Oftentimes, taking a tour of a school can leave you beyond bored. The student guide isn’t going to take you to the house with the best parties, or explain which majors have the easiest professors you should sign up for. However, there is a lot to learn about UofA to make sure it’s the right school for you, and almost everything you need to know can be learned during your first walk around the mall. This is your guide to ask your guide 5 things on your campus visit.
1. Learn about clubs on campus.
Personally, I found that more was learned outside of the classroom than in one. I attribute this to getting involved in a ton of different clubs and groups that forced me to meet new people and learn new things. There are so many friends to be made in clubs that you didn’t know already existed. For example, Arizona has a club for skiing and snowboarding called Elevation that gets together and takes trips during the winter months. Not every club has to be purely of academic value.
2. Learn about offerings at the campus rec center.
Campus Recreation is among the nicest workout facilities the country, but hidden in the offices are a ton of other classes and groups to get involved with. Find out if any of these are a good fit for you and you could have a whole new hobby or sport to take up during your time as a wildcat. Rock climbing, racquetball, kayaking, intramural kickball, you name it; there is probably a meeting about it during syllabus week.
3. Learn about the Greek life.
This is a big one for anyone thinking about Arizona from out-of-state. Many in-state students have sort of a built-in base of acquaintances to draw from. If Greek life is something you’re interested in, it’s a real social dedication that will create friendships and bonds that you’ll maintain for the rest of your life. Several of these houses are more curricula-driven and less about the partying, so explore your options.
4. Learn about the class sizes.
The student-to-teacher ratio can be a pretty important factor in deciding which school to attend. Some people thrive in a big pool of students and focus more on themselves to get work done. Others prefer or need more one-on-one interaction with teachers or they crave a mentor’s relationship that can be difficult to find in large schools. Be sure to ask your guide about what majors or programs have the largest class sizes and what you can expect as a difference between being a freshman versus class sizes when you’re a senior.
5. Learn about student programs.
I put this one last so that hopefully it will stick best. There are so many student-run initiatives and programs to make the day-to-day life better and, unless you seek them out, you probably won’t learn about any of them for two years. Saferide, for example, is a free shuttle service that will take you anywhere within a mile from campus to anywhere within a mile from campus. Note: it works if you need a ride to the bar, but doesn’t run after midnight. Career Services will actually set up internships for you or at least do 90% of the work for you to research what you want to do. This is possibly the most underutilized office on campus so definitely ask about it. Last but not least, ask about 24/7 UITS or the technology support center for Arizona students. These guys will do anything for the technologically challenged, or even work on your slow computer for you, and for free I might add.
The campus tour is going to be filled with feel-good traditions and stories about legends. You’ll learn about basic amenities and how new everything is and why being a wildcat is better than being a sun devil. You’ll even learn the fight song. But as a former student, take it from me that choosing your school comes down to seeing through the 90-minute advertisement of a tour and finding out what makes it a good fit for you. UofA has clubs, organizations, and tools to make sure everyone can grow outside of the classroom, it’s just up to you to discover them.
Sean Wendt graduated in 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Sociology and a minor in Spanish, Sports Management, and an Entrepreneurship certificate. When he isn’t listening to sports talk radio he’s most likely working on one of his apps or researching startups.