It's no question that moving into college is a big step for a person, whether it's the first time in freshman year or the fourth time during senior year. A lot of schools have a welcome weekend, full of unloaded cars and icebreakers, but Grand Canyon University is a completely different ballgame. Welcome Week in Lope Country is full of pool parties, movie nights, pep rallies, and more school pride than anywhere else. But what really makes GCU the best?

1. Welcome Week Crew

Cheering, honking horns, loud music, and flocks of purple shirts. These are only a few of the things to expect on move in day at Grand Canyon University. Driving through campus feels like what I would imagine a celebrity driving through a crowd of paparazzi would feel like, with people cheering, yelling your name, banging on cars, it's a crazy experience. Combine that with a fifteen person group swarming your car and unloading everything in minutes, GCU is pretty unique in its Welcome Week experience.

2. Orientation Sessions

Let's be real, freshman orientations are a total drag. Rules, policies, piles of information, it can all be very overwhelming. Not at Grand Canyon, though. New student orientation at GCU is full of dancing, cheering, contests, and of course, free t-shirts. There's absolutely no way to be bored during orientation at GCU, especially with Thunder the Antelope making his way through the crowds of new families.

3. Canyon Cool Down

It's no secret that GCU has multiple pools on campus, considering most students spend the hot Arizona days lying by one of them. What do you get when you combine one big pool, four huge slip-n-slides, a DJ, and 500 students? You get the Canyon Cool Down, Welcome Week's rocking pool party for the students. Have you ever heard of a school that throws a pool party on the first night of move in? Didn't think so.

4. Glow Party

More dancing? More music? How could one week have any more exciting things? How could one school pack any more awesomeness into Welcome Week? Glow Party is exactly what it sounds like, a huge rave full of glow sticks, black lights, and amazing music. What else brings young adults together better than that?

All in all, Grand Canyon University sets itself apart from any other school, not only during Welcome Week but throughout the entire year. The sense of community is one of the most important parts of school at Grand Canyon. From helping with the move in process to the multiple different events on campus for students to attend, GCU's Welcome Week is like no other's.