Be Cool.

If you’re the kind of freshman that we once were, then by the time you read this, you’ll already have committed at least one faux pas that you’re desperately trying to live down. We get it. You’re so preoccupied with cutting back on your use of the phrase “This one friend I have back home” that you can hardly be bothered to behave at parties or navigate the aftermath of an inter-hallway hookup effectively. Let the Voice take the load off. The following two pages contain all the advice we wish we’d been given as freshmen. You’ll thank us when “that kid” is someone else’s moniker.

At the Party

Freshmen eager to start drinking like adults are in luck. At Georgetown, upperclassmen are eager to introduce the next generation of partygoers to college life, and rarely charge at the door. During the first few weeks, doors of student townhouses will be cracked open a little wider and the candied nectar of icy kegs will run a little freer. You’ll pay it forward when you’re older. For now, be a good guest.

Traveling in large packs may be all the rage during NSO, but even the most gracious party hosts are not looking for twenty more friends to play Bunny-Bunny with in the kitchen. Keep the roaming party platoon to five and maintain a mix of guys and gals. Once invited inside, resist the urge to text your freshman floor to head on over. Hosts will usually accommodate more guests, but appreciate being asked first. In a similar vein, avoid being cliquey and engage with others at the party. Don’t drain the booze and don’t leave without having met someone new.

Former Georgetown University Grilling Society president Jake Styacich (COL ‘09) has hosted more than a few large parties during his college years. His suggestion? “Be outgoing and friendly. You want to leave this place meeting as many people as you can.”

Styacich also said that good partygoers never drink what is not put out for guests, raid the cabinets to sate party munchies, hijack the iPod to put on a favorite jam, or use anything but Solo cups for the keg. “Don’t go through cabinets, don’t go through the fridge, and don’t get a mug or big plastic cups out,” he advises, adding, “nobody likes the kid who is drunk and showing it.”

-Keenan Timko

In the Classroom

The best advice on classroom etiquette is one, simple, albeit hackneyed, line: “Don’t be that kid.”

Make a conscious effort to arrive to class on time, every time. Professors and students alike get annoyed when the discussion has to pause for someone to shuffle through the rows of desks to an empty seat. If you are late, enter as unobtrusively as possible. And if the problem is that you only have five minutes to get from an econ lecture in ICC to a Problem of God discussion in Walsh, let the professor know.

Everyone appreciates pushing the discussion forward, but over-participation can be irritating. “We’ve all endured that one rather in-your-face type that always shoots up their hand for every rhetorical question,” Professor John Mayo said. Class participation, he explained, is not about speaking the most, but about contributing in a meaningful and relevant way. Avoid prefacing a question with a long-winded personal anecdote. No one cares about your story as much as you do, and most will probably have tuned out by the time you reach your point.

If you have a laptop in class, keep your Facebook and IM use to a minimum. When you are typing at twice the rate at which the professor is speaking, your professor can tell, and it doesn’t give the professor a good impression of you–particularly in small classes.

Same goes for texting – Professor Daniel Madigan, S.J., said that it is obvious when a student is sending and receiving even the most clandestine text messages.

Snacking is usually acceptable, but keep it discrete and avoid loud foods: “Bananas are better than potato chips,” Mayo said.

If you miss class, don’t email your professor asking only, “Did I miss anything?” The line “is a joke among professors,” according to Professor Theresa Sander. She suggested students ask what important material the class covered, instead.

Finally, if you doze off, at least do so while sitting up. Putting your head down on the desk indicates that you’re not even fighting the battle against the Sandman. On the whole, Professor Dennis Quinn said, Georgetown students are a pleasure to have in class. Don’t ruin that hard-won reputation with a bout of thoughtlessness.

–-Keenan Timko

Guiding light

Does the staggering number of required courses or major indecision have you feeling lost? No problem: at Georgetown, deans, academic advisers, and professors are all available and eager to help you make the most of your academic experience–if you know how to take advantage of them.

Go see your dean early to map out a Four-Year Plan. Each undergraduate school has its own specific advising procedures, and it is wise to make a plan early on, keeping in mind that you are not required to adhere to it. It will be tempting to get all of your most painful requirements out of the way your first year, but don’t forget to indulge your interests. Erin Curtin, an Academic Counselor in the College, put it best: “[F]irst year students should take at least one ‘yummy chocolate’ class each semester.” Who knows, you could have signed up for that Horror Films class because its “work” was watching movies, but actually end up changing your major from Economics to English – far-less prudent, but perhaps more rewarding.

As for your professors, go to office hours. If not for yourself, do it for them—unvisited professors can start to feel sad and dejected. Stop by to discuss your final paper topic or just to say hi—you can demonstrate your interest in the course without being a know-it-all in class. Plus, it’s never too soon to think about who you might ask in the future to write recommendations for internships, jobs, and grad school applications.

