you? Yes, it’s demeaning and you’ll lose a little dignity but if you really do need the money, you probably will find it necessary. Don’t overdo it.

Be as honestly desperate as you can.

Take transit, save $1.5k

BY ANITA BALAKRISHNAN

College is expensive – and those $500 parking passes and $150 tickets sure don’t help. But riding the bus means dealing with shady characters following you home, right?

Actually, you’re wrong. Ok, well, sometimes. But take it from a suburbanscaredy-cat turned urban-chica: savvy transit use saves money and gets you home on time and safe.

Denver’s transit system is great, safe and growing – making it a fast way to get anywhere and really feel like you are getting out of the DU bubble. It creates a sense of civic investment, and the camaraderie can introduce you to interesting people. It also saves you a sweet buck – so hop on and get started.

USING RTD

Never ridden a bus, train or bike by yourself? Don’t be embarrassed – you aren’t the only one. Luckily, everything is clearly posted to help you on your way.

The most important things to pay attention to with the bus or lightrail is not only the line but the final destination.

Whether a train ends at 18th Street and California Street or at Nine Mile determines the direction the train goes.

The lightrail will stop at each stop at a scheduled time and announce the stop.

The only major caveats are that the C and D line don’t stop at the University of Denver station – so don’t use them to get home. When in doubt, just remember C is for “careful,” D is for “danger,” and double check your stops on the map posted at each station.

Although the lightrail is almost always on time, there is sometimes scheduled maintenance so check out the signs and announcements and put them in your calendar.

The bus can be a little more tricky.

It stops at major stops (the ones listed on RTD schedules) every time, but many of the minor stops listed by Google maps are only by request. If you aren’t sure you’ll see your stop, you can always let the bus driver know which one you are looking for – they may announce it for you. Request a stop by tugging the cables on the side of the bus.

Further, while most busses are punctual, they are more likely to be late because they are stuck in traffic, especially during rush hour. Be sure to leave an extra 10 minutes to get where you are going, just in case.

If you’ll be heading out or home after 10 p.m., many bus lines stop running – in fact, there is almost no bus or lightrail service between 2 -4 a.m. Plan accordingly.

There are great apps to tell you the bus and lightrail schedule, but always leave home with some alternate routes in mind to take home – you probably won’t be able to catch a cab home for less than $10, and who wants that?

Biking is a college staple too – it’s even swayed me, and my usual athletic pursuits are Scrabble and changing CDs in my car stereo. If you are intimidated to ride your bike through the campus crowds, grab a buddy and take a ride around Washington Park. There’s a beautiful trail and it’s very bike-friendly.

TRAVELLING SMART

Staying safe on transit is not as hard as you’d think - most of the time, especially on the light rail during the day, everyone minds their own business, and it’s actually quite pleasant. Rather than sitting in traffic stressing about your test after work, you can study while you ride. In short, you can use time effectively.

But as with any public space, it’s important to be alert (stay awake and sober) so that you get off on the right stop and that you don’t get taken advantage of. Keep track of your valuables and don’t take them out if possible – keep your bus fare in a pocket and leave your wallet alone.

Make sure you are dressed for the weather, in case you have to wait in the heat or cold for a late bus. Have a taxi number programmed into your phone in case you get lost, stranded or need to get away from a bus stop.

You can also consider getting a B cycle membership – destinations such as Pearl Street, Cherry Creek, downtown and even Wash Park have stations, so you can ride home in case you don’t want to wait for the next bus during the warmer months.

PERSONAL LIFE

Get by with a little help from your friends, family and significant other

Hungover brunch with parents, lose a turn

BY HANNAH GILHAM It’s Sunday morning and you are trying desperately to keep your bloodshot eyes open only to see your concerned parents across a white tablecloth.

By this point in breakfast, they’ve surely noticed that you are sweating out last night’s vodka, that you less-thandelicately scarfed down four plates of bacon trying to absorb the booze in your blood stream and that there are faint traces of cat whiskers Sharpied on your face by Jack, the cute boy from your science lecture. Or was it Bryan from sociology?

It doesn’t matter. It’s Sunday brunch with your folks and you are reconsidering the life decisions that lead you to drink your weight in mindaltering substances last night.

This is not to mention that for many of you, this may be the first time your parents have seen you the morning after a ruckus.

There are two paths you can take here, kids.

