Tips for New Students at WVU

West Virginia University, like all large universities, can be both a scary and an exciting place for the new student. As a freshman you will probably spend your first year in one of the dorms, which is a good thing as it will make the housing and eating part of your life simple so you can spend time adjusting to everything else in your life that has changed. This adjusting to life in Morgantown part is what I hope to ease with this article. Helping you with the academic part is up to the school, the having fun and being safe part is entirely up to you. Here are some tips to help you along in Morgantown.

THE ESSENTIALS

The University of Pittsburgh, better known as Pitt, is WVU's biggest rival. You'll notice tee shirts being sold everywhere that simply state "Puck Fitt". The hatred between the two schools culminates in the annual Backyard Brawl. While the physical violence has to be left to the football players (which is why you should do their homework so they can concentrate on important things like lifting weights), the role of a rabid, foaming at the mouth student section cannot be overlooked.

While you probably didn't know that Rifle is an NCAA sport, West Virginia has an elite rifle program that has won 14 National Championships.

CRIME

Morgantown is a university town (as compared to a university in a big city) and is a pretty safe place in general. The predominant crimes are property damage, theft, bar fights, etc. While there will be plenty of broken glass, vomit, and crude behavior, keep yourself out of bad situations and you should do fine.

WHERE TO LIVE

After your freshman year you'll probably want to get out of the dorms. Morgantown has changed a lot recently and there are lots of new apartments in town and nice places to live. The problem is traffic. Morgantown is often one big traffic jam (especially on game days). Luckily WVU's PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) provides transportation for students and others. I would highly recommend finding an apartment based on proximity to a PRT station. Best of all, the PRT breaks down frequently enough that the professors won't question the "PRT got stuck" excuse.

Living near Mountaineer Field will make you very popular on home football weekends. Whether this is good or not is up to you. Just be aware that everyone you know and some you don't will want to stay at your place. In fact, I could always use a place to crash near the stadium...

WHERE TO EAT

As a poor college student my two primary dining out locations were the late night High Street hot dog vendor and Dairy Mart (see below). However there are a lot of nice places to eat when the parents are in town and paying. Back Bay and Boston Beanery were two of the more popular when I was in school and they are still there. (Learn where the library is and point to it when the parents are in town. Act like you go there.)

FIVE THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO

Go to Dairy Mart (it is a convenience store) and eat a stromboli. A Dairy Mart stromboli is a greasy mix of bread, cheese, and meat. Also try a pepperoni roll. The pepperoni roll was created by a West Virginia baker for coal miners to carry into the mines as it requires no refrigeration. My favorite is Abruzzino's with hot pepper cheese.

See a Band at 123 Pleasant Street (which is both the address and the name). It has been fixed up quite a bit from the fire hazard / death trap where I used to see Hank III, but it is still a neat place. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bo Diddley are some of the notables who have performed there. Check out their website at 123pleasantstreet.com. The club has been formerly known as the Nyabinghi Dance Hall and Underground Rail Road among other names.

Watch a couch burn. WVU catches a lot of flack over the couch burnings, but that's ok. It is a tradition and it is harmless. Be careful and watch them burn!

Go to The Den (across the street from the MountainLair) get a big drink for cheap and check out the wide array of merchandise.

Study and go to class. Yeah, I know this one isn't much fun but you have to do it.

While WVU has a reputation as a party school, the truth is that college is what you make of it. You can study hard and be a Rhodes Scholar at WVU (like many have done) or you can go to Harvard stay drunk and flunk out. In my experience, what you get out of college is more a result of what you put into it rather than what the school has to offer. Good Luck to you in Morgantown and go Eer's!