The students formed fast friendships over the summer on Facebook.com. Ryan also started chatting on Facebook with an upperclassman before she moved to Boulder, asking him how long it takes to walk between certain buildings and for other college advice.
“It’s nice to have already-built friendships,” she said.
Social networking has drastically changed the age-old tradition of moving into the dorms and starting a school year on an unfamiliar campus. Today’s generation of college students can take virtual tours of the campus, get candid glimpses of student life on YouTube and see Facebook photos of their roommates before they formally introduce themselves and flip a coin for the top bunk.
Buff Buses that shuttle University of Colorado students around the campus run on vegetable oil.
Football games at Folsom Field are trash-free, and those who arrive on bikes get free "valet" service.
Now, the Boulder campus has another green accolade: The Sierra Club's magazine named it the most "eco-enlightened" college in the country. CU jumped up a spot from last year's No. 2 ranking.