West Virginia University.

Built in 1867, and known for it's partying since 1868 (just kidding, that wasn't confirmed until 2012, but I'll bet that farmyard raves were totally a thing). There are so many things about this town and school that are completely unique to this area that it takes much more than just your freshman year to learn them all. So whether you're a current Freshman or Sophmore, transfer student, or just someone that goes to another university and wants to know more about the school that made couch burnings famous (which is a felony now btw), here is a list of things you should know from a "learned-by-previous-mistake" basis.

1. Choosing between taking the Bus or PRT is a total tossup

Where you live, where your class starts, and how early or late you want to get there will dictate which form of transportation you should take. The PRT has busy hours and dull hours, which fluctuate with when the majority of people get out of class. These times aren't posted, although they totally should be, and are dependent on whether or not the thing is actually running. I have seen many an elbow be thrown on the PRT when it's backed up because people insist it's still the fastest way. The best advice I've learned is to not pick a single way to get to class. When the PRT is down, go to the buses; which are pretty faithfully consistent. Don't take the PRT if it's in the middle of the day or 9 am in the morning, those are the busiest hours and you will be waiting a while.

2. There will be a lot of falling, both up and down, so know where the elevators are

Many colleges in West Virginia are well known for having stairs that make even athletes stop at the top to catch their breath, and WVU is no exception. Having to deal with stairs on stairs is apart of the fine print of attending here, and with stairs includes a lot of falling. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it's just a matter of time before you eat it early in the morning on the LSB stairs and spill all your coffee on the person in front of you. And the stairs aren't the only adversary at WVU; with roads like Frat row (which has a 12% gradient) and the almost vertical 3rd Street combined with a student population that consumes 1% of Anheuser-Busch's alcohol sales every year (true fact), makes for a very interesting midnight walk. When the sun goes down, so does people's coordination.

3. Being apart of winter sports that don't require an application

With the cold of winter also comes boredom, and sadly the WVU admin has gotten better at predicting the idiotic actions students will occasionally do. Although sledding and snowboarding/skiing are banned from the great spots like Law School Hill and Woodburn hill, it isn't technically banned from the icy streets at the early hours of the morning. The hills that are the death of you in the summer and spring months will be a source of fun in the winter. I don't recommend doing this because it's very dangerous and you could get hit by a car, however that doesn't seem to stop many students. Like many things in Morgantown, if you're willing to take the risk of injury and or death on the rare occasion, there's always endless fun (trouble) to find in town.

4. People in Morgantown take holidays very seriously

From Halloweekend and St. Patty's, to Homecoming and Big rival games, WVU students and Morgantown natives will find any and all reasons to party. As harmless as it may seem, Morgantowners know that these events will try to be as crazy as possible. People plan weeks in advance for these events and take it fully upon themselves to get as lit as possible. And if you aren't a huge party-goer, there are still events for you. WVUp All Night is the place to be for fun, toned-down events and midnight eats. On the flip side, if your name was synonymous with police sirens from where you were from, there's plenty of places from Cellar (Annex), Bent, et al. to pick your poison from.

5. Take time to learn the songs

Seriously. I don't need to go into depth on this, but songs like Country Roads and Sweet Caroline are staples at this school. These are songs that can and should be belted out at any time for no reason at all.

6. Pedestrians technically have the right of way, but be careful

I feel the need to mention this because, in this semester alone, I have witnessed 5 people almost get decked by pick up trucks. Yes, at crosswalks, pedestrians have the right of way, but that is not going to stop a driver who is trying to make it to the class he is already late for. Drivers at WVU and around Morgantown are more aggressive than relatives at the Christmas dinner table, and they aren't afraid to show it. Please look both ways before crossing any street, and take your earbuds out so you can listen to the overly loud engines and mufflers that signal their arrival. And like the movie Dodgeball, if you can dodge a car you can dodge a ball, but at WVU, make sure you can dodge the ball first.

7. Freshman 15 is a thing, but at least there are tons of options

A bunch of restaurants have been added to Morgantown since last year, and plenty of those are starting to cater more to the student's bottomless pit requirements. Dunkin Donuts and Los have great weekly deals, and Pizza Al's and Lotza Motza have tons of deals in the newspaper and through apps associated with the school. One of the things I miss most about freshman year is getting my swipes worth at places across campus. And not only to places on campus have great portion sizes, but the local eateries on High Street offer a wide array of options as well. There are so many different foods, cultures, and places to choose from that you can literally try them all, and I highly recommend that you do.