Tips and Advice for the New Student at the University of Akron

Odds are, if you are just starting out at the University of Akron, you are totally unaware of the great changes that have happened on our campus in the last decade. The University has been expanding, and that expansion has brought a variety of wonderful opportunities for its students-it can be difficult, however, to navigate through the campus flyers, emails, and announcements to get at the raw basics of the University of Akron. I'm here to help. As a long-time student of the University of Akron, I know my way around. I know that Rob's is no place for quality dining, I know that Zippy is indeed a girl, and I know that the University is rich in culture and excellent activities set up for its students. If you're a newbie, don't fear. It'll just take a little education.

Here are some key locations:

Street Treats. Before you ever see Street Treats, you will likely smell it. There are two of these amazing little sandwich stands located on campus-one is on Buchtel Commons (the main stretch of walkway through campus), close to the library and not far off from the Honors dorms. The second location is in the CBA (The College of Business Administration) that is closer to downtown. Actually, Street Treats is so successful on campus they opened a location downtown as well. They take cash and Zipcard, and serve up a mean gyro.

The Rec. The Student Recreation Center was recently built, and is a gorgeous facility. Make no mistake, little bits of your tuition (fees) are built into paying for this building, so it's a great idea to make use of it. It's entirely free membership for students, which includes the organized exercise classes as well as the pool. There is a huge assortment of exercise equipment, courts, ping-pong tables, and even a climbing wall. Take advantage, because not only does it provide free entertainment, but a great spot on campus to hang out and meet people.

The Union. The Student Union is one of the University's newer facilities as well. It's a huge building, with three floors. The top floor is mostly made up of conference rooms and couches (great for sleeping or just a quiet place to study). The main floor houses the hectic and rather loud cafeteria area-that offers a variety of different fares. Along with the café, there is a Subway, Pizza Place, and Auntie Anne's Pretzels (delicious), a Starbucks, and the Student Theatre (movies are shown here, also for free, on the weekends). The first floor, or downstairs, consists of the Campus Bookstore, the Zippy Convenience store, the bowling alley, and offices for some of the campus activities groups.

Though there are plenty of other venues for activities and events on campus, the Union and the Rec are the most commonly used. If you're looking for a quiet place to study, the Bierce Library is a great place with many little cubby holes and couches on the first floor. There really aren't too many places on campus you should absolutely avoid (unless you count the chaotic parking lots), just make sure to always remain conscious of your surroundings and be safe! There are blue police call boxes all over campus if you happen to find yourself in a predicament, but especially at night always travel in groups. You never know what could happen.

The best advice I can give you is to have fun, study hard, and don't expect to find a parking spot in the Polsky deck five minutes before class! Oh, and welcome to the University of Akron!