The first week of classes is fairly light, thanks to students adding and dropping and professors just looking to see who will be studying and making certain students understand just what they have gotten themselves into.

During that first week, you have a bit of extra time for discovery. The following are 10 things worth checking out before your professors begin piling on the work (in no particular order).

Visit the Chicha Shack:

If you like smoking hookah, you are in for a treat. If you don’t, the atmosphere is still great and there are tasty drinks both alcoholic and non. The variety of people you can meet is another plus, as it is one of the few 18-and-up locations people hang out at.

Figure out the bus schedules:

They aren’t complicated, but transfers can make you late fairly easily. Knowing how to get to the various locations across town is something you’ll want to know as the year progresses.

Find somewhere suitable to hang out:

If you aren’t already familiar with the town, finding a place to hang out with friends is essential to maintaining sanity during the school year. And this means multiple locations, as staying in your room all the time will drive you batty, even if you have company.

Go to the gym:

Be it the freshman 15 or just the poor eating habits most college students develop, beginning a workout routine early (rather than once you realize you have a few extra pounds) is smart. Being healthy is generally just a good idea.

Football:

Cyclone football is a staple of weekend entertainment at Iowa State. OK, truth be told, tailgating is the real draw. Regardless, the first game at home is shortly after classes begin, and getting the day off from your new job or setting up plans for partying is worth the preparation.

Go tubing down the Skunk River:

The weather should still be warm enough to make for a few weeks of tubing. For those unfamiliar, tubing involves floating down the water and being lazy with friends. The river is shallow, usually only a few feet deep, so drowning isn’t really a risk. Just check Google for more information.

Discover your sources for late-night munchies:

Each person will have a different opinion of what food is best, so make up your own mind through a little exploration. Depending on where you live, there should be a fair amount of eateries within walking distance.

Join a club:

There is a club for anything you are into: anime, kinky sex, fencing, rugby, politics, martial arts, cigars — pretty much anything. And if you don’t happen to find something that suits your tastes, go ahead and find a few like-minded people and start a new club.

Check out both Campustown and Ames’ downtown area:

Campustown is likely just next door to you, while downtown will require a bus ride. Either way, becoming familiar with both will help when you need a distraction from that homework and reading you want to put off till the last minute.

Do the work you are assigned in class, and attend the classes:

Though it is the first week, and there isn’t much substance offered that first week, getting into a study habit will help you. But you know as well as I that this probably won’t happen. You’re new students, and for many this is the first time living away the parents, so being crazy and lazy tends to take a higher priority than being an ideal student.