Tips for DePauw University Freshman

DePauw University is a great place to go to school. Tours and prospective days help set the stage, but there are a few things every freshman should know before day one that may not come through the Admissions Office. Here is my advice for new DePauw students, based on my own experience.

Where to Meet People

While not the best food on campus (although it's improved dramatically since the "cashing out" days), the Hub is just what its name implies. To get anywhere on campus, everyone has to go through or around the Union Building, and student mailboxes and computer stations are there also. So, if you want to meet friends or make new friends, grab some grub from the Hub and get a table in the wide open seating area.

Where to Eat

There are two off-campus eating places you need to know about if you go to DePauw University, the first famous and the second not-as-much.

First and foremost, let me introduce you to Marvin's. Newly renovated, Marvin's is a burger joint right behind the Admissions building. The hallmark of this little place is the garlic cheeseburger, abbreviated GCB for students in the know. Besides the cholesterol laden food, the best thing about Marvin's is that it delivers. Anywhere. If you're studying at 2am at the 4^th study carrel on the 3^rd floor of the library, Marvin's will deliver. One epic day they delivered to the girls' Division 3 championship in Terre Haute. So, put this number in your speed dial early: 765-653-9200.

The second and lesser known source of heart-attack inducing food is the truck stop in Cloverdale, right where Highway 231 meets I-70. If you've got a car, there's nothing better than studying at the truck stop with greasy hash browns and bottomless coffee to pull you through the night.

The Faculty

DePauw University faculty are some of the best you'll find anywhere. Because it's a small school, the professors in your major area will get to know you really well. So make a good first impression; you'll be with these guys for the long haul. Find the professors you like and take as many classes from them as you can. There is also plenty of opportunity for socializing with faculty outside of the classroom - one of our Honor Scholar professors had our class over for tea and snacks every semester. Take advantage of this; it is one of the benefits of paying three times more to go to a private school! Once you get out in the real world, you'll miss this kind of stimulation.

The Students

You know that whole saying when you enter college, "Look left. Look right. One of you will not be here at graduation." It's true. Myself, my spouse, and my best friend all graduated from DePauw. Not one of our roommates did. Two of us almost didn't. You will not truly appreciate this until you graduate and enter "the real world," but everyone who goes to DePauw is smart. Even the idiots are smart. Some choose to express this intelligence creatively, or not at all, but understand that you are entering a unique intellectual community. Make connections and make friends. Take advantage of others' different experiences and backgrounds to enrich and broaden your own life. And remember that just because someone leaves doesn't mean that you have to stop talking to them.

The Greek System

Sororities and Fraternities at DePauw work a little different than they do any other college campus. At most major universities, Greek life is something that happens on a specific street or in a specific section; a world to be explored if you're interested or ignored if you're not. At DePauw University, the Greek system cannot be ignored. The houses permeate the campus and the attitude permeates the students. Roughly 75% of DePauw's students belong to a sorority or fraternity. This pits the houses in competition with each other for new blood, which means that all members go into recruiting mode as soon as freshmen step on campus. When I was a freshman at DePauw, a girl that barely talked to me in my hometown high school suddenly tried to be my best friend until it was apparent that I was not interested in joining her sorority. Then she went back to not talking to me.

So, here's my advice for freshmen regarding the Greek system at DePauw. You're going to have to make a decision. Even deciding not to pledge has to be a conscious effort. So do your best to make an informed choice. Don't wait until Rush week to find out about the houses and talk to the members. Talk to as many different members as you can to get a balanced idea of who lives there. Talk long enough that you can get past the hype and the recruiting line and get to the real stuff. Walk by the house on the weekend to see what it looks like. Are there naked drunks in the yard? Loud music? Guys playing Frisbee? Remember that choosing independence is also choosing your social group, unless of course you're a music major, in which case the music school will eat your social life anyway. Go to Independent Council and meet those people and see what events they're doing. The short story is be active and be informed if you want to find the best fit for you at DePauw.

Sports

When people ask me where I went to school and I say, "DePauw," they usually respond with, "Oh! They have a great basketball team!" To which I am obligated to say, "No, that's DePaul. I went to DePauw." People who go to DePauw just for sports don't last long. It is, after all, an academically strenuous school. That's not to say that there aren't sports programs and that they shouldn't be taken seriously; they just aren't the point. There is one notable exception to this rule: The Monon Bell Game.

Every year, DePauw faces arch rival Wabash in the final football game of the season. The prize is a large railroad bell from the Monon Railroad that it takes four football players to move. The hype surrounding the game, the game itself, and the parties afterwards are all a very important part of being a DePauw student. I suggest going to at least one Monon game while you're at DePauw, even if you don't like football. Join the Pep Band and get in for free. Regardless of the outcome of the game, that night is the biggest party night all year, so be careful. There will be parties everywhere, so if you want to join in on that scene, I recommend staying close to campus. Definitely go with a close group of friends and do not get separated until you go back to your dorm.

DePauw will challenge you in ways that you'll never expect, and you'll be the better person for it at the end.