Starting college can feel overwhelming. There are harder classes, new people and new responsibilities. The university’s Summit program can make it easier to meet new friends, chat with professors and have fun before classes start.
The Summit program is designed to help ease new students into college life by providing group activities such as concerts, movies, games and barbecues.
The program is free for all incoming freshmen, including those living off campus. Returning and nontraditional students are encouraged to attend but need to RSVP on the Summit website.
Summit kicks off Aug. 23 with residence hall move in and is followed by the president’s welcome address at 7 p.m. the same day. The night concludes with games in fraternity mall. The games will be anything from laser tag to mechanical bull riding to an ice cream social.
On Aug. 24 at 12:45 p.m., students meet their residential assistants and peer mentor and at 1 get to ask a professor questions about classes, homework, studying and exams. From 2 to 4:30 students will hear from this year’s keynote speaker, MTV’s The Buried Life and see a play about UW culture from UW’s award winning theater department. There will be a floor meeting for students living in the residence halls that will be announced by each floor’s RA. Friday night concludes with Friday Night Fever’s annual casino night in the Union. “I loved casino night,” said one student on the Summit webpage. There will be slot machines, Texas Hold ‘Em, billiards, black jack, craps, roulette and prizes.
Aug. 25 will be a time for students to get to know the people on their floor and to hang out with their new friends before classes start on Monday. Some students, such as honors students, may have special activities on Aug. 26.
Summit is designed to help students find friends, have fun and realize that college is not as daunting as it appears.
