As August begins to approach and the frat party invites are at the top of your newsfeed, this could only mean one thing: Welcome Week. It’s coming. It’s almost here. Freshmen, this is the best week of your lives. Why, you may ask? Welcome Week is the one time of the year where you can go out every night and not have to worry about struggling to make it to Stats 250 with an awful hangover the next morning (come on, we all know that never happens at a great school like U of M). But in all seriousness, you have a whole week of the most fun you are ever going to have, full of reasons why all your friends are going to wish they went to Michigan and beg to visit for the remainder of your 4 years. But as you may know, with fun always comes responsibility. Even at a monstruous school like Michigan, you need to know your rules, limits, and just general understandings of the do’s and don’ts. Here are some tips to help you have the most successful Welcome Week this year:
- Themes: Make the best of them.
Yea, you’ve heard through your friend’s cousin’s older brother that you need to wear white to black out or maybe something tight and bright.Regardless of the situation, it’s always acceptable to dress in theme. Just make sure to be cute; don’t wear something you would buy from party city. Remember, we are in college now. So the theme (on top of the actual one) is always going to be dress to impress. It is easy to make an outfit out of accessories you may already own, that way if you go somewhere else, you can always take off a pair of cheetah ears easily and still look top knotch.
2. The Buddy System: Use it.
Those Michigan parties, though. They’re extremely awesome, haven’t you heard? BUT THEY ARE HUGE. Take it from someone who still uses Google Maps as a junior, our school is kind of hard to navigate, especially in the beginning. Having someone else around always is a good way to make sure you find your way back to Markley at the end of the night. Also, it’s nice to have someone to split a large Cheesy Bread order from Pizza House.
3. Friends: Make them.
These parties are a great way to not only have a great time, but also to meet a lot of people. Use welcome week as a tool: find the people you like to hang out with and find your niche. This will make your time a lot more enjoyable here at Michigan.
4. Cabs: Use them (sometimes)
ALWAYS have a handy cab driver number stored right in your phone. Some of these parties and events are going to be pretty far away. Besides, you’re going to want a number handy when it gets to the point in the semester where it’s too cold to walk.
5. Football Saturdays: enjoy them!
You will be experiencing your very first football saturday during Welcome Week. Regardless of what kind of person you are, this activity is the one thing that brings our giant student body together. If you haven’t realized already, we have more school spirit than anything you can possibly imagine, and it is a crime to not love Michigan sports, especially football. No matter where you go on football saturdays, it will be the most fun you will ever have. Dress up in maize and blue, visit a million tailgates and don’t be afraid to dance like nobody is watching…we’ll all be doing it. And on that note, go blue, good luck, and start buying your Michigan gear NOW.
photo credit to a2gov.org, Melissa Levin and Viviana Pernot