I'd definitely say it's a useful resource in terms of finding a roommate and apartment, general questions, and when the school year starts - hearing student organization / government announcements, but it isn't completely necessary. At this current point though, there really isn't any rush to joining since so few students are actually accepted into TUNCOM. Each class usually makes a Discord server (DO27 is already up and running), if you're more active on that. Ultimately, I'd wait it out until you're fully committed to a school, too.