NSO Event Advice

hey freshmen. I hope you find this post about NSO events useful. basically everything that I wish I knew going into it.

What are "downtowns?"
- Downtowns are events hosted at clubs or other venues outside of campus. A lot happen during NSO but others happen during the semester.

Who hosts them?
- Fraternities. Typically 2-3 will group together to split the deposit for the venue and split ticket revenue. The names you see like "Singleton Eye," "Underground Productions," "Zyx," "Wise," "Fourth Pillar," "Brickhouse," "Jungle Jones," "Machi," "4050," "St. Rays," and others are all code for fraternity names (there's more, I just can't remember). It's fun to figure out which is which ;)

Do I need a "novelty" identification card? How good does it have to be?
- Yes. The quality expectation depends on the venue but you will need one.

How much do they cost?
- Depending on how early you get tickets and the venue, they can be as cheap as 60 or as expensive as 120. This is because the upperclassmen all get access to the links earlier. You can also expect to pay a cover of $20 at some doors, and drinks will run you 15+/per. Pregame.

What are these wristbands?
- Some events require wristbands to get in, which are handed out to ticket holders a day or two before.

Can I get a table?
- No. Tables will all probably be taken by frats hosting the event for themselves or by other frats attending. Also, why would you want one?

Which events are good?
- Based on last year, I would prioritize attending the DAYTIME events if you want to meet upperclassmen (lots of people got a head start on rush this way). In general, I also had more fun here because I could actually talk to people. The nighttime events are fun too but are more generic/hit or miss. In general, the "cannot miss" event is Pool, and recently, a lot of people have been hating on Riverdeck since they're the strictest with IDs.

How do I buy tickets/know about them?
- There will be ticket announces floating around groups on instagram. Every year someone puts together a big document of them with posh.vip links to buy tickets.

What is the "paid to party at penn," plugged university, or other instagram accounts I see?
- the least fun parties you will ever attend and/or scams. They aren't hosted by penn people and are just random companies. DO NOT ATTEND.

What about parties on-campus?
- The big fraternities don't actually throw that much during NSO, and if they do, you probably won't get in unless you know someone beforehand or have crazy door game (some of my male friends got in to an upperclassmen event last year literally just by making a brother laugh). But the parties in places like backlot will be so fun you won't care.

I honestly recommend that you go to as many events as possible. Yes, its expensive, yes its a lot of time. But trust me - you will probably never have this much condensed fun ever again.

Final notes:
- Go with a group, not alone
- Try not to get MERTed
- Watch your drink (guys too - I heard multiple freshmen guys got spiked last NSO at a downtown)
- You'll learn to like the music
- If you attended PennQuest, good job. You will know a LOT of people :)
- Have fun :)