The end of summer is something that everyone dreads, as it means saying goodbye to family and friends, and going back to hours of work at school. But if you are one of those lucky returning students at the University of Arizona, then you may find yourself experiencing more feelings of excitement and anticipation as you mentally and physically prepare yourself for Syllabus Week.
Syllabus Week has earned its reputation at the U of A for one of the craziest weeks of the semester. As students realize that their professors' agendas usually consist of going over their syllabus, they use this as an excuse to go out every night of the week and really let loose!
Typically, every frat left on campus will have their members contribute in order to start the year out with one of their best parties. So, for freshman, I recommend taking full advantage of your gen-ed filled schedules to go out as much as possible and see why our school is known for its social life! And trust me, if you just rushed and got a bid from a house, there is nothing better then going out with your new sisters and freaking out because you don’t know where you are or any of the people surrounding you while trying to take care of the person who pre-gamed too hard.
For sophomores, your perception has changed a little, as you now know people and are excited to see friends from freshman year. If you are in Greek life, you will probably have a group of freshman to go out with to show them the way of the Dirty T. You also may find yourself so excited to be back and to show the younger girls around that you yourself end up going too hard and don’t make it past your first house. Trust me, it happens to the best of us! By the end of the week, you will be exhausted, but its time to rally as it’s the first home game of the football season, which means tailgating. (Aka freshman are going to and sophomores will be staying at the tailgates.)
If you are a junior or senior, your bank account will take a hard hit by the end of the week as you experience Tucson’s eclectic bar scene, which is made up of Bens, Bags, The Hut, Hifi, and Maloney’s on Tuesdays. But for many, your main priority is to sustain enough energy throughout the week as you prepare for your drive up to Vegas. A majority of upperclassmen mob to Vegas for Labor Day Weekend for a weekend of day club pool parties and insane lineups at the hottest clubs on the strip. Overall, its one of the easiest academic weeks of semester, and you only get two a year, so celebrate it like the holiday that it is!
Tips for Surviving Syllabus Week:
1. Pace yourself!
Do not try and test your limits with alcohol on night one. Remember, you have a full week of this ahead of you.
2. Go to your first class!
Professors usually say very important things during this class, like how many classes you can miss and when your first test is. So its better not to miss it!
3. Try to go to as many places as possible!
Just kidding, by now you know where your favorite place is, and you will be dammed if you miss a night there.
4. Take advantage of your free time and get your books this week.
Your professor will expect you to have your books for week two of class. But if you still don’t have your books, don’t freak out, you're not the only one that doesn’t have their life together after Syllabus week.
5. Bursars is open, so spend while you can!
But remember that this isn’t "Mean Girls" and the limit does exist.
6. Don’t let yourself be the person that blacks out every night.
This is one of the best weeks of the semester and you want to remember it!
