Before setting foot in a classroom, newly admitted students at Arizona State University can navigate unfamiliar environments and connect with resources as they embark on a new academic journey. But for some, the transition to college life isn’t as overwhelming.
Months before the fall semester begins, incoming students are asking practical and personal questions ranging from the university housing experience to specific courses and academic programs.
Through Devil2Devil, ASU’s official Discord server for admitted first-year, transfer and graduate students, they can get answers, hear directly from peers and begin making connections.
Once admitted to ASU, new users are automatically sorted into server channels based on campus location allowing students to form instant connections within academic communities. Beyond providing a place to ask questions and prepare for the fall semester, it’s a hub for students to make friends, find potential roommates, chat with current students about campus life and stay updated on all things ASU.
The broader effort to provide an online community for new students started in 2011. Devil2Devil, which is managed by ASU Academic Enterprise Communications, found its current home on Discord in 2024, after evolving across different platforms.
Allysson Schellhase, a social media manager with ASU Academic Enterprise Communications, stresses that while students can access resources and information online, Devil2Devil establishes more authentic connections between students.
“There are certain questions that faculty and staff simply can’t answer,” Schellhase says. “Anything from living on campus and dorm essentials to timing between classes and which clubs to join. The server connects them directly to peers and provides authentic answers and dialogue from personal experiences.”
Peer reviewed
For students enrolling in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, peers are ready to support them, from providing information about engineering programs and coursework to finding friends who can help make the university feel more familiar.
Justin Sanders, a first-year civil engineering student in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, found that getting answers about available resources and connecting with other engineering students helped reduce uncertainty as he headed into his first semester.
“I do feel more prepared — one of the most daunting things was some of the unknowns with being a freshman, as well as being new and not knowing people, but I now have a group of friends, and I had a better idea of what to expect thanks to the server,” Sanders says.
That preparation is not limited to academics. Before Tanay Upreti, a computer science student in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, started his first semester, he had questions about everyday student life, including how dining halls worked and where to find important resources on campus.
“Being an international student, I was not aware of a lot of simple things students do on a daily basis, but Devil2Devil really helped me learn a lot, and I felt better prepared before starting school,” Upreti says. “My first impression of the Devil2Devil community was very welcoming and supportive. I also had a lot of my admissions-related questions answered by other students.”
Practical answers can also open the door to a broader sense of belonging. Isaac Cobos Aguilar, a chemical engineering student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, joined Devil2Devil as an incoming first-generation college student. He expected a formal university space but instead found an atmosphere that felt familiar.
“I was expecting the community to have a very structured professional vibe, but I was met with a relaxed, friendly environment with other students, like what I would have with other online friends,” Cobos Aguilar says.
That tone made it easier for him to connect with volunteers and other admitted students, leading to questions, answers and conversations that can shape a positive transition to college.
Schellhase highlights that admitted students bring needs that are both academic and personal. Some questions call for answers from people who currently navigate campus life.
“Students send thousands of messages across channels on the server each day,” Schellhase says. “General chat draws the most activity, but supportive conversations develop in spaces organized around academic majors or shared hobbies and interests.”
Returning to support new students
Both Cobos Aguilar and Upreti eventually moved from asking questions to answering them.
Cobos Aguilar now serves as a volunteer moderator, fielding engineering questions and helping plan online events designed to bring students together. He also plays online games with different groups each week.
“I was inspired to volunteer and support other students because I wanted them to go through the same positive experience I had,” Cobos Aguilar says.
Upreti works as a social media community assistant in Devil2Devil and develops tools and automations to improve the student experience. He also answers questions based on his knowledge, especially those about computer science and engineering classes.
“Community building is something I am really passionate about,” Upreti says. “As a first-year student, I joined a lot of clubs to make friends, always learning and teaching, so when I saw the opportunity to work for Devil2Devil, I just couldn’t say no. It involved two of my favorite things: helping others find their place and solving real-world problems as a software developer.”
By returning as peer volunteers, the two students bring their Fulton Schools experiences to Devil2Devil’s university-wide community. Their progression from participants to peer shows how connections formed before college can develop into a sense of belonging and how students can extend that support to future incoming cohorts.
Cobos Aguilar describes the server as a place for “safe, low-risk, and noncommittal” socializing and questions. He hopes engineering students begin their journey feeling better prepared and more confident that ASU and the Fulton Schools fit their goals.
Taking online connections to campus
For many students, connections formed online in the months before their first semester continue after they arrive at ASU.
Cobos Aguilar has seen students creating Instagram group chats and their own offshoot servers to stay connected once their experience with Devil2Devil concludes.
“So many groups form naturally on the server, and it’s great to see how strong some of those bonds have grown when we see pictures of them meeting up in person once school starts,” he says. “Our ‘looking for group’ channel on Devil2Devil is super popular and an easy way for students to connect with like-minded students who share similar hobbies and interests.”
Upreti has also encountered incoming engineering students who coordinated plans to attend the same E2 experience and even become roommates in the Fulton Schools Residential Community at Tooker House.
Staff and student volunteers also help carry those connections onto campus. During ASU’s Welcome Week, Schellhase and other members of the Devil2Devil team hosted an in-person meetup where students from the community connected in person to play games, receive community awards and socialize face to face.
“Devil2Devil helps build community before incoming students arrive at ASU, but that is only a part of it,” Schellhase says. “We hope students who have established friendships and connected with future classmates continue those bonds on campus. To foster these relationships, we also created a Devil2Devil on-campus club in 2026.”
