Anonymous

Based on the people I know who went in random, it’s alright… I know a good deal more people who ended up with roommates they were friends with than roommates that were horrible.

Some tips tho:
Unless you’re really super messy/don’t mind mess, don’t say that you are moderately or very messy. I ended up with a roommate who was way messier than I was and it got very frustrating. Apparently everyone knows that you are supposed to over exaggerate your cleanliness? (unless i guess you are really messy and are worried you might offend your roommate with your mess)

You can always pick a roommate at orientation if you meet someone there that you like. The window to pick a roommate for freshman is pretty wide so most people go in random but then some people find roommates through facebook groups or orientation, so keep that in mind.

Everything else… just be honest about what you’re filling out and you’ll have the best result. I hope that’s helpful!

PS if you mean you are going random and aren’t a freshman, disregard this notice because that’s a whole different story.

Anonymous

Haha well life for every freshman in a double is pretty similar. I haven’t lived in East or been to Whitney, but I can give some general freshman tips, and maybe other people can suggest East ones, too.

A) You don’t have to eat in any specific dining hall. Go wherever you want. Try a bunch.

B) If you want to eat quickly around dinner time, don’t come to South, the lines are usually horrendous. 

C) Points are your friends. Grab coffees before/between classes. Grab lunch in the U. If you have any classes over by Monteith and Arjona, learn where Lu’s Cafe is. It never has any lines, unlike Bookworms where the line is generally like 20+ people in the in-between times for classes.

D) Keep your door open as much as possible and be as friendly and outgoing as you can. If you’re shy, find a really outgoing friend. That’s what I did and it was how I made friends.

E) Try everything. If you’ve ever had even the slightest desire to do yoga, try rock climbing, zumba, whitewater kayaking, squash, join the Starcraft team, be a Big Brother Big Sister, whatever, TRY IT. At least once. UConn has a million opportunities, it’s one of the best things about going to a big school. 

F) GO TO THE INVOLVEMENT FAIR. Sign up for anything that sounds interesting. It’s not a binding commitment. With that being said, if you don’t find your niche right away, don’t freak out.

G) Buy some good fucking rain boots and an umbrella. The weather’s nasty some days.

H) You don’t have to be BFFs with your roommate. You should try to be nice and talk to them tho. 

I) You’re gonna have to study. More than high school. You’re gonna learn that college usually requires a different kind of studying. Use the Q center, the W center, the AAC. Go to Office Hours early in the semester so you know what its like.

uhm well thats all I can think of and I have to go to work, maybe other people can chime in general and/or east-specific tips. 

Anonymous

There are big bin things, but not nearly enough. Like 2 or 3 per dorm. There’s a lot of waiting in line for elevators and congestion on the stairs. Some campus areas have “husky haulers,” who are upperclassmen who take shifts helping freshmen move their stuff in, but I’m pretty sure they aren’t *everywhere.* Some people bring like hand carts or put everything in big boxes. I bring my fish tank with me every year and I’ve found the best way to bring it is to put it in a rolly chair to get it from the car to the dorm… So if you have one and the space to bring it, that can be useful with really heavy/unwieldy items.

Oh ALSO! big note. The first three days are called the “Week of Welcome” and there are WoW Leaders that basically take you through a “reorientation” to UConn. There are a bunch of events, the first Late Night, free ice cream, etc etc. The first WoW event is like 4:00 on Move-in day, so plan accordingly. If you are in the later set of people to move in, you may not have all of your stuff set up by the time things start. WoW events are not strictly mandatory, so if you live really far away and want to have dinner with your rents before they leave, no one will punish you if you skip it, but you really don’t wanna miss out on your first chance to make friends and bond with your roommate… and as a former WoW Leader, it makes us sad when you don’t come :(

UConn Things Freshman Tip:

You can totally get to the Eastbrook Mall (it has a Kohls, a JC Penney, a Movie Theater where you can see movies on weekdays for $6 with your ID, a Hibachi/Sushi place, a TJ Maxx, and a couple other little stores) or to Big Y (a grocery store) without a car. 

You just have to take the WRTD bus, which is free if you show your ID. It has a couple stops up and down 195 (and also goes up to CVS). But sometimes the times are weird, so you should definitely check the schedule). 

It can be a little scary at first because when I rode it the first time, I didn’t know the the route takes you past the mall first, then turns around and stops there, so my friends and I were freaking out. But it’s not that big a deal. 

Since you can’t have a car on campus unless you have 54 credits or more, this is a great way for freshmen and sophomores to go shopping and get food without having to beg someone they barely know to give them a ride. 

Freshman tip

Bit of a freshman tip that definitely helped me: You’ve got to join a club. And not some 50 member fraternity or something, it’s got to be relatively small and specifically something you’re interested in.  On such a big campus, it’s the only way to find people who you have something in common with and the absolute best way to make friends. 

Another tip: Try going to the meeting/rehearsal of one of the improv groups on campus, even if you’ve never tried or seen improv.  At least in mine (Scared Scriptless) you don’t have to get up in front of anyone, it’s just super fun to go watch, and because the point of the meetings is unscripted comedy, you’re basically guaranteeing everyone you’ll meet will have a good sense of humor and will be funny, thus making them a great new friend!

UConn Things Freshman Tip #3:

Don’t think that the first people you become friends with have to stay your friends for all 4 years. Don’t be afraid to branch out and find different groups as your years move forward.

submitted by arushofheat

UConn Things Freshman Tip #2:

Learn your way around campus as swiftly as you can. When you have a break between classes, meander campus. Learn the names of the buildings and the paths around them, so you don’t have to be *that* kid with their nose buried in a map. Also learn which spots near you dorm are good for friends to park in overnight or on the weekends.

(Also it should be noted that these tips apply to transfer, international, and study abroad students as well! Don’t want to exclude people)

submitted by: dol1house

UConn Things Freshman Tip #1:

If you’re concerned about meeting new people, being able to find your classes, not having anything to do with the people you just met, go to WoW events. The Week of Welcome (which is actually just this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) does a lot of events geared towards freshmen with TONS OF FREE STUFF. So when you’re moving in on Friday, look for the kids with the name tags and neon teal shirts. They can show you where your classes are, and they will bring you to all the events.

Aaaand if you’re living in the Buckley/Shippee area, look for the tall girl with brown hair who’s in a teal WoW shirt, that’s me.  

(PS. Have a tip for incoming freshmen? Submit it now!)