As LDOC is coming up right around the corner, I figured now would be a good time to compile some of the mistakes that I made last year into tips for those who have not yet experienced their first Duke LDOC.
1. Don’t wear the LDOC t-shirt
Buying the shirt is great, encouraged even, but wearing that shirt on LDOC is essentially the equivalent of wearing a huge sign that says “I am a freshman”. Instead wear something cute, springy, and most important, comfortable. It’s going to be along day and you don’t want to spend all of it pulling up a strapless romper, no matter how cute it is.
2. Know which classes to have fun in
It’s no secret that Duke students often use their classes on LDOC as an opportunity to continue the festivities by transforming a normally dull lecture into a fun (and often brutal) drinking game. Doing this in a big lecture in which the slides a posted online? Great idea! Get your friends together and get ready for a savage hour and fifteen minutes. Doing this in an 8 person seminar in which participation is worth a 75% of your grade? Seems like a bad decision. Obviously all classes are not this cut and dry, but make sure to consider what class you’re in when deciding how to treat it.
3. Pace yourself.
Pregaming a night out with liquor pong is a bad idea, so don’t pregame a day long extravaganza with this either. There’s an art to finding the right balance between making the most of the day and ending up passed out in your room before the concert even starts. I’d recommend starting off the morning with a mimosa or two and ramp it up as the day progresses instead of starting out full throttle.
4. Take advantage of the free food
LDOC has been around for a long time, and Duke knows what its doing by now, which is why food is plentiful at pretty much every hour of the day. This is not a day to decide to skip breakfast or eat a light lunch. Eating three filling meals can make the difference between a LDOC to remember and not remembering LDOC.
5. Go to the concert.
It’s the main event of the entire day, so even if you aren’t particularly fond of the headliner, give it a try. Live music is always more entertaining than listening to a song through headphones in Perkins, and I know people who have found new favorite artists at campus concerts. Plus, how many opportunities are you going to have for floor seats at a free concert after you graduate?