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What's Happening at Gateway at Tempe
Sep 04, 2018
Fun Fall Activities
Happy Fall! It's one of our favorite times of the year. The leaves are...
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Fun Fall Activities
Sep 04, 2018
Happy Fall!
It's one of our favorite times of the year. The leaves are transitioning into beautiful fall colors, folks are feeling festive, and the fresh cool air is perfect for getting outside with friends and exploring both on and off campus.
Make sure to take advantage of this beautiful and vibrant season's fun and enriching activities for college students! Here are 12 of our favorites ideas for campus events that are ideal for fall:
1) Organize a Fall Fest
Fall and pumpkin festivals are the best! Food, fun and games is always a winning combination, but especially so in autumn when the crisp, cool weather invigorates the campus community. Caramel apples, pumpkin decorating, corn mazes and bake sales are traditionally popular activities as are chili cook-offs, crafts, dancing and live music. (Instagram and Pinterest are wonderful resources for creative, theme-based ideas for your event.)
GET STUDENTS ACTIVE, ENGAGED & INVOLVED THIS FALL BY ORGANIZING FUN COLLEGE CAMPUS EVENT IDEAS YOUR STUDENTS WILL LOVE!
Tis the season for toasty warm drinks, so build a DIY hot chocolate station for students to create their own concoctions. Students can dress up their drinks with fun spices (pumpkin, obviously), cinnamon, marshmallows, whipped cream or vanilla, and chocolate stirring sticks. (That said, it doesn’t have to be just for hot chocolate -- serve different flavors of tea, ciders, coffees along with warm treats.)
Bonus: Set up a photo op station with festive lights, pumpkins and a haystack, or use your own beautiful campus foliage as a lovely fall backdrop!
Want to set up a Fall Fest on your campus? Start a group and create your event now.
2) Tailgate with Classmates and Alumni
Whether or not you’re a sports fanatic, going to games can be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get into the school spirit, take a break from your studies, meet new friends and even network with alumni. Football is hugely popular in the fall, as are other college sports such as women’s volleyball, field hockey and soccer, so share the love! ❤️
Tailgating can be a fantastic experience on any game day (whether it’s the Homecoming game or a match against your school’s biggest rival) and undeniably fun: grilling out before the game, getting decked out in school colors, painting faces, spending time with friends and cheering on your team!
Be sure to review official tailgating rules of the school where you will be tailgating. Some items may be prohibited such as deep fryers and open flames. So check the rules, check the weather, bundle up, grab some friends and take part in this lively fall tradition!
3) Roast S'mores at a Bonfire
Whether you’re celebrating a team’s victory or just getting together with your club, dorm or classmates, fall is the perfect time for a bonfire on or near campus. No bonfire is complete without the best campfire treat around: S’mores! Roast some marshmallows, tell stories and sing songs around a serene campfire.
Spend some quality time with your friends and get to know other people in your campus community. Meet potential new buddies in your residence hall, people from nearby dorms and commuting students you don’t get to connect with as easily during the week.
Food, flames and friends - what else do you need?
4) Plan a Halloween Spooktacular
Eat, play & be scary! Throwing a big Halloween event on campus is an exciting opportunity for students and student organizations to get involved, connect and create wonderful memories. Offer up fun activities like games, haunted houses, dancing, a photo booth, caricature artists, candy & trick-or-treating on campus, and of course, a costume contest (with prizes for best costume!)
Make sure to create a spooky playlist, or better yet, invite one of your school's musical ensembles (instrumental or choral) to dress up in costumes and play while attendees enjoy food, sweets, hot cocoa & drinks!
Check out some of these other cool Halloween-themed event ideas happening on campuses across the continent:
- Halloween Trivia at The University of Iowa
- Murder in the Main Stacks at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's University Library
- Test your skills at an Escape Room at the University of Calgary
- A Halloween Flashlight Tour of sculptures throughout campus, led by student tour guides at Princeton University
- Homecoming Block Party at the University of Chicago
- Haunted Cruise with Ryerson University
- Pumpkin Painting at California State University - Dominguez Hills
- Halloween Door Decorating contest at Rose State College
- Halloween Charades at University of the Sciences
- Trick or Treat Around the World at Boston University
5) Host a Spooky (or Fall-Themed) Event for a Good Cause
Halloween activities can be a great opportunity for students to give back. At Kingsborough Community College, student volunteers guide people through the park on a Haunted Halloween Walk with spooks and food for all!
