GCU's Welcome Week has been a week full of fun and exciting things during this time before classes begin. A lot has occurred in these past few days which can be summed up as none other than #LopeCountry. From Canyon Cooldown to the March to the Match for GCU Men's Soccer, Welcome Week provided all of the fun activities to do on campus in one week. What better way to describe the Welcome Week experience at Grand Canyon University than to do it in a narrative explained by a sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea!
This is GCU's Welcome Week as told by Spongebob Squarepants!
Move-In Traffic
No matter whether you're a new student or a returning student, there's only a slight possibility of beating traffic when moving into your dorm. With specific times to move into certain dorms or apartments, too many students and families aimed to arrive at a moment where moving in is easy. Unfortunately, looks like traffic is considered a norm with most college campuses. In fact, it took about half an hour for me to get from the entrance and eventually to my apartment!
Moving Into A Triple Occupancy
Eventually we all managed to make it into our dorm or apartment, some students would live in a triple occupancy dorm. To everyone's surprised, triple occupancy rooms somehow still look spacious. However you could never deny the large amount of mattresses that are present when you're the first people to move into the room.
Moving Into A Single Occupancy
If you live in a single occupancy such as an apartment like I do, the moment you unlock your own room, the lone bed makes everything else in the room look so spacious. And if you're like me and didn't buy any furniture prior, it can be a little too spacious and you lay everything in a corner.
Exploring The Campus
You know it's Welcome Week when new and returning students alike are walking around aimlessly around campus. There's nothing wrong with exploring the campus, it's most likely the only time to see the beautiful campus (and construction) GCU has to offer without rushing to class.
Being A Welcome Week Volunteer
Major credit to the students and faculty who are willing to wake up in the crack of dawn every day to help move students into their housing. Not only do these volunteers wake up very early for eager students for express move-in, they all managed to be energetic while welcoming everyone to campus.
Loud Music Waking You Up
Personally, I didn't mind hearing the music from outside during express move-in, but some people beg to differ. Since some dorms move in earlier than others, expect hearing the sounds of students moving in which include the sounds of loud music, volunteers screaming, and even cars beeping. Honestly, I prefer waking up to good music over fire alarms any day.
Lope-A-Palooza HYPE!!
Nothing says school spirit like the hype around Lope-A-Palooza, the rally hosted by "The Best Student Section in the Country," the Havocs, the night before the first men's soccer game. Despite everyone's exhaustion from moving in, the GCU Arena was packed with students full of energy and getting into a huge dance party before the actual event started. Everything about Lope-A-Palooza was hype, from the t-shirt time, to the Men's Soccer Team being introduced -- it was only a sneak peak of what's to come at every single athletic event at GCU.
Overall, this year's Welcome Week has been a success when it comes to having students involved in various activities. Sure there was traffic and long food lines, but let's not forget about the fun around campus making everything worth it. This is my final Welcome Week as a student, I have to say that this is the best Welcome Week that I've been a part of, which just shows how much GCU continues to grow!