-Lynn Kirshbaum

Getting the Job

You may hear that the Career Center, located in the Leavey Center, is just for MSB students or students who want to pursue careers in consulting or finance, but that’s not the whole story. Students who aren’t in the MSB may be ill-served by its job listings, but they can still take advantage of the other resources it had to offer.

If you’re just in the market for a part-time job, go to the Georgetown Student Employment website (seo.georgetown.edu). It is a good resource for work-study jobs, since most on-campus employers post here. Listed jobs include everything from waitressing gigs to more substantive internships. You can even set up e-mail alerts for job listings in your area of interest to save yourself the hassle of scouring the website daily.

The Career Center’s job listings, by contrast, are primarily for soon-to-be graduates. Hoya Career Connection (a website run through the Career Center) will be your go-to site. Mike Schaub, the executive of the director of the Career Center, recommended attending information sessions about using the Career Center’s online job search because the website can be hard to navigate.

Check out the Career Center’s website (careerweb.georgetown.edu) for the schedules for workshops and information sessions where various companies (and ‘various’ means mostly ‘many different banks and financial companies’) hawk job opportunities. Call or show up in person at the front desk in Leavey to make an appointment for a mock interview or a one-on-one counseling session. On October 1, there’s the fall career fair, where students can bring their resume to a wide range of employers, including non-profits and the government. Par for the course, the fair will also host its fair share of banks.

-George D’Angelo

Wheels

D.C. has a great public transportation system, but you must come to terms with one thing: there is no Metrorail stop in Georgetown. This is aggravating to say the least, but buck up, learn which buses go where, and buy a SmarTrip. Without it, buses and transfers are more expensive, so head down to either the CVS on Wisconsin Avenue or to Metro Center. The $5 cost quickly makes up for itself; plus, using a SmarTrip makes you feel like a real Washingtonian.

So what are the best ways to leave campus? The Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (otherwise known as GUTS) buses are free and mostly reliable. From before you wake up in the morning until midnight, the buses drop off at the Rosslyn (Blue/Orange Lines) and the Dupont Circle (Red Line) Metro stations. From these stations’ stops, most D.C. attractions are only a few blocks away. On-campus pick-up spots are across from Darnall Hall (Dupont shuttle) and at Reynolds Hall and the Car Barn (Rosslyn shuttle).

GUTS’ online schedule claims to have service every five to 10 minutes during rush hour and every 20 minutes at other times, but don’t count on GUTS during the weekend. You’re better off using Metro buses. First and most importantly, check NextBus on the WMATA website (it uses GPS technology to calculate arrival times) to minimize your wait-time. The D2 will get you to Dupont and back; catch one outside Georgetown Visitation (35th Street and Winfield Lane, just south of Reservoir Road). The G2 runs every 30 minutes on weekends, picking up at the front gates then snaking around Georgetown. Its route goes past Dupont Circle, 14th Street, and Logan Circle on its way to Howard University. The D6 runs behind campus along Reservoir Road, passing through Dupont on its way downtown, ending near the Verizon Center and Union Station. Buses run every 30 to 40 minutes on weekends.

Love the 32 and 36 buses. These travel on Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, but make their way down to the Mall and its museums, the Capitol, and Eastern Market—all without wasting time or money with a transfer to the Metro. This duo runs every 10 to 20 minutes on weekends.

The distinctive red Circulator picks up around where the 32 and 36 buses do, but its fares are cheaper. The Circulator also runs down Wisconsin Avenue and M Street on its way to Chinatown and Union Station – by far the easiest (and cheapest) way to get to the train, but leave plenty of time for your travels because the Circulator makes frequent stops, which is especially inconvenient during peak traffic.

Inevitably, there will be a day when you need to take a trip to another East Coast city. Amtrak’s convenience and large seats might tempt you, but don’t let it get away with its price-gouging. Lots of cheap buses traverse the stretch between New York, Philadelphia and D.C. If you’re feeling adventurous, going rates for the Chinatown buses are $20 one-way and $35 round-trip, but you’re probably better off paying a little extra ($30 one-way) to take the much more reliable Vamoose bus from Bethesda or Rosslyn. Best options: Greyhound-owned Megabus and Boltbus. Both have outlets and wi-fi on board, and occasionally offer tickets for just a dollar. Tickets usually run from $13 to $23 one-way.

-Dylan Richmond

Leaving the Bubble

Georgetown is a great place, and it is easy to spend your days within the M Street – Wisconsin Avenue boundary lines. But you’ll find yourself trapped in a routine faster than you can say, “NSO was boring.”

To escape the “Georgetown Bubble,” learn to love the D6 bus line—you can catch one on 35th Street just south of Reservoir Road—which can take you to Dupont, the White House, Chinatown, and the Verizon Center. It will also take you straight to the District’s best movie theater for all the indie, arty, and foreign films you always wanted to see: E Street Cinema (555 11th St. NW). It has an amazing refreshment counter, complete with fresh popcorn, coffee beverages, and a liquor license.