At Rutgers University, student organizations, fraternities, sororities, residence hall and alumni groups compete in the annual Charity Bed Race. Teams decorate beds during Homecoming and race down College Avenue, and the winning team gets to donate a cash prize to a charity of its choice.
In College Park, Maryland, costumed community members join up for Monster Dash 5K run around the lake to support low-income, immigrant youth in the DC metro area.
6) Throw a Pumpkin Carving Party
Pumpkin spice up your night! Celebrate the harvest (or wrapping up midterms) with a fun evening of pumpkin carving, a cherished Halloween tradition. Whether an intimate gathering for your student organization or a larger event open to the whole campus community, students will have a blast enjoying an evening of treats, pumpkins and hot cider while creating lasting memories with friends.
Set up your own small pumpkin patch for your guests, or make a trip out of it and take your group to a local pumpkin patch to pick out the best gourds, followed by a festive pumpkin carving party on campus! Make sure to include pumpkin picking strategies, carving techniques, tools and printable templates.
7) Explore International Cultures & Traditions
Take your taste buds on a trip around the world with an International Potluck, or organize a Thanksgiving Feast before students leave for break. Invite guests to bring food and drinks from various cultures to share and then have everyone vote for favorites. (Bonus history lesson: ask guests to write a short background on the dish on an index card to display next to their dish!)
Explore holidays and cultural traditions. This is a wonderful opportunity for student organizations and leaders to really shine as they create, organize and promote an event on campus. Celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with the South Asian Student Association, learn about Mexican culture and the celebration of life at El Dio de Los Muertos festival hosted by the Hispanic Student Association, or dive into Bavarian culture at Oktoberfest with the German Club.
8) Take a Trip to a Local Orchard
Get your group together and go apple-picking for a quintessentially fall excursion! Many orchards offer multiple varieties of apples in the fall months that you can pluck directly from acres of bountiful apple trees. (Plus, spending some time outdoors at a local farm is a fantastic way to destress from classes.)
Go on a hayride, travel through a corn maze… a trip to the apple farm is a great way to spend an afternoon off campus with friends! While you’re there, make sure to try their homemade baked goods like fresh apple crumble, pumpkin muffins, pies, donuts, apple and pumpkin butter. Be sure to snap some photos of your group in action!
9) Have a Cozy (or Spooky) Movie Night
Spend some time outside before it gets too cold! Cuddle up with your classmates for a film screening under the stars on a cool, crisp fall evening. Bundle up in your favorite blanket with popcorn, treats and hot cocoa to watch favorite flicks with friends.
Host a monthly Movie Night with different themes each month and allow students to vote on which films they would like to see. (October is perfect for binge watching Halloween movies!)
10) Show Off Your Campus Foliage at a Fall Photoshoot
One of the best things about fall is the colors, especially on picturesque college campuses where autumn is quite magical. The leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow, and the weather hasn’t gotten too cold to enjoy spending time outdoors, making fall the ideal time for a photoshoot.
Embrace the colors! Document the season by getting your friends, dorm mates or student club members together to snap some amazing photos using the breathtaking backdrop of your campus foliage and architecture. Capture your favorite fall moments: have some fun with friends in the fallen leaves, make a leaf pile and jump in, have a leaf fight. You might even consider hosting a #campusfoliage photo contest for the best photo snapped by a student!
11) Go Hiking with Your Group
Fall is perfect for getting outside, so be sure to take advantage of the cool weather by organizing a group hiking trip. Invite students, staff and professors to step away from the busy campus and head into the woods to spend time together in some fresh autumn air on a relaxing stroll through nature.
