Welcome Week is not the most memorable week of your freshman year. Yes, it’s a lot of fun. Yes, there are no classes being held. And yes, there are more free T-shirts than you can imagine, but just hang on. The days that will make you fall in love with the College are not planned and certainly aren’t organized.
I came into the College with a relatively poor attitude. To be honest, it wasn’t my first-choice school (or second) and so I had decided it couldn’t possibly be right for me. But then things started to change.
So if you are sitting in your dorm, hesitant about this first year you are about to dive into, don’t fret. Soon you will be sitting around on a Saturday afternoon and someone will be yelling down the hall, “Volleyball, everyone it’s volleyball time.” You will step out into the hall and two rag-tag volleyball teams will be forming themselves and laughing at that one kid who tucks in his tank top like Urkel. After a not-so-competitive game, you will all file into Eickhoff with cold, sandy toes and grab one of the big tables under the skylights.
Floor bonding is homey. It makes you feel safe in a brand new place. When the College really begins to shine though, the memories that you laugh about in July, are those you create in student organizations. Personally, I found some of my very best friends tucked away in a small office down in the basement of the Student Center. They are the staff of The Signal. There was something about the big old couch, the political conversation and the constant stream of witty jokes that made me feel right at home. But that’s just me.
A very good friend of mine told me that I wouldn’t find students like those at the College anywhere else. He’s right. The College is a fantastic place to go to school because of the type of individuals that walk around on our cobblestone paths. They are funny, down-to-earth and quirky. Most importantly, they’re what will make you want to stick around.
