Michael Houlihan: 21, senior business administration major, Nazareth
Thing to do on-campus: Play volleyball, support other sports teams (basketball, lacrosse); mixers and school dances
Place for a date: Go to Pittsford, walk the canal, eat at Aladdin's
Place to study: Barnes & Noble, quiet rooms in the library. "NOT the dorms!"
Kevin Kirchoff, 20, junior history education major, Nazareth
Places to eat: Cheesecake Factory, Fairport Hots, Coldstone Creamery
Places to shop: Pittsford Marshalls, Eastview and Marketplace malls
On-campus sports fix: Lacrosse, soccer, basketball games
Off-campus arts fix: RPO concerts at Eastman, Water Street Music Hall
Advice for freshmen: "Do your work; don't slack off. It's not one big party."
Mohammed Ahamed, 22, senior business administration major, Nazareth
Places to eat: Garbage plates at Fairport Hots, Papa Johns
Off-campus sports fix: Rhinos (soccer) and Red Wings (baseball) games
Place for a date: Bowling alley; the canal
Advice for freshmen: "Do not procrastinate; stay organized."
Carrie Goodberlet, 19, sophomore physical therapy major, Nazareth
Place to eat: Aladdin's
Place for coffee: Starbucks, Colie's Café
Advice for freshmen: "Be open - don't lock yourself in your room."
Taryn Mullen, 19, senior communications/Spanish major, St. John Fisher
Places to eat: Simply Crepes, Aladdin's, Pellegrino's Subs
Places for coffee: Boulder Coffee Co., Spot Coffee, Spin Caffe
Off-campus arts fix: Shows at Water Street, Boulder Coffee, arts festivals
Advice for freshmen: "Make friends with upperclassmen if you want to get around."
John Pray, 19, sophomore undeclared, St. John Fisher
Places to shop: Eastview Mall, Pittsford Plaza
Things to do on campus: Play hide and seek in the main quad
Advice for freshmen: "College gives you a clean slate, so you can be whoever you want to be."
Ashley Marion, 19, junior international studies major, St. John Fisher
Places to eat: Fairport Hots, Wegmans
Places for coffee: Spot Coffee
On-campus sports fix: Courage Bowl (annual charity football game between Fisher and UR)
Advice for freshmen: "Make friends with older students - there are a lot of perks with it, [like] getting around, especially if you're from out of town."
Anthony Lister, 18, sophomore hospitality management major, MCC
Off-campus arts fix: Step-Off (step program through City School District); reggae concerts at Main Street Armory
Place for coffee: Starbucks on Mt. Hope
Advice for freshmen: "Get extra help early, stay on top of your homework. Be on time."
Rachel Popowych, 18, sophomore criminal justice major, MCC
Places to eat: Olive Garden, Roadhouse Grill
Things to do off-campus: Play soccer, go four-wheeling
Off-campus sports fix: Razorsharks (basketball), Rhinos (soccer), baseball games
Advice for freshmen: "Actually focus on your studies; don't party too much."
Maria English, 19, sophomore, liberal arts/health major, MCC
Places to eat: Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King
Place for a date: Movies 10 on Mondays - 50 cent movies!
Favorite things to do off-campus: Biking, skating
Advice for freshmen: "Stay on top of your studies. It's a smooth transition from high school to here [MCC], but you might think it's easy and then second semester hits you, and dang!"
Fabrice Broyld, 22, junior communications/journalism major, MCC
Places to eat: Jines; I love Cibon; hanging out at Spin Caffe
Off-campus arts fix: Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester Museum and Science Center. "There's a lot to see; you just have to really explore."
Advice for freshmen: "Be confident in who you are. Aspire to be someone, not someone else."
Allyson Flickner, junior, RIT
Favorite things to do on-campus: Take bike rides around campus; the clubs and concerts
Favorite place to eat: Panera Bread Co.
Advice for freshmen: "Learn how to study; definitely develop good study habits early. Even though your first semester classes don't really count too much, they're still important."
Hyun Jin, junior, RIT
Favorite things to do on-campus: Play pool
Place to eat: Ritz [Sports Zone]
Best spot to study: "My room. I don't have a roommate now, so it's nice and quiet."
Advice for freshmen: "Be familiar with the library."
Alex Karzhavin, grad student, RIT
Favorite things to do on-campus: Play basketball and soccer
Favorite place to eat: Gracie's
Advice for freshman: "Don't be afraid to communicate, because when you communicate you can understand other people. Especially be friendly to us international students."
Tammi Mascioletti, senior, RIT
Favorite things to do on-campus: Go to the gym, go to concerts.
Place for a date: Charlotte beach; get Abbott's ice cream and walk the pier.
Place for coffee: Jitters
Off-campus arts fix: Auditorium Theater
Advice for freshmen: "Take advantage of the four years, ‘cause it goes really quick."
Natalie Klein, doctoral student in brain/cognitive sciences, UR
Favorite things to do off-campus: Free organ concerts at the Memorial Art Gallery; ArtisanWorks
Place for coffee: Boulder Coffee Co., Muddy Waters
Place to study: Outdoor balconies of the Rush Rhees Library
Place for a date: Dogtown Hots, Vintage Drive-In in Avon
Advice for freshmen: "Don't declare a major right away, just explore everything - you have the rest of your life to be focused."
Hannah Watkins, sophomore, UR
Favorite things to do off-campus: Concerts at the Eastman Theatre
Places to eat: Jines, Simply Crepes
Advice for freshmen: "Don't try to overload your first semester.... I wish I had taken it a little easier my first semester."
Steffi Duarte, sophomore art history major, UR
Favorite things to do off-campus: George Eastman House and the Dryden Theater
Place to eat: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (it delivers!)
Place for coffee: Java's
Advice for freshmen: "Try to get off campus, ‘cause Rochester is such a cool place, and your freshman year you tend to get caught up in being on campus."