Lace up your hiking boots! Explore beautiful mountains and greenspaces by your campus, or check out your local state parks for information on the best trails to enjoy the fall foliage. Does your school have an Outdoors Club? Putting together a group hiking trip could be a great opportunity for them to recruit new members!
12) Enjoy Great Music at an Outdoor Concert
Fallapalooza! With great fall weather comes the chance to enjoy live music outdoors. Bring music to your students’ ears by putting together an outdoor concert featuring bands, free food or food trucks, hot drinks, games, crafts, giveaways and inflatables. Book some bands or showcase your own students’ ensembles, and invite guests to bring a lawn chair or blanket, sit back and enjoy an evening of music and socializing!
blogs.campusgroups.com
Jul 31, 2018
10 Things I Learned as a College...
Here is what one College Freshman learned after her first year: As many of...
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10 Things I Learned as a College Freshman
Jul 31, 2018
Here is what one College Freshman learned after her first year:
As many of our students are getting ready to leave for college this fall, I wanted to take a few minutes to share “10 Things I Learned as a Freshman” at Boston College, where I’ll be a junior majoring in finance and marketing and minoring in math.
1. Doing laundry is not that bad.
You always hear people complaining about having to do laundry in college. Sometimes you hear about those “lucky ones” who go to school close enough to home that they can bring their laundry home.
In reality, though, doing laundry on your own is not that bad. Yes, you will have to carry your heavy basket down the hall and most likely up or down several floors. Maybe you will have to separate your whites and colors (I always throw everything in together and put the machine on “permanent press”. I do have a friend who accidentally dyed all of her clothes pink, but she did throw in a bright red blanket and set the machine to “whites”).
Overall, though, it’s usually quick and painless. Just be careful you don’t forget about your laundry: people are ruthless and will throw your wet clothes on the floor if you leave it in too long after the cycle finished.
2. Don’t have high expectations for your roommate.
Let’s be real: there is a good chance you won’t become best friends with your freshman roommate. But there’s also a good chance you won’t become enemies either. I’ve seen it all.
Some roommates do become best friends. Annoyingly so. Some do hate each other and fight nonstop. Most fall somewhere in between. So don’t set your expectations too high, just be respectful and hope that you will get along.
And as for whether you should “go rando” or pick someone from Facebook, I really don’t think it makes a difference. I know people who picked roommates from Facebook who seemed normal but turned out to be slightly crazy. There were also others who got along just fine. It’s a toss-up, really.
As for me, my roommate and I just stopped talking to each other. Sure near the beginning we tried to be friends, but after awhile we just stopped saying anything to each other, including simple greetings. Also she stole my granola bars, but I digress.
3. Branch out, try new things.
I’m talking about clubs and campus activities here. Don’t be like me, I did practically nothing my freshman year. That’s essentially my biggest regret. One thing I did do was go on a retreat held by the Chinese Students’ Association. I almost didn’t go, because I thought it would be so much easier just to stay in my dorm and watch Netflix all day, but I pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and go. I’m glad I did. That’s where I met my current roommate and how I eventually found my group of friends. If a club sounds interesting, join! Try out! Make the most out of your college experience.
4. Take advantage of the events and free food.
When else in your life are you going to be constantly surrounded by a large variety of events with free food? Cultural events, dance shows, a cappella performances, guest speakers. And most of the time all of that is free. So don’t be like me and not go because you’re too lazy. Once you’re out there in the real world, free events are hard to come by and are usually farther than the distance from your dorm room to the quad.
And if your school is big on sports, go to some games! It’s part of the whole college experience.
5. Research your professors before picking the class.
If you have to take a class for a university core requirement (or a major or minor requirement), and there are multiple professors teaching—do your research! There are third-party websites for professor ratings, and some schools also have internal course evaluations and ratings.
If your school isn’t one of them, try word-of-mouth from upperclassmen. It can make a huge difference. If it’s a class for your major or minor, pick a professor that teaches well, not the professor whose class is the easiest.