1. Play it cool. Keep those sunglasses on, say you were up studying for a bio-chem test, that you were comforting a sick friend, that you were having political debates with your

R.A. who you’re, of course, best friends with. This may work on some parents. And by work, we mean that they will let you keep your dignity by pretending your story isn’t a load of crap.

2. Grovel. Think of it as asking for acceptance from those who birthed you. Remember, they were young too.

Make a polite joke that lets your parents in on the fact that your head is on fire and every clanking dish sounds like a Transformer has crawled into your brain.

These are all, of course, retroactive responses to a Saturday night fiasco.

But take some advice from those older and wiser than you: When mom and dad are coming into town, make sure that the night before there are no sharpies or paint around, no devastatingly handsome/beautiful party dates that may have you oversleeping your alarm clock, and absolutely no flavored vodka to be ingested.

Also, no Jell-o shots.

You’re classier than that.

Try to remember that your poor parents have probably traveled a considerable distance and they put in a lot of effort to come see their baby in his or her new environment.

“Don’t burst

your parents bubble of naivety just yet.”

Don’t burst their bubble of naivety just yet.

Because no parent wants to see their darling child so hung over that they have to wear their sunglasses inside and excuse themselves after the pancakes to visit the por-

celain goddess in a Denny’s.

In fact, no one wants to see that.

So do mom and pop a solid and hang up your dancing shoes for one evening. There will always be another party, we promise.

Tragedy away from home, gain perspective

BY ANITA BALAKRISHNAN Leaving home for college was a bittersweet mixture of “me, me, me:” no curfew for me, no coming home for dinner for me, no having to do laundry for me. But also no help with car trouble for me, no free meals for me and no one to cheer me on or console me when I’m sad or give me advice.

I never thought too much about what I’d be leaving behind, and how life would go on without me at home. Unfortunately, the glamor of college does not leave you untouched by tragedies, and often leaves you with no support system to cope with them.

During the first half of college, I dealt with many issues that I had never faced on my own before, from deaths of grandparents to parental health problems, to high school friends suffering from mental illness.

It turns out, I wasn’t alone in dealing with these issues – several of my floormates dealt with tragedies ranging from their own severe depression or injuries to family emergencies such as cancer and deaths. But I didn’t find out until months or years later.

So how do you mourn in a place where you are surrounded by strangers and acquaintances? It’s very difficult, and the truth is that most freshmen hide it with partying or seclusion, even when many of their peers

could relate.

Worse, your family is often as lost as you are when it comes to facilitating your role in the mourning process. You are their child, but suddenly they have to call and give you some very adult news. It may not be a conversation they are comfortable having yet.

Should they ask you to leave your happy, new life to come home? How long should they ask you to stay?

How would they get the money to fly you back or the time away to drive you home? These are all questions that your family may be facing.

U l t i mately, there are no right answers, and each family mourns in its own way. But not knowing what to expect next time you walk in the door to your house can be unsettling at best.

However, while each person in your life, new and old, seems to be leading separate lives, it’s important to remember that you are never alone. Look at your dorm friends as your family away from home – likely, they have gone through something similar and will have some great advice.

No one has the perfect family, so don’t be embarrassed to open up to your new friends, or even your R.A. And although your family may be going though a lot, they want you to be happy, healthy and safe. Don’t let

“Don’t let distance stop you from leaning on your Mom or Dad.”

the distance stop you from leaning on Mom or Dad through a tough time.

Also, always let your professors know if family issues have you distracted.

Many of them will make allowances for you, and even have some helpful advice.

If you are having trouble coping, don’t be ashamed to visit the health and counseling center.

There is a counselor on call 24 hours a day who can help talk you through a tragedy and determine your course of action. You can even meet with a counselor somewhere on campus for a

more casual feeling.

There are also peer services like Helpnet that can allow you to talk with another student.

If you are concerned about a friend dealing with a family emergency, you can always tip off a counselor or R.A. to keep an eye on them too.

Here’s to hoping that your college experience is free from tragedy. But if not, remember that you are never alone, and there are many resources that can make the hard choices and serious responsibilities that you are facing easier to cope with.

Attention

PIONEERS The DU Men’s Club Ice Hockey Team wants you!

