Hey Yall, new here so figured I'd introduce myself. I'm from Maryland and really heavily considering going to UW. Just wanna be around here and learn as much about the school and region as I can so I can make the transition as easy as possible. Probably would be a 2-sport club athlete so would definitely have things to do while there. If there's anything I really should know just go ahead and say so, I'm all ears. Any recommendations on things in town to see/do if I can find the time to visit campus as well would be more than welcome.
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New to UW
- Thread starter tnkl_42
- Start date
Welcome. I think you will find that your experience in Laramie, or anywhere for that matter, is going to depend significantly on what your expectations are.
Laramie is obviously going to be quite different from most of Maryland. The weather, the people, the things you can do for fun/hobbies, the pace of life, etc are going to differ from place to place. If you are open to new experiences and not set on wanting to do the same things you do in Maryland, then you can thrive anywhere, including Laramie. Most of the advantages to living in Laramie, and Wyoming in general, are the outdoor opportunities it offers. If you don't like doing things outdoors, sometimes in less than ideal weather conditions, then you probably won't have a lot of fun in Laramie. There is good fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, climbing, skiing, and snow shoeing all within a few hours of Laramie.
Yes, it gets very cold in Laramie in the winter, but that isn't the worst part - it's the wind. Wyoming is a pretty windy state and it doesn't take much wind to make a brisk day a whole hell of a lot more unpleasant. Summers in Laramie are beautiful - some of the best summer weather in the entire country in my opinion. It's a shame so many students don't stick around to enjoy the summers. Jubilee days is a rodeo/parade/carnival that takes place typically in early July. Everyone will tell you to go to Cheyenne Frontier Days - personally, I like the smaller local rodeo's like Jubilee days a lot more.
Probably also not a surprise to you - people in Wyoming are, on average, much more conservative than on the east coast. I have no idea what your political leanings are, but a word of advice if I may...don't let differences in political opinions shape who you are friends with or the people you talk to. You will miss out on a lot of really meaningful personal relationships if you let you political leanings dictate your interpersonal relationships.
When I attended UW as an undergraduate, both of my roommates were from Maryland - Baltimore to be exact. They both absolutely embraced Laramie and ended up loving their time in Wyoming because of it. It really is up to you to decide whether you will have a good time here or not.
Laramie is obviously going to be quite different from most of Maryland. The weather, the people, the things you can do for fun/hobbies, the pace of life, etc are going to differ from place to place. If you are open to new experiences and not set on wanting to do the same things you do in Maryland, then you can thrive anywhere, including Laramie. Most of the advantages to living in Laramie, and Wyoming in general, are the outdoor opportunities it offers. If you don't like doing things outdoors, sometimes in less than ideal weather conditions, then you probably won't have a lot of fun in Laramie. There is good fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, climbing, skiing, and snow shoeing all within a few hours of Laramie.
Yes, it gets very cold in Laramie in the winter, but that isn't the worst part - it's the wind. Wyoming is a pretty windy state and it doesn't take much wind to make a brisk day a whole hell of a lot more unpleasant. Summers in Laramie are beautiful - some of the best summer weather in the entire country in my opinion. It's a shame so many students don't stick around to enjoy the summers. Jubilee days is a rodeo/parade/carnival that takes place typically in early July. Everyone will tell you to go to Cheyenne Frontier Days - personally, I like the smaller local rodeo's like Jubilee days a lot more.
Probably also not a surprise to you - people in Wyoming are, on average, much more conservative than on the east coast. I have no idea what your political leanings are, but a word of advice if I may...don't let differences in political opinions shape who you are friends with or the people you talk to. You will miss out on a lot of really meaningful personal relationships if you let you political leanings dictate your interpersonal relationships.
When I attended UW as an undergraduate, both of my roommates were from Maryland - Baltimore to be exact. They both absolutely embraced Laramie and ended up loving their time in Wyoming because of it. It really is up to you to decide whether you will have a good time here or not.
That's awesome to hear, I spent a year at BGSU already so I've got a good feeling over the "cold aint what gets you, it's the wind" style of weather. I'm perfectly content to have the cold cus I know the snow will come with it. Doesn't worry me about the political leanings either, said year at Ohio was during an election year while both abortion and legalizing recreational weed were on the ballot so I've probably seen the most that I can get thrown lol. I've always had fun in the outdoors, went backpacking at Philmont with the boy scouts twice and fell in love with the west from there, and thankfully with Vedauwoo nearby I've got plenty of access to it. Definitely a bit grateful my potential visit would be in the winter, so I know what I'd have to work through. All in all, sounds like the downsides are manageable, and I'm both thrilled and not surprised to hear there's a local rodeo in Laramie, frankly I'm shocked the PBR doesn't have an event in the state since as far as I'm aware Rodeo is a top 3 most popular sport in the state. Plus, in terms of a school with a community feel but bigger school amenities I think UW probably hits those as the only university in the state, wouldn't be much other choice than to have some.
PorkerPoke
Well-known member
At your age I loved climbing all over Vedauwoo and fishing Granite, Crystal and the lakes west of Laramie. Hiking both of the ranges around Laramie was great. We used to do some cliff jumping near the crystal lake dam which made for a fun summer afternoon.
I preferred Frontier Days - especially Cheyenne day on Wednesday to party and hunt for some nice
(you can read into that).
Cheyenne has several brew houses and I always enjoy the chili ale at Altitude.
Summers are awesome but sometime in October to late May can be challenging with a smattering of nice days here and there.
It’s definitely not fast paced.
And - if either basketball or football have good teams it’s exciting to look forward to the next home game.
I preferred Frontier Days - especially Cheyenne day on Wednesday to party and hunt for some nice
(you can read into that).Cheyenne has several brew houses and I always enjoy the chili ale at Altitude.
Summers are awesome but sometime in October to late May can be challenging with a smattering of nice days here and there.
It’s definitely not fast paced.
And - if either basketball or football have good teams it’s exciting to look forward to the next home game.
Great to hear, honest to god living in DCs suburbs I'm tired of fast paced, slow it down a good bit please lmao. Local news being local would be awesome instead of what the representative from Minnesota's 59th district said about kitty litter or whatever tf. Does Volleyball or Wrestling ever draw big crowds or are those generally gonna be lower attended events. I love VB and wanna get into wrestling so honestly those being smaller attendance might be nice to guarantee I get in. Fingers crossed football can figure it out soon, a good Wyoming is good for college football. Also good to know about CFD, I'll remember that in case I can ever get out there lol.
