20 Things No One Tells You About Freshman Year At Quinnipiac University

There are so many things no one tells you about freshman year at Quinnipiac University. As a current freshman, I’m writing this from my own personal experience with the input of some of my friends. Keep reading for some great tips for your freshman year at QU! The following list is in no particular order of importance.

1. Your roommates might not always be your best friends, or even your friends at all.

During college tours, you’ll hear a lot of people say that they’re roommates were their first friends at college or are there closest friends. But, especially in suite style living, it’s rare that all of you become or stay best friends throughout the year.

2. You will end up hiking the Giant.

Sports teams use it for training, students do it for the view, but lots of parents want to do it when they come to drop you off or visit.

3. Toads is greatly over-hyped.

Pretty much everyone goes at least once. But for many people, that’s about all they go. In my personal opinion, the best way to experience Toads is to go with a group of friends.

4. Greek life is a much bigger presence on campus than you’re told when you visit.

There are a lot of different fraternities and sororities on campus. Plus, if you’re looking for parties on a Friday night and you’re a guy, the only way to consistently get in is to be a member of either the sports team or fraternity.

5. You will quickly get frustrated at how early on-campus food locations close.

During the week, the Cafe closes at 8 pm and the Bobcat Den closes at 11 pm.

6. Only public safety actually calls it the Bobcat Den.

You’ll quickly find that everyone calls it the Rat. This is because that building used to be a bar called the Rat. It was converted into a place to get food when the drinking age was raised up to 21.

7. You’ll notice yourself fall into a routine of eating mostly the same few meals every day.

Someone pointed this out to me just recently. You don’t necessarily realize it, but I feel like it’s probably very common.

8. Make friends with upperclassmen, especially sophomores.

As a freshman, you can’t have cars on campus and honestly, the shuttle system to go anywhere isn’t all that great. It’s very important and helpful to have a friend (besides Uber) that is willing to drive you somewhere if you need it.

9. Make sure you are on a computer at 10 am Monday mornings.

This is when student tickets become available for all of the sports games for that week. It’s always a good idea to generate a ticket for every game, especially men’s ice hockey.

10. As nice as Mountainview is, the walk is way too long.

Yes it is admittedly a very nice dorm. It has large bedrooms, a large common room, and kitchens in the dorm. However the walk is probably five minutes longer than any other freshman dorm and isolates itself and Ledges from most of the activities.

11. Buckman Theater is literally just a circle.

The one time I tried to find a bathroom in there, I ended up walking in circles for probably close to 10 minutes.

12. You will have classes in buildings you wouldn’t expect.

The best example I can give to explain this is that I currently have a criminal justice class (CJ290) in the School of Business.

13. Nobody walks across the quad grass.

It really is very true. Since my first day here, I think I’ve seen a total of three people walk across the grass.

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14. It’s easy to get involved, but hard to stay involved.

During the first couple of weeks, and especially during the involvement fair, you’ll sign up for a lot of different clubs. However that number will quickly drop and you’ll only really stay active in a couple of them.

15. Freshman English classes are much harder and much more work than you expect.

This one is not from personal experience. This one I got from my friends and roommates constantly complaining about EN101 first semester.

16. There really is a lot to do at night, even if you want to stay sober.

There is a group called QU After Dark that regularly puts programs on during the weekends and sometimes during the week.

17. Don’t sit on or climb the Bobcat statue.

A lot of people will do it at some point when they’re out of it or just feeling particularly crazy. However if public safety catches you, and they have caught people, you could be in big trouble.

18. With a Vineyard Vine here and a Vineyard Vine there.

I think Vineyard Vines might be the most popular clothing brand on campus. There’s even a rack of just them in the bookstore.

19. Bring a suit.

It is extremely likely that you will end up needing to dress up at some point. Also make sure to have a couple pairs of khakis and button downs.

20. Pay attention to your meal plan money.

Many students start off the semester buying food like crazy, and by the end are out of meal plan money and therefore starving or looking for a way to get more money for cheap. There is actually a table telling you how much should be left in your account each week that you can follow.