Pre-tryout clinic 9/3 9:45 pm 9/10 10:30 pm Tryouts $30 9/10 9:45 pm 9/12 10:30 pm Meet in Joy Burns Arena 30 min before Contact Kevin if you have questions: brooksy77@aol.com

Transfer schools, become social freshman

BY MANTHAN BHATT

Transfer students can feel lost in the shuffle - experiencing both the confusion of a freshman and the stress of an upperclassman. Don’t spend the year locked in your apartment while freshmen make friends in the dorms.

Get out and get it instead.

GAIN 5 SPACES - JOIN A CLUB OR GREEK LIFE

Transfer students control positions on campus from senators in student government to the president of kayak club.

They’re awesome.

Joining a club can help you navigate through everything that sucks about being a transfer student. You don’t know anyone? You’ll meet plenty of people.

Your new friends don’t like what you like?

DU has a million clubs.

There will be a club that fits your interest, and you’ll meet like-minded indi-

viduals. In the end, joining a club, fraternity or sorority is the perfect social lubricant that will enrich your time at DU - you’ll regret not joining one.

GAIN 3 SPACES - ACT LIKE A FRESHMAN

You’re probably thinking that acting like a freshman is the absolute worst thing you can do. It’s almost demeaning, right?

Nope. Acting like a freshman can help you transition to your new life at DU. Ask for directions to Sturm Hall. Roam around in packs. Eat at the dining halls. Go to DUPB events. Join every club that you are even slightly interested. Embrace your lack of knowledge at DU and use it as a catalyst to propel you to a new level of social awesomeness. You’re essentially a freshman again, so why not act like one?

GAIN 2 SPACES -FIND YOUR ZONE

Finding your zone on campus can be hard when you have no idea where

everything is. Try different restaurants and cafes around campus until you figure out your ideal place. Kaladi Bros. during the day or Illegal Pete’s at night are good places to start. When you find that perfect nook, you’ll feel right at home.

GAIN 1 SPACE - JOIN THE PIONEER TRANSFER ALLIANCE

No (wo)man is an island. The problems you’re facing, everything from transferring credits to figuring out how to meet people, some other transfer student has already felt or dealt with. The Pioneer Transfer Alliance (PTA) is a great way to not only meet people, but to figure out answers to things you need to know. PTA is a safe zone for you to be a proud transfer student. PTA will be holding their first picnic on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Washington Park from 2-5 p.m. There will be free food and some awesome ultimate frisbee.

Skip stalking crush, lose 4 spaces

BY HANNAH GILHAM

Lecture is a place where you will find yourself more often than you’d like freshman year. Hundreds of bored, hung-over, sleepy 19 year olds concentrating harder on the clock than on the material. This has been the academic scene for one hundred years.

Without fail, as if in a dream, you see them Unassuming glasses-boy/girl who is a subtle distance away from the professor, taking notes with a good ‘ol pen, and giving the occasional intelligent comment. You may declare the L-word without so much as a second thought, but beware. This sort of scene rarely plays out like it would in your favorite rom-com. Before the advent of social networking, you could follow three paths in this situation.

1. Talk to Him/Her: Before Facebook and cell phones, people legitimately got up after class, walked over to someone who looked interesting, and struck up a conversation. I kid you not.

2. Admire from a far for a while, then make your move. Before you could add someone on Facebook and find out every detail about their life and how many different colors they’ve dyed their hair, there was the subtle art of observation. You might notice that he brings but never opens a can of Coca Cola every day, or that she nervously clicks her pen when the teacher calls on her.

3. Wallow and never talk to him or her and complain to your friends about not meeting anybody. This of course is still a prevalent option. It’s not highly recommend.

Alas, we do live in an age of technology. There is nothing sacred or secret any longer. Relationships used to be personal and private; now they are loud and publicized. Now, sitting in lecture, you have a choice of whose laptop you wish to creep on.

Turns out, cute boy in front of you is texting his hipster girlfriend, annoying girl next to you is emailing her dad for money, smarty-pants McGee in the front row is taking notes on his shiny iPad, and “sorority row” has seven different chat windows open and you can actually read the arguments passing between all of them about which bar to hit for happy hour downtown. Little things such as screensavers, Facebook statuses, and constant texting all become red flags for the single freshman looking to change their relationship status.

The bottom line is that we do have Facebook now and dating and friendships have to come about in different ways. So until you’ve seen their desktop photo, chances are good this cutie’s still got a high school sweetheart sending texts that they are too polite to read during class.

