So, you decided to come to NIU, eh? Good choice. However, I’m sure there are a few of you out there sitting around in your orientation groups wondering why the heck you decided to spend the next four (or five, or six) years of your life in DeKalb.

Well, let me fill you in on a few of the reasons why my friends and I decided to stick it out here.

Have you noticed the ducks on campus? They’re hilarious. They waddle along Watson Creek and the East Lagoon looking like they own the place.

Honestly, I’ve never seen ducks more entertaining than the ones here at NIU. And many other people seem to think the same thing. Just the other day I saw a group of kids going nuts about the ducks. Ahh, ducks.

There’s this thing called CornFest. If you’re a country girl like me, you’ll know where I’m coming from. This festival is great. There are tons of vendors lined up on Lincoln Highway; and yes, many of them do sell sweet corn.

Now, if you’re from the city, you’ll be able to relate to this, too. Just pretend you’re at the Taste of Chicago. Granted, it’s not nearly as big, but you can make it just as much fun with a little use of your imagination.

Altgeld Hall. It’s a mystery to many students who go here; in fact, very few can claim that they ever have stepped foot inside of Altgeld. I hope that I will get to see the finished product of this castle before I graduate in the spring; however, I’m not holding my breath.

But you, as incoming freshmen, may get to accomplish this. I would hope that by the time you graduate the renovations will be complete.

I suppose there are some practical reasons why NIU is a good choice. One being its location to Chicago. As long as you have a car, there’s no reason why being in DeKalb should hinder your visits to this magnificent city.

The city has a lot to offer, and you can use it even when you live a little more than an hour away.

It used to be that you had to leave DeKalb to find a decent place to shop. But, lo and behold, the shopping in the area has boomed over the last two years. When I started school here, there wasn’t much more than Wal-Mart and Target.

Now there’s Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, Pier One, Borders, Barnes and Noble and more still to come. It’s crazy! But hey, at least you don’t have to travel 40 minutes anymore to find a decent shirt for the bar.

And how about that Convocation Center and the new College of Business building, Barsema Hall? I’ve heard that those places draw people in. Here’s to hoping that the Convo Center will bring in some big-name bands.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see something come out of the Student Association’s Big Time Entertainment committee … or, better yet, from the Campus Activities Board. Let’s all work together, guys (and gals). If the U of I can bring in big acts, so can we.

Unfortunately, I can’t say very much about the nightlife in DeKalb. Once you’re 21, you’re free to do whatever you want. You can go to the bars and hang out there with your friends; however, until then, there’s really not much to do. But I have faith in you; you made it this far in life, you’ll find something to do on the weekends. Just don’t go home!!!

Huskie athletics actually have been doing pretty well over the last couple of years. Coaches Joe Novak and Rob Judson really have turned the football and basketball teams around. If you stick around on weekends, like I just told you to, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

There’s a ton of stuff to get involved with on this campus. If you try hard enough, you will find a group of people you fit in with. If you want to get involved with politics, entertainment, religious groups or just about anything else you can imagine, you’ll find your niche here at NIU. Don’t be scared to join something. Just jump in and do it.

Now for a shameless plug: Have you checked out that rad student newspaper, the Northern Star? We bring you the news daily, and we try to keep you up to date on what’s going on at NIU and in the city of DeKalb.

Also, you’ll notice that there are tons of cool people working for the Star; who knows, maybe you can get involved here, too. Remember? I told you getting involved is a good thing.

Well, those are a few of the things that have kept us at NIU. There are so many other reasons to stick it out here, but I’ll let you discover those.