New Student Guide

Purpose:

The purpose of the new student guide is to accelerate the integration of freshman and transfer students into the campus community as well as life in Davis. (See also Freshman Guide and Transfer Student Guide)

Information to Include:

• Map of campus and downtown area perhaps.
• A short basic checklist to get people started off with bicycling and such in Davis.
• Information regarding the ASUCD and the services offered therein.
• Information regarding the services offered by the campus, such as the ARC and Bookstore.
• A list of informative resources for new students and transfers to refer to so that they may learn more.
• A brief calendar of upcoming events.
• A guide to the student associations, where they meet, and who is in charge.

Frequently Asked Questions from Reddit

Classes:

Multiple finals scheduled for the same day: There is no regulation limiting the amount of finals you can take on one day, but talk to your professor ASAP and ask them to accommodate an alternative testing time. Most professors will work with you.

Sitting in on a class: If there are several free seats in the class then it's generally permissible to sit in and listen to the lecture. It's best if you approach the professor first and ask for permission. Classes are very hectic in the first few lectures as other students are on a waitlist to join the course, so give them priority for seats because they actually need the credits.

Getting to class on time with a short break: Bike.

Biking:

First off, read the Bicycling Tips page.

Should I wear a helmet? YES! (or no). Freshman are legally old enough to go without one. Everyone gets in a least one bike accident during their time at Davis, and it's not a bad idea to protect your head when your investing so much time and money into it. You can find sizing charts and non-dorky helmets online or at REI in Sacramento.

What kind of bike should I get? A road bike, fixie, or a mountain bike. Don't bring a beach cruiser.

Where do people buy bikes? There are lots of local shops. Bike Forth can help you build on from scratch and the Green Bicycle Depot has lots of second hand bikes. Some online retailers have good prices on decent bikes, but assembly is required.

Biking in crowded areas: Bike traffic can be very congested during the lunch hour in nice weather. Bike at a moderate and safe pace, leave space ahead of you in case of sudden stops, use hand signals for turning, and stick to the right side of the path if you are going slow.

Bike circles: Practice going through them a few days before class. Never cut across the center.

Bike Maintenance: If you can't find the info you need on Youtube, or your short a few tools, then visit Bike Forth. There's no charge, but donations are encouraged.

Technology:

Torrenting in the Dorms: Don't do it. There is a sort of three strike policy, for file sharing on campus networks with severe punishments.

I know people may think that this is a bad idea because that information is easily accessible from the internet, rather nearly all of it can be found on this site, however a printed copy is a bit more useful and hence people are more likely to read it. Just to note there already is a guide for Hispanic/Latino students, but I am not 100% positive about it.

2006-12-13 22:51:08   Okay, there is already wiki guides, they so shall be incorperated! —DavidPoole

2006-12-14 09:27:08   Perhaps this page title might be converted to a disambiguation page that simply points to existing pages. —AlphaDog

2006-12-14 09:44:17   Well this is a page for a project, a physical publication, as disambiguation would be good, I think that the links provided would be sufficient in that regard, no? —MichaelReagan

2006-12-14 14:12:34   There's far more information here than would probably fit on a single sheet of paper. Perhaps a better application of this concept would be to create "Guide" fliers advertising the wiki... ticklers to draw new people in. For example, you could create a 5.5x8.5 Freshman Guide sheet using information from the Freshman Guide page; this flyer could have a footer that reads, "looking for more tips? look to the Daviswiki!" —AlphaDog

2006-12-14 15:04:01   Definitely an idea, as this was also a project to promote the Daviswiki ( which I have to thank for much of my good experiences in Davis), in any case, this is a project to be done over winter break, and probably the guide itself will be best for next year, when there are new students and such to promote a guide to, for now.. Don't Panic. —DavidPoole