Take up the indie gauntlet, go back to high school

BY ANITA BALAKRISHAN You were that kid in high school – the first one with the black-frame glasses, the only guy to wear a bowtie to prom. You discovered Andrew Bird.

Ok, maybe you weren’t the original hipster. But you might have been the nerd, the political one, the natural redhead or the kid with the exotic heritage.

Or the soccer star, the jazz singer or the skier.

The point is, when you come to college, you will find people with experiences that are wonderfully different and eye-opening.

You’ll also find out that, at the end of the day, you live in a bubble of 10,000 people that are effectively the same as you– age, socioeconomic status, race and political party.

It can feel impossible to set yourself apart when you are the third person who mentions skydiving in an icebreaker game. While it’s enlivening to indulge in like-minded discussions with another libertarian, it can also make you feel lost in the shuffle.

Here enters “keeping up with the Joneses,” college-style. You’ll quickly find that small talk gets competitive as freshmen compete for who won the most freestyle swimming medals at the 2009 state competition, or who knows the most about Rwandan political history, all to set themselves apart from the posers.

Let me give you some

advice about how to win the “indie gauntlet:” don’t.

Enjoy those crazy coincidences that you have in common with a roommate, ask compelling questions of someone in the cafeteria that has a different point of view.

But don’t place your self-worth in the impression you make on others.

You will all change this year, and you may not stay friends with everyone you meet this week, or even this quarter.

You’re a Pioneer now, as politically incorrect as it may be. That means discovering something entirely new in the world and in yourself, while remembering where you came from.

Don’t abandon your old interests and dreams.

But understand that they are only the beginning.

You will keep growing with the aid of an open mind. That means no pressure to change yourself either. Just try your best to embrace yourself and your world now.

What will set you apart will be what you do from here on out: your goals and aspirations, and how you achieve them. The friendships you make and relationships you build.

I know, that’s not too tangible. It may not even be useful, but take comfort in the fact that no one, even the illustrious upperclassmen, is as cool as they seem. Until you actually get to know more than their resume.

See DUPB film in Sturm, save $200

BY HHNNAH GILHAM

As you settle into your freshman year, there are a few things you will start to realize about college. Some are good, some are bad and some are awesome. For many of you, it will be the freedom of no curfews, for some it will be the ability to schedule no classes before noon. But even further, many of you may realize how many free or discounted opportunities come with being a student (just one of the “generous” ways that DU will spend your money).

Notable are “free” light rail passes, freebies given out at sporting events and world-class musicians coming through the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, all at a discount or non-existent price.

There are discounts all over at restaurants and bars for DU students, but the best? DU Late Night puts on a free film nights every Thursday night.

Remember when you used to pay $15 to see a movie, $8 for popcorn, and $5 for a soda that would be slurped away before the commercials ended? Better yet, remember going on a date at such preposterous prices? Oh wait… you still do that?

Not anymore. Enter DUPB’s Late Night Film series - free movies, free popcorn and no one to yell at you for putting your feet up on the seats (but you didn’t hear that from us).

DUPB works hard to bring great movies to campus. More often than not, they are films that have just recently left the big screen but aren’t yet on DVD. It’s a perfect opportunity to catch up on films you’ve missed being so busy with homework (partying) and going to bed early (drinking coffee till your eyes bleed before a final in the morning).

DU Late Night’s entire purpose is to give students alternative options for late night activities. Not only is a free movie with popcorn one of the best and most cost efficient ways to spend your Thursday, it’s also a great way to meet people during the painful and awkward first quarter of freshman year.

The free films always draw a wild crowd, (the screening of the Twilight films became a heckler’s dream) and the last Friday of the quarter, DU Late Night gives away delicious burritos and goodie bags to help students get through finals week. If that isn’t love, we don’t know what is.

Maybe you won’t take advantage of this DU gem; we understand that thirsty Thursday may be more appealing to you at this point, but remember - in the real world, there are no free movies theaters. There are, however, plenty of seedy alcohol-induced situations to get yourself into. Pace yourself my friends.

ACADEMICS

Hit the books and make the mark without hospitalization for caffeine intoxication

Save 20 page paper until night before, lose sanity

BY SARAH FORD Some things about the first year of college are inevitable. Almost everyone will, at some point, find puke in a dormitory sink. Most will bail on a class - just because they can. And almost everyone will eventually find themselves with a huge paper to write and less than 24 hours to do it.

