The Freshman Perspective: Settling In

By DOMINIGA GLEASON
Contributing Writer

The first week of college is something that can be scary, exciting and nerve wracking all at once, but it is still something we all must go through it. When you look at colleges, you always think, okay, these people might go here with me, my life might be like this, but nothing is for sure. Even if you do an overnight visit, it can all still seem so far fetched. For me, doing an overnight was a lot like buying a house, I had to make sure everything felt right, and would cater to my needs.

By the time orientation rolls around, where you stay on campus with people who actually are going to school with you, it still doesn’t seem real, its more like doing a two day summer camp. After orientation there is that long wait for summer to end, you count down the days until you leave, and it is so exciting until there’s about five days left and then it really all hits you.

I remember first arriving on campus, this rush flew over me. I realized, this was all actually happening and the wait was over. Saint Rose was going to be my new home for the next few months. While I thought I was ready for it, my first week was still a shock, everything was so new. Everyday that first week it kept hitting me how real it actually was. At first it kind of just seemed like orientation again but I had to keep reminding myself that this was not just a quick visit.

My biggest fear in coming here was that I was being thrown into an atmosphere that 90% of the people where used to, and it would just me and my fellow freshmen that would stand out. While I’m outgoing, I was really nervous about making new friends, but it was surprisingly easy. Its kind of crazy how you meet someone new every five feet. It’s been almost two weeks and I’m still meeting new people. It’s also funny how I see people I remember from either acceptance dinners or school visits before I committed, but I’m sure they have no idea who I am. So then I have to awkwardly try and decide if I should wave or not. As for my roommate, the horror stories I have heard had made me really nervous to meet her, and on top of that I had some roommate drama of my own. I got placed twice with roommates who it turned out were not evening going here! But it all worked out perfect, I love my roommate and my dorm room. It truly feels like my own room, and I barely even miss my room at home! As for the food here, it was definitely something to get used to. While I think it tastes pretty good, everyone is different. People always talk about gaining the freshman 15 once you get to college. However, I have nothing to worry about because when you live at Bru, the possibility of getting fat isn’t very realistic! Between the walk to campus and the fact that there is no elevator, the freshman fifteen is going to be more like freshman negative fifteen. Speaking of Bru, I’ve heard some rumors that it might be haunted, and I have to say I’ve seen some questionable things. In my friends room her posters and boards seem to constantly fall off the walls, no matter how many command strips she’s puts on, and my door constantly slams shut for no reason. So I’ve concluded this hall is either haunted or it is a giant wind tunnel. Who knows what I will experience during the rest of the year.

When it came to actual school, classes here were so different than I thought they would be. All my teachers in high school made it seem like my classes would be two to three hour lectures that were really boring, but that is not the case at all. Most of my classes are only an hour and fifteen minutes and has a lot of hands on actives or discussion to keep them interesting. The weirdest thing for me to get used to about college classes is when you have step out of class, you can just leave, I still want to raise my hand and ask if it’s okay first.

Out of everything freshman have to go through, I think the hardest part of being a freshmen, is realizing your a freshmen. Unlike high school, no one here seems to be “upperclassmen snobs” and everyone seems to love to share their college knowledge. It’s really you against yourself the first week, trying to fit in, and trying not to seem as nervous as you actually are. My first week was a great learning experience, Saint Rose has honestly become my second home and I could not be happier.