I would also advise doing some research for any electives you’re interested in taking. I thought that taking History of Architecture would be a fun and interesting way to fulfill my fine arts requirement. It turns out, though, that all you do in History of Architecture is memorize over 100 buildings and their respective architects, styles, dates, and significance. So no, the class was not fun and interesting. It actually lowered my GPA, too.
6. Don’t forget to call home.
It’s definitely not the case for everyone, but a lot of students’ parents are paying for their college education. So don’t forget to call home every once in a while, even if it’s just for a short check-in conversation. Your parents will really appreciate knowing that their “baby” is OK and hopefully you’ll find that it gives you a little boost of home that you’ve been missing.
7. Take your classes seriously.
Maybe you’re not as lazy as I was and you’re super excited to go out every weekend and join 50 clubs and 10 executive boards and get a job and end world hunger. Good for you. Just remember to take a breather, don’t overexert yourself, and remember that your classes matter, too.
Don’t brush off your schoolwork thinking that it’s easy and you can just catch up later. I speak from personal experience. I got really behind on my business law and my macroeconomics readings second semester freshman year, and I spent the week before finals reading about 300 pages of law and economics. Yes, it was awful.
You might be thinking, “If she wasn’t spending that much time on her classes, and she wasn’t doing a lot of extracurriculars, what was she doing?” I don’t know. I really don’t. I’m still confused as to what I was doing all of second semester freshman year. I did watch all of 30 Rock so that might have been part of it.
Moral of the story is … don’t blow off your classwork because you’ll probably have some regrets when you realize that some employers really do want to know your GPA.
8. Explore.
This is more the case for those of you who wind up at schools near urban areas, and less so if you go somewhere that’s surrounded by cornfields. Make the most out of your surroundings! If you go to school around Boston, go to the aquarium! Check out the science museum! Get some cannolis at the North End! Four years will fly by surprisingly quickly, so make the most of them and get out there and explore.
9. It’s OK if you don’t make friends right away.
Freshman year was rough for me. I had about two friends total and was seriously considering transferring. I decided to stick it out, though, mostly because transferring takes a lot of time and effort.
As it turns out, I was able to find a great group of friends through a mutual friend, and I lived with them sophomore year. It’s amazing how finding a good group of friends can significantly improve your college experience. Don’t freak out if you can’t find them your freshman year, though, you still have time.
10. Some people can be really gross.
I learned this after having to use a communal bathroom my freshman year. Thirty of us had to share three toilets, three showers, and six sinks. It got disgusting fast.
Bring shower shoes. They are absolutely essential. Lower your standards for cleanliness, because unfortunately not everybody has the highest level of hygiene. And most importantly, be respectful. Clean up after yourself.
Even if there’s a cleaning staff that attends to the bathrooms, don’t be rude and make any big messes. It will be rough, but you will survive.
Hopefully you found this post at least a little helpful. Wherever you end up going, enjoy your time there and make the most out of your college experience!
(source: www.testive.com , author Rosanna Wang)
Jul 05, 2018
5 Tips for Staying Organized!
Feeling like you are always missing something or overwhelmed overall? Being a...
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5 Tips for Staying Organized!
Jul 05, 2018
Feeling like you are always missing something or overwhelmed overall? Being a student can be challenging with deadlines, finals, friends and LIFE. Here are 5 Tips to help you stayed organized and productive.
- Write down a plan or to do list. – Write down what needs to be accomplished in order of priorities by importance. There are white boards and chalk boards with monthly calendars or you have even pick up a fun planner to use.
- Give everything a place in your apartment. – Make sure that if you buy something new, you know exactly where it will be place in your apartment and then proceed to get rid of one thing that needs to be either given away, recycled or thrown away.
- Get rid of what you don’t need. – Speaking of giving one item away, get in the habit of going through your items and putting together a haul of unused stuff. Who knows, someone else may benefit from it.
- Buddy System – Pick a friend that is really organized and ask them how they do it! Then you both can benefit from being organized together.
- Do it now. – It sounds simple, but doing things right away if possible will really help. By procrastinating, tasks will pile up and then you will feel rushed and stressed.
Enjoy these tips and share!