There are a million excuses - but it’s too late now, none of that matters. All that matters is that blinking curser on the blank page in front of you and the clock in the right-hand corner of your computer that warns, “Fifteen hours to go before you have to hand in 20 pages of brilliance.”

Well, probably not brilliance. But 20 pages of some drivel.

THE OPTIONS In times like these, there are very few options. There is always the chance you can email your professor and beg for more time, explain how busy you’ve been and how hard you’re trying…but it probably won’t work. Further, a late paper can leave a worse impression than even the most awful punctual paper.

Many people find themselves thinking of more creative avenues out in these circumstances: jumping out the

window to break a leg, picking a fight with a drug dealer or perhaps finding someone in Denver on bath salts who is willing to bite off a finger or two.

Unfortunately (okay, fortunately) these aren’t real options in the end, and you are left to face the stark, cold reality: You are going to have to pull an all-nighter just to finish the paper. When reality sets in and you’re preparing for the long haul, there are a few tips to follow that give you the best chance possible of being ready to turn in a completed paper the next day.

THE CHAIR Find a chair that is not uncomfortable, but not too soft either. Something you can sit in for a long expanse of time, but not one in which you will be able to get comfortable enough in to want to just…rest your eyes for a minute…and wake up six hours later with nothing done.

THE FUEL Get a good variety of energy options going. Start heating up that coffee, because you’re going to need it.

In fact, you should probably also head to the nearest campus store and grab a 5 Hour Energy or two. They may

be gross, but they do their job. Alternating between these two beverages is actually pretty helpful. Throw in some tea, also. It’s calming and smooth so you don’t get so jazzed you can’t sit still enough to type.

If you happen to not be someone who drinks coffee or energy drinks (admirable) there is always the option of getting up every 30 minutes or so and doing some yoga or going for a jog. And for those who find themselves falling asleep despite their caffeinated aids, it’s always good and refreshing to take an early morning shower.

Plus, it freaks out the other residents in your dorm who are forced to wonder who in their right mind is showering at this time of night.

Possibly the roughest part of the trek is the 4 a.m. energy zap. It’s been known to take out even the best. This menace puts the strength of coffee and energy drinks to shame. Do some stretches, listen to some

loud music, do whatever it takes to stay strong.

THE MORNING AFTER When the sun dawns the next morning, it will seem brighter and more beautiful.

There is something tranquil about the morning after a stressful all-nighter, a certain harmony and feeling of connection to the world. You may find an incredible and enlivening energy as you prepare for the day. Don’t buy it. You are in for one exhausting day.

But hopefully that paper will be done. Even if it is, it certainly won’t be your best work, and may be riddled with embarrassing grammar mistakes and misspellings. Even those who succeed at the 24-hour push to write a big paper often find themselves unhappy with the results because it’s a poor reflection of their ability. So do yourself a favor and budget your time, because in the allnighter marathon there are no real winners.

Skip a class, pay $160, lose turn

BY HSING TSENG

Coming from high school where teachers take attendance daily, you’ve probably gotten used to reluctantly dragging yourself to class every day on the dot at 7:30 a.m. With college, suddenly, you don’t have that obligation anymore.

Most professors don’t take attendance.

Suddenly that 8 a.m. class sounds optional; after all, you have the textbook, you can just borrow the notes and catch up on some sleep instead, right?

Sure, there’s always a good excuse.

The professor won’t go over anything important on the first day, you think.

Those all-nighters took their toll on you. The weather’s actually nice out for once. The professor puts the notes up on Blackboard anyway. Maybe your professor gives you two “get out of jail free” absences.

But by the time you’re a sophomore,

you’ll be forced to face the truth - the fact of the matter is that if you want to do well in class, you have to actually be in class. Seriously.

The consequences can be tough.

You will miss an explanation of a complicated concept that will inevitably be on your final. The professor will assign a group project and your group will choose a topic without you. You’ll have to go to office hours, which, while useful, can be painfully awkward when you try to explain why you missed lecture for an extra two hours of sleep. You’ll miss a major discussion on the topic of your next paper. No matter what measures you take to catch up, you won’t be as prepared as students who actually made it to class.

Then, of course, we can do the math- tuition costs $12,744 for 16 credits, the average course load. A typical four credit class then costs $3,186 per

10 week quarter. If a class meets twice a week, one two-hour class costs $159.30, not including other fees. Therefore, each time you skip class, you’re tossing 160 of your own buckaroos in the trash, and essentially paying DU for doing nothing.