If you want to pay too much money to see a big-name band, go to the 9:30 Club. Otherwise hit the smaller concert venues, like the Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW) and DC9 (1940 9th St. NW) in the U Street neighborhood, or the Rock and Roll Hotel (1354 H St. NE) and The Red & The Black (1212 H St. NE) on the H Street strip. You’ll experience the best concert of your life with a band you’ve never heard of, and pay a pittance to do so.

But the best things you can do are free. The Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center (at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue NW and Rock Creek Parkway) puts on a variety of performances, free and open to the public, every single day of the year. As a bonus, the walk there from Georgetown takes you along the scenic Potomac river and waterfront. Be sure to go early if you want to get a seat.

For the arts and your edification, the always-free Smithsonian museums are your best friends. Exhibit schedules are online, so you can plan your visit according to what’s interesting.

And besides being the best place for delicious local produce and an array of items you never knew you needed, the recently reopened Eastern Market at North Carolina Avenue and 7th St. SE is in a lovely neighborhood. The 32 or 36 bus from Wisconsin Avenue will take you to both of these—or take the Blue/Orange Metro from Foggy Bottom or Rosslyn to Eastern Market.

Explore your new city. These are just a few places to start. You can go back to shotgunning Natty another night.

-Jeff Reger

Surviving your roommate

Even if you don’t become lifelong, bosom pals with your roommate and the people on your floor, the ramifications of a bad relationship with them–especially your roommate–will be felt quickly.

To keep the peace with your roommate, set ground rules, and set them early. Otherwise, prepare to be disgusted by how much your definition of “reasonably clean” differs from the person’s in the bunk above you. It’s a lot easier to tell your roommate that you won’t tolerate drinking in the room during the first few days of school—before he pays his upperclassmen connection for three handles of vodka—than it is to tell him three months later when he and five friends are playing kings on the floor. Things you absolutely should go over: whether you’re O.K. with alcohol or drugs in your room, sharing your food, printer, and clothing, and your guest policy. If you live in Village C, a heart-to-heart about toilet scrubbing is in order, too. Take your roommate contract seriously—every year, an unlucky few have to refer back to it during arbitration.

And whether you’re a modern-day Casanova or you get lucky as often as McLovin’, you need to establish a hookup policy. Advance notice is a must, and so is giving it as early as you can. Brownie points go to the person who helps his or her roommate find a futon to crash on. Decide if a signal, like the old sock-on-the-doorknob, is alright if you can’t get in touch with them ahead of time. Some people may not like stumbling back to New South only to find that they’re barred from their own room.

As for whom you wake the neighbors with, think long and hard before hooking up with someone on your floor. If you must, be prepared for the details of your escapade to become floor gossip. Afterwards, be nice, even to your one-night stands, or brace yourself for some awkward elevator rides.

-Tom Bosco

Nuts and Bolts

Georgetown University’s services leave a lot to be desired. The Student Health Center handles patients with an imperious neglect, and maintenance allows rooms with broken heaters to get so cold that laptops will stop working. In other words, no one is about to mistake Georgetown for Club Med. But there are some hidden amenities you can take advantage of if you know where to find them.

Georgetowns’ dysfunctional mail system precludes effective Netflixing. But that’s okay, because Gelardin Media Center on the first floor of Lauinger Library has a wide range of DVDs available for free 24-hour rental (but avoid making late returns – prohibitive overdue fees will follow). Gelardin has everything from Arrested Development to a surprisingly positive documentary about cockfighting. The selection is great, though it is hard to avoid the occasional disappointment that comes from finding out that the movie you want is available…but only at Georgetown’s campus in Qatar.

University Information Services (UIS) deserves criticism for a lot of things, including shoddy e-mail service and unreliable wireless internet coverage, but UIS doesn’t skimp on technical assistance for students. For help with software problems, go to the UIS Help Desk in St. Mary’s, and staff members in Hoya Computing can suggest repairs for hardware problems.

The UIS website has some programs available for free or discounted downloads, and UIS offers free classes on computer programs like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Go to uis.georgetown.edu for more information on classes.

Some of the services offered at Yates Field House are obvious—there is a track, and there are basketball courts, ellipticals and weights. But the Yates pool, hidden behind the locker rooms, is not just for the swim team, and Yates runs a fine selection of classes, ranging from judo to yoga. Find class times and prices on yates.georgetown.edu.

Yates is also a good bet for celebrity spotting. David Gregory has been seen sweating his dullness out at the track, and Mayor Adrian Fenty has been known to take a dip in the pool. But word is he’s a bad swimmer.

-Will Sommer

But wait, there’s more! Check out the Voice blog’s (blog.georgetownvoice.com) summer series, “Prefrosh Preview,” for a map of local restaurants and the best local eats, a comprehensive guide to picking a Problem of God professor, a summary of the most important Georgetown news stories from the last few years, and the quintessential guide to navigating the University’s most defamed institution, Leo’s.