<p>called the office to check today and it was closed
the schedule says i should check in by 10 but it doesn’t tell me where
also, for those who went to SBW in the past, how’s the experience?
some of my friends went to stay overnight at other schools and they have mixed opinions, mostly because the host sucked
oh and one more thing
i’m traveling from la->pitt->indy->mich->la, so i’m carrying a rather big luggage
is there a place where i can leave this safely during the tour/activities or do i have to carry it around?
walking around campus with a laptop + luggage will kinda suck</p>
<p>Hello there.</p>
<p>I went to SBW last november but didn’t sleep over. You check in at the UC (University Center). There are ppl w/ laptops on the 1st floor (you’ll find them easily. they have SBW sign) and you have to give them your name. Then you get a free t-shirt (I did) and a package w/ schedule, map, etc. If you’re sleeping over, you take your luggage to the second floor of UC and they store your stuff until the time to check in w/ your host. They use couple small rooms on the 2nd floor to store luggages.</p>
<p>I liked SBW even though I didn’t get to sleep. The introduction was informative and entertaining. I got a campus tour and CIT presentation. The tour guides were very helpful and knew a lot about the school and the campus. One thing that I didn’t like was that I had to wait in a long line for the lunch. I eventually left the line and didn’t eat.</p>
<p>Have fun at SBW!</p>
<p>So uh, what if I didn’t sign up and got an unofficial host. Will they still let me go on tour and give me a shirt, package, etc?</p>
<p>I’m not sure… But when I went there to check in, I had to give my name. Then they checked me off on their list (in the laptop) and gave me the shirt and packet w/ my name and my host’s name on it…</p>
<p>Tour/Presentations = probably yes…
Shirt & Package = probably not…</p>
<p>What should I tell them? Should I mention that I have an unofficial host who will allow me to sleep overnight and take a class tomorrow or something?</p>
<p>Just call the number I gave you whenever you want and then everything proceeds as normal.</p>
<p>The only thing different is that you won’t get 1. shirt 2. meal blocks</p>
<p>Should I at least check in though, so I can take the tours/presentations? And what should I say about the unofficial host?</p>
<ol>
<li> You can’t check in because your name won’t be on the list. </li>
<li>You can just follow the tours/presentations around or just do your own tour with your parents.</li>
<li>This is mainly to get you to experience the OVERNIGHT thing. The day thingy (tours and etc) is up to you and there are no arrangements for that.</li>
</ol>
<p>So what do I do with my sleeping bag and other stuff? I can just stick along with the tour group without telling my name and stuff?</p>
<p>That I don’t know, I don’t see what they can do if you just start following the tour group, maybe just say you are a random visitor. I’m just trying to get you to experience the 5pm-7am sleeping bag thing. </p>
<p>Are you coming by car? You can leave your stuff in the car and around 3-5pm just call the guy and he’ll let you into NH and we’ll get you going from there.</p>
<p>If you are coming by plane, just call Frank when you get here and meet up with him (drop off your stuff at NH).</p>
<p>Because if I’m visiting with just my family, what can we do but look around.</p>
<p>Ah okay. So how important is the tour thing with you?</p>
<p>If you wanted an “official” guide you should probably sign up for a visit sometime later (or sign up for the later Sleeping Bag Sundays). </p>
<p>If you don’t mind looking around by yourselves and then coming over to sleep over with the rest of the kids, then you know what to do (realize that most kids send their parents off to hotels).</p>
<p>Just ask one of the other baggers to see their scheduele and write it down and then find a map from somewhere.</p>
<p>^ Yes you can do that too. I don’t know the policy on letting visitors just follow the tour guide (though I don’t see what they can do against that). </p>
<p>My friends and I were bored once and we just followed a tour we saw and pretended we were prospective students and started asking questions.</p>
<p>Well, I wanted a good feel of the campus because I will probably go there. Maybe I’ll go to the check-in and convince them to let me go with the groups. Then once it’s five, I’ll call your friend and do watever from there.</p>
<p>You can do that with or without a tour guide. Just walk around, buy food from the UC (eat with your family) and check out the buidings/library/gym/etc. </p>
<p>Everyone is super-friendly so you can ask around for directions if you need anything and there is a “help center” that will answer any questions you have.</p>
<p>Or you can just get another bagger’s schedule and follow the tour guide around.</p>
<p>Yup. Everyone’s friendly at CMU. When I first walked into the UC, this student asked me if I needed help. So I asked him where things were and he directed me very nicely.</p>
<p>And the campus isn’t that big either. So you can probably get a good feel of it quickly.</p>
<p>Well I gotta get some rest. Leaving in 5 hours. Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>In november there was also info sessions for departments and such and other activities and information on specific things so you could look at the schedule and go to what you are interested in.</p>