Weighing the pros and the cons, suddenly it makes a lot more sense to just get dressed and go to Sturm. You might think, “oh, just this once,” but like most good things, skipping class can become a bad habit, and with only 10 weeks in a quarter, there’s not much leeway for “just this once.” If you really need that extra sleep, then fix your sleep schedule instead of letting your GPA run into the ground.

Unless you’re either too sick to see straight or have some sort of emergency, save those free absences for days you really need them, otherwise you’ll spend the rest of the quarter making up for it.

Join the honors program, gain a space

BY SKYE SAVAGE When I decided to join the Honors program, I knew I was in for harder classes and increased academic expectations. What I didn’t know was that I was also in for lasting friendships, great teachers and amazing opportunities.

Joining any community at DU is a great way to find a group of friends and resources tailored to your needs. It’s easy to feel a sense of camaraderie when you see the same faces in your hardest classes.

Because of the Honors program, I’ve had classes taught by some of the best professors in the school. Often Honorsversions of core classes are taught by department heads or those who usually teach upper-level courses. Not only are they usually very enthusiastic about their subject, but their knowledge spans far beyond the syllabus. These professors can become a great resource, and if you do well in their class, going back to them for letters of recommendation is a huge plus.

Being a freshman in the Honors pro-

gram comes with a lot of perks generally reserved for upper-classmen. You get to register early as well as have access to interesting upper-level courses. Registering early has helped me not just get into classes I needed, but also some extracurricular classes I wanted that usually have quick fill-up times, like music lessons at Lamont.

One of the best perks Honors program is the student lounge in Mary Reed Hall. Quiet, classy, and sporting the comfiest couches I’ve encountered on campus, the lounge is a haven. As a freshman sharing a room with one other person, a bathroom with twenty other people, and a dining room with hundreds, the lounge was one place to go to relax in solitude.

It comes fully stocked with tea and coffee, and it’s easy to pass hours studying or surfing the internet in comfort.

Believe it or not, the Honors program allows you to get off campus and experience more of what Denver has to offer. Occasionally the program offers free tickets to plays, concerts and other cultural events throughout the city. And

it’s not cheap stuff, either. Last year I got to see a performance of Swan Lake by the Colorado Ballet company.

The Honors program often forwards information about opportunities to all Honors students, and last year they happened to forward a call for submissions from a literary journal called Scribendi – which ended up publishing my creative writing. It’s available only to undergraduate students in Honors programs, and it turned into the beginning of my creative writing resume.

If you think you’d like a little more from your college experience, I highly recommend the Honors program. But even if academic rigor isn’t your thing, finding any campus community to support you can make all the difference between an okay first year and fantastic one.

If you are interested in joining the Honors program and have a 3.5 GPA and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, apply to Shawn Alfrey, director of the program, by December 1 for winter quarter.

Transfer schools, spin again for new academic path

BY MANTHAN BHATT Transferring schools can make you feel like your academic life is way off track. Get back on the path to success with these tips.

CREATE PATH TO GRADUATION, GAIN 5 SPACES Be it your second year, third year or even fifth year of college, you’ll be racing to graduate on the schedule you want. The best way to do this is setting up a meeting with pretty much everyone at DU fun, right?

Your first point of contact should be the registrar. You must send them transcripts from every school you’ve attended after high school. Then, you have to speak with admissions and fight for every credit and every classification. A POL300 course might be considered a first-year POLS1000 course to DU or an Anthropology course might be considered a Sociology course.

Don’t be shy, defend your academic record. They understand your situation and they’ll make you jump through some administrative mumbo-jumbo to get you on track.

After all of that, you’ll need to speak with an adviser in all of your majors and figure out the courses you still need to take in the major.

The last person you’ll absolutely need to speak with is an academic adviser from student life. They’re awesome.

They really know their stuff and will help you gather all the information from the above and put it together into a real action plan.

Think you’re done? Well, probably not. You’ll have to repeat the steps above multiple

times over the course of your stay at DU.

GET INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS, GAIN 3 SPACES

It doesn’t matter if you’re the 30-something year-old former regional manager of Staples or if you’re the 19-year old transfer from NYU - participating is crucial. When everyone in the class knows each other, feeling alienated in your 3000 level geography course is normal. Letting it overcome you and affecting your educa-

tion, that’s not cool.

