For those who are new students, welcome to APU! If you are feeling a little lost or still don’t have any idea what to do on the weekends, here is some advice from former new students on how to get the most out of your Cougar experience.
There is plenty to do on and off campus aside from studying, but almost every activity out there requires two or more people in order to achieve one of the most important things when seeking entertainment: fun. It can be tough to find friends, especially when you are new to campus.
Senior applied exercise science major Kelvin Davis, who transferred from Oregon in 2011, feels that APU has some amiable people who are willing to make new friends.
“When I first transferred in I would get together with friends on Fridays and we would find different ways to fellowship with each other. We usually would come play basketball or get a study group going so we don’t fail,” Davis said. “Communiversity is a good place to come hang out as well as the track and Dillon Complex Field if you want to be active.”
Communiversity is located in the Cougar Dome, off Wallace Way and Cougar Walk.
“Some of the greatest things at APU are the activities in the [Cougar] Dome,” said junior psychology major Joben Purification. “I love playing ping-pong with the homies, also billiards, and other…stuff on campus.”
Communiversity arranges many on- and off-campus activities throughout the year, from intramural sports to hikes. Communiversity stays on top of things to make these events fun for all students, transfers or not.
“As a [former] transfer student, I would recommend getting involved in intramural sports,” said senior global studies major Erin Britt, who transferred from Saddleback College in Fall 2012.
Surrounding both campuses is an abundance of restaurants from McDonald’s to Chipotle and everything in between, giving students plenty of choices.
“There are great yogurt places in the area – and boba, if you like boba,” Purification said. “There’s also Chick-fil-A, where you can use your Cougar Bucks from APU to purchase a meal.”
Going to Donut Man is a tradition at APU usually celebrated by Alpha groups. Even Jon Wallace mentioned the donut vendor in a 1980 recruiting video, back when he was rocking a mustache. Side note: The video is worth searching the depths of YouTube.
Traveling further down the road there are beaches, hiking trails, more beaches, and even Disneyland, which is the second “happiest place on earth.” APU’s campus is the first, of course.
“Go to the beach. We’re in Southern California. It’s about a 40-minute drive,” Davis said. “I’m sure people will come scoop you off your feet and be more than willing to have fun with you, take you out and be your friend.”