It’s four years packed into three days. Are you wondering how you could possibly make the most of your time at Colonial Inauguration? The Hatchet is here to help with 10 simple tips to keep in mind while you are hopping from activity to activity.
10. Wear sunscreen
It’s a simple tip – but seriously, wear sunscreen. D.C. is hot and humid and the sun is bright. Don’t wake up on day two of CI looking like a lobster and feeling like a hot tamale when you are trying to make friends.
9. Look into Dean’s seminars
While freshmen are restricted to mostly introductory-level classes, GW offers many interesting Dean’s seminars. These classes are taught by some of GW’s best professors and are in-depth, interesting and, best of all, small. They are a great way to get to know professors that could one day write a letter of recommendation. It’s not too late to revise your schedule if you are not signed up for one already.
8. The campus tours aren’t really worth it
Chances are most students accepted to GW have already taken a tour of the campus. Although the campus may be daunting, getting lost is part of the freshman experience. And besides, you’re going to get lost whether or not you take a campus tour during CI. Walking around campus doing other things will be just as helpful.
7. Check out HellWell and Duqu?s
The Lerner Health and Wellness Center is GW’s 183,000-square foot facility that features exercise machines, weights, racquetball, squash and basketball courts, swimming lanes and an indoor track. Duqu?s is the new home of the School of Business, which opened in January. Check out the Capital Markets room where each desk has three computer screens.
6 Stay away from the substances
CI is not the time to get caught underage drinking or doing drugs. While some view CI as an early start to their college shenanigans, these students run the risk of making CI their only college experience. GW tends to be stricter during CI and at the beginning of the semester when cracking down on alcohol and drugs.
5. See the sights instead of sleeping
CI only happens once, so make the most of it. Who needs sleep anyway? Nighttime is the best time to view the national monuments including the Lincoln Monument, the Einstein Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial.
4. Know how to get around
Know this piece of information now: the Metro closes at midnight on weekdays and at 3 a.m. on weekends. Another common form of transportation is a cab, but remember that D.C. cabs charge by the zones that the city is split into and charge extra for every person in the car. GW students can also use 4-RIDE, a University-sponsored service that will drive students around campus.
3. Go to the student organization fair
During the third day of CI, representatives from student organizations set up tables in the Marvin Center so students can sign up for e-mail listservs and get dates for meetings. This is a freshman’s best chance to find a niche at GW.
2. Go to Kickoff
When the three days are over, many people say Kickoff was the best part.
1. Just have fun
Many freshmen will say, “CI is not my thing.” It’s true – CI is downright cheesy sometimes and it’s not for everyone. Whatever your feelings are about it, you’re not alone. Whether you are singing the fight song with the Colonial Cabinet or making fun of the dancing hippo during the laser light show, just have fun.
