——————————————–Get to know the area——————————-
Food
There are many coffee places on campus that are actually a lot cheaper and tastier than The Beanery. You can look them up on the OSU website. You get 25 cents off for bringing your own mug. And free upgrade during finals week.
The Woodsman in Philomath is a great Thai place disguised as a lumberjack bar! A great place to take visiting family/friends to show them the more eccentric side of Oregon!
For late night study sessions, it’s good to know that Dominoes (conveniently located just across the road) has a 1-topping medium pizza carry-out deal for $4.99!
Use Student Survival Kit coupons (not only book version but also mobile one). Many places in Corvallis offer discounts, manly food, but also other services. Students are mailed the Student Survival Kit once per term.
Transportation
Corvallis can actually be hard to live in if you don’t have a car. Be warned that the public buses can be up to 20 minutes late, so don’t rely on the bus if you need to get to class!
Biking is a great way to get around town as Corvallis is so bike-friendly and has designated lanes/paths set up around town. There are even designated bike lockers outside of CEOAS admin that students can sign up for.
The HUT shuttle is the only convenient shuttle service to PDX and it’s expensive ($85 roundtrip). However, many hotels near PDX will let you park there for 2 weeks if you book a room for 1 night, so if you have an early flight it can be worth it to stay at a hotel the night before (see: http://portland.parksleepfly.com/.) If you do take the HUT shuttle, you can park your car at the Hilton Garden Inn for up to 2 weeks for free.
Weather
Invest in a good rain jacket, umbrella, and bike with mud protectors. Also, prepare for “Cow Days” on campus…you’ll know what I’m talking about once you smell it.
Summers are awesome and can be difficult to work and stay focused. Plan for that.
Meet new people!
Some people might feel comfortable with their program cohort since you’ll be taking a lot of similar classes, but take time and effort to meet other new people in CEOAS and even OSU. There are many events on campus that you can attend/get involved in (i.e. Memorial Union Program Council, ASOSU, CGE, SAC). Have homework group parties with people you’ve never talked to in class.
Grad Student Snack Lunch in CEOAS Admin Bldg! It’s a good way to meet other grad students, especially outside your research group or department.
Every Wednesday at 3pm there are cookies in the CEOAS Admin. Bldg. This isn’t really advertised, but if you’re feeling snackish or need a break it’s good to know!
OSU have clubs and groups you can join, its a great way to meet people outside CEOAS. There are international groups that organize parties, sports and cultural events related to their country (http://oregonstate.edu/seac/sos/find_org)
Things to do in the Corvallis area
– Farmers Market downtown (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
– Beer tasting at all our great breweries (try Two Towns if you like cider!)
– Hike Bald Hill, Mary’s Peak, McDonald Forest (hot tip: opencyclemap.org has a map of all trails everywhere!)
– Float the Willy! (Willamette River)
– Disc golf at WIllamette Park
– Go dance at the Peacock (a bar/club downtown)… at least once!!!
– Concerts (Corvallis/Eugene/Portland)
– Go to the beach (Chowder Bowl in Newport has the best chowder!)
– Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor are great places for winter activities
If you enjoy hiking, I would highly recommend buying ‘Corvallis Trails: Explore the Heart of the Valley’ by Margie Powell. It has a set of 60 hikes within 1 hour of Corvallis, including a lot of beautiful, lesser-known parks. There is also a nice folding map of hiking trails around Corvallis that you can buy at the Co-op or Peak Sports (Published by Sky Island Graphics, 2011). Also, this is a nice website.
