UC Davis for Dummies

Sigh, it’s that time of year again.

With school starting once more, new things come and thankfully some old things stay the same.  Now a sophomore at UC Davis, I’ve realized that there’s a lot of information I wish I’d had coming into college as a freshman. So, in honor of the “back to school” vibe of the season, I’m going to share some things that I learned last year that I wished I hadn’t found out the hard way.

Eating

In society today, we humans consume meals around specific times, such as lunch at noon.  The tragic flaw in this is that in a university as large as Davis, anything short of a football stadium would lack the space necessary to comfortably feed the breakfast/lunch/dinner rush.  Solution: Visit the dining halls 20-30 minutes before the typical feeding hour; while there will still be people enjoying their meals, you’ll easily be able to find a table for yourself and your friends.

Beware of the Bike Circles

Another thing I wish I had known as a freshman has to do with biking, and more specifically the bike circles.  These things are killers when it comes to shaky bikers.  I swear at least half of new bikers will get into an accident sometime in their first year at Davis, and at least half of these will be in one of the various bike circles scattered around campus. 

There are even groups that will go and sit on the grass by one of these circles just to watch the collisions.  If you want to avoid a lot of embarrassment and scratches, head to class about 10-15 minutes early.  This way you will avoid the traffic of students going to and coming from class.  

While we’re on the subject of bikes, secure anything that is loose on your bike, or at least take it with you.  I had a brand spankin’ new front bike light (the powerful kind, not one of those cheap dinky ones) for the start of fall quarter last year and, sure enough, by the time I was two weeks into school it was gone.  Poof – never to be seen again.

Make-A-Friend

A general rule that I like to make is to shoot for making at least one new friend in each class that I take.  It may not seem like much, but this will really add up in the end.  You’ll have someone to keep you company during those long lectures, a buddy for studying, and if he or she takes notes (which is hopefully the case for both of your sakes), then you won’t miss out on class information when you take a “sick” day.  Plus you’ll have someone to chat with outside of class, eat with, and even just a person to wave to as you pass by on campus. 

UC Davis is a wonderful university with a whole lot to offer.  Heed the advice above and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful year!