With the start of another fantastic year at the happiest college on earth just two weeks away, Flyers from all over are anxiously counting down the days until they are back on campus. Whether your travels to UD take 10 minutes or 10 hours, the wait to be back is taking an eternity. From the first year Flyers who will be stepping foot on campus for the first time as an enrolled student, to the seniors who are preparing for their final ride, everyone is looking forward to an amazing journey. What better way to get ready for the new year than to list my top 10 things to look forward to during welcome week!
1. Moving in.
Now I know the whole process of actually moving in can be a bit stressful and hectic, but there is a silver lining in this chaos. Each year brings new memories in new places. From living in a dorm to an apartment and eventually a house in the ghetto, each new living location brings on their own set of new mysteries and memories just waiting to be created. This is the only time in your life where all of your friends will be within a five to 10 minute walk of each other.
2. Reconnecting with friends.
Ask any UD student what they miss most over the summer and you are sure to get many people who miss their friends. As someone who does not live in Ohio, Pittsburgh, Chicago, or Louisville, it was hard to spend time with any of my friends from school, so naturally Welcome Week will provide a reunion of sorts. For the freshmen who come in not knowing anyone, welcome weekend will be a time of meeting new friends and building friendships. From going to a party with the people on your floor to bonding over a DD's sandwich at 1 a.m. to dreading waking up in the morning for NSO, it isn't hard to make friends at UD.
3. Dorm food.
By the end of the year many of us will want anything but dorm food, but after four months without stuffing my face with a monster cookie, cracking jokes with Doug from VWK, or enjoying the chicken bowl at Marycrest, I can honestly say that I miss the food at UD.
4. Being back with my fraternity brothers.
While this can also apply to sororities, other student organizations and clubs, after you have grown so close to a group of people that feel like family it can suck to be away from them for a long time. When I began the rush process for Phi Kappa Psi I began in a room full of guys that I knew nothing about. Fast forward eight weeks and I had not only gained a group of very close friends, I gained 50 brothers. It is always a great time when we are hanging out, and being a full member this year has me very excited for this upcoming year. LEDN.
5. Enjoying the UD sunsets.
When God made the world he must have spent some extra time on the gorgeous sunsets that make the campus look like something from a movie. The views from Stuart hill across the field and overlooking campus are breathtaking (as if the hill doesn't take enough breath to get to the top). On nice fall and spring evenings you will find students in hammocks and on blankets studying, relaxing, and taking in the scenery.
6. The 24/7 Domino's.
This may seem like a pretty insignificant thing to look forward to, but when you go from nine months of having pizza whenever you want to having to order before 10 p.m., it can have a serious impact on your mood. The amount of times I was craving pizza at 2am this summer was probably unhealthy, but I can't wait to use my hard earned money on late night pizzas with my friends.
7. Watching UD soccer games.
The UD soccer teams are so much fun to watch with both the men's and women's teams being extremely talented and looking forward to success in 2016. Baujan Field is an amazing atmosphere to watch a game, and even if soccer is not your favorite sport, it's still fun to support your fellow Flyers! During welcome week, the men play Sunday August 28 at 3 p.m. vs Western Michigan and the women play Friday August 26 at 7:30 p.m. vs Bucknell and Sunday August 28 at 12 p.m. vs Kent State!
8. Free stuff.
One of the best parts about welcome week (at least as a freshman) was all of the free things that were being passed out around campus. From water bottles, to key chains, to coupons for free pizza, if it's free it's for me. Definitely take advantage of the free offerings because that money you made over the summer will not last all year.
9. Being independent.
This may be one of the things I am most looking forward to. In college you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and you don't need to have your parents breathing down your back 24/7. If you want to watch Netflix until 4 a.m. and eat ice cream for breakfast, you can. It's the closest thing to adulting that you can get without actually adulting.
10. Being back on campus.
The University of Dayton is an incredibly special place. We may not be as big as that school in Columbus or have as nice weather as schools in the south, but we don't need any of that. Dayton is filled with the most friendly people I have ever met in my life. Everyone who is there genuinely wants to be there and absolutely loves UD. There is a reason why Dayton alums are just as proud of their school as the kids that go there. We are all so lucky to go to such a great school. Whoever said Disney is the happiest place on earth has obviously never walked down Lowes on St. Patrick's Day.