So participate in the discussion. Call that libertarian, Ron Paul lovin’ idiot out on his crap. Ask a question to the professor if you don’t understand something.

JOIN OR CREATE A STUDY GROUP, GAIN 1 SPACE I know, I know - you’re too smart for a study group.

That’s what freshmen do. One thing you should know right now: If freshman do it, you

probably should do it too. The quarter system will quietly sneak up on you and kill your GPA. You’ll probably not take too many freshman courses your first year. You’ll be taking the tough stuff where you have no room to breathe or slack off. Having a study group can be a good way to mitigate your transition into the quarter system because your fellow study buddies will keep you on track. And trust me - you’ll need it.

Oversleep final, lose 5 spaces

BY SARAH FORD It is not until you awake to find the sun much brighter and the campus much too lively that you begin to understand what happened. Then that sinking, sick-to-the-stomach feeling begins to set in as the true scale of the slip-up becomes clear. All the hours of work you put into this course and all the late nights you spent writing papers and studying. Wasted.

Oversleeping a final is a mistake which seems to claim a few students each year, often with dire consequences. Even the highest grade will probably be reduced to “just passing” and anything less than that…don’t throw away your notes because you’ll be taking the class again. Even the most lenient professor is not going to offer much understanding in the way of a missed final.

Perhaps the most often used tactic by students who suffer this fate is to go to their office and grovel in the most pathetic way possible hoping they take pity. But if you want to save some dignity, the best thing to do is go to the professor’s office immediately and ask what course of action they want you to take. The faster you go talk to them, the more likely it is they will be willing to work a deal out with you, so don’t send an apologetic email or wait until you’ve recovered to go to them.

Once you’re there, tell the truth. A harrowing story about the death of your grandpa’s-uncle’s-nephew or your trip the previous night to the emergency room may seem like a good idea, but it sounds like what it is – total crap. So look them straight in the eye, tell them exactly what happened and hope for the best. Some professors might tell you to come in and take the exam the next day, and others might tell you to hope your grade is high enough that you can still pass.

Luckily, to avoid ever having to go through this terrible experience, there are always some “best practices” to employ.

Check out your alarm clock the night before and make sure it is absolutely ready to go. Then set another alarm…or maybe two. Set them to go off multiple times. Maybe even ask your roommate to check on you if they are going to be awake to ensure there is even less chance of something going wrong. Do whatever it takes. Because there is nothing worse than the snickers of fellow students and the look of disbelief from a professor when you walk into a final when it’s half over. Trust me.

But if the worst comes to pass and you find yourself missing a final, try to remember one thing: When you take the class a second time, it’ll be way easier.

Study abroad for semester, change your life

BY MANTHAN BHATT Seventy percent of DU students study abroad. And almost all of them say it’s more than just an adventure. It’s a permanent, paradigm shifting moment in their lives.

When I decided to study abroad in Australia, I chose to go for a semester. I stayed for three.

When I came back to Denver, everything changed - or at least I had. All my friends seemed a little more foreign, and my appreciation for the small things grew a little too.

When you decide to go study abroad, you think “Oh, I’m going to meet new people.

Learn about a culture. Do some awesome travelling.”

What you don’t think about is the life you make there. The best friends you make. The Australian girl you’ll fall in love with. The culture you adapt to.

One minor moment during my time in Australia highlights these paradigm shifts. My best friend, a 19-year old Aussie straight male, loved going to the gay club near campus called “cube”.

He had begged me to go for weeks before I, the fellow 19year-old straight guy from America, finally succumbed.

It was awesome.

No weird grinding thing that happens in America, but people actually dancing…to good music.

“I jumped into the fray and when I jumped out, I had changed.”

It took me a couple of minutes to compose myself before I jumped into the fray.

When I jumped out, I had changed.

Now I, the kid who would never even dance in public if he got paid a million bucks to do it, loved clubbing. Not only did I love dancing, I became a little more comfortable with my sexuality. Trying to act ‘manly’ all the time no longer became a priority.

Though coming back is hard, and trust me it is, you’ll have gained an appreciation for not only another country but your own as well.

American food tasted a little better, the green grass seemed a little brighter and the crazy socialist in your class seemed a little saner.

Remember this when you study abroad: You will do much more than just study abroad.

GET

PUBLISHED. Want to get your writing published on a weekly basis?

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Join the CLARION. First meeting: Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m., Driscoll Underground