Freshman Year Week One Impressions

This article is magic. And I say that not because of the content (though feel free to think it is), but because somehow, as I was curled up in a warm blanket on a Friday dozing off into a peaceful sleep after a full afternoon of four classes, my subconscious jolted me awake and reminded me I was suppose to meet with Jeff about a social media internship about… uh… 3 hours prior? Yikes. If you've ever survived week one of college, you understand where I'm coming from when I say its absolutely magical that I didn't fall asleep instantaneously.

I jumped out of bed so fast that I fell. This may not seem like an important detail, but the beds in Monroe (one of the many freshman residence halls) are lofted approximately 500 feet off the ground. Not quite - but here's a real perspective: I’m 5’9’’ and still asked my parents to buy me a stepping stool because my vertical jump just wasn't making the cut… After that catastrophe, I ran to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions through the rain, and arrived at Jeff’s office looking like a proper mess. He still thought I was worthy of a hug - wow I love Tulane. Jeff and I chatted and then I went back to my dorm to draft a blog per his request.

Really the only appropriate topic to write about at this point in time is the experience of living through the first week of college. Now being a freshman at Tulane is the greatest thing ever - but I’m sure you could hear that from just about anyone else here. So allow me to give you the lowdown on what the first week is really like, what makes it great, and clear up some preconceived notions you all may have as well.

Let's start with Tulane vernacular. You may think or even be scared of picking up that southern twang, or accidentally slipping and saying y’all. I’m from the Midwest and have begun to talk like a New Yorker since living here. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE - truly some of the nicest people though. Second, there's a little plastic card that you need absolutely EVERYWHERE you go - the splash card. Having that splash card on you is what saves you from having to go to the front desk of your residence hall in a towel after a shower or having to say no to the LBC sushi because you don’t have your precious Wave Bucks. That’s always disappointing. But then again, having the splash card on you means looking at that beautiful picture of yourself from orientation. Remember when they took that photo after touring around in some mid-summer rain and after a full two days of activities, not to mention the exhausting few rounds of group bowling at Rock N’ Bowl the night before? Yeah me too. And right before the picture was taken, they ominously tell you that this will be your splash card photo for the next…four…years. But no pressure. In the first week I have seen a fair share a rather hilarious splash card photos and have heard some fun orientation stories. But then there’s that part of college that orientation prepped us for - going to class.

My home! Monroe Hall. 

All of my professors are fantastic and yes, they do assign homework on the first day. But I’m excited to get back in the swing of a school and homework schedule - and that’s not sarcastic. There’s something comforting about a set routine when you're in a new place trying to figure out “the rest of your life.” Walking from class to class is a little bit overwhelming, especially when you're alone. Should I look at the ground, why am I not wearing sunglasses, so many random people I don’t know!  Or in my case, you would trip over an extremely uneven pavement that was clearly marked with yellow paint, fall, and think, shoot how many people saw? As overwhelming as I initially thought walking alone was, I’ve come to realize quickly that everyone is willing to give you a smile. Tulane is such a fun and friendly campus. On top of classes, the school has countless other activities going on all week including an activities/clubs expo and an introduction to campus Greek life just to name a couple of my favorite. The amount of free food that is thrown your way at these numerous events is AWESOME.

All in all, the first week is filled with so many of those decisions that your parents told you “you’ll be making on your own someday.” But they didn't have it quite right. While you may currently think you'll need to figure out how to fit everything in your room because your parents told you that seven boxes and two suitcases is excessive, you will soon realize it will indeed all fit. It’s just a matter of deciding how to make it look less messy - let me know if you have any suggestions. College is about the little things like deciding whether to wake up five minutes earlier to make coffee or figuring out where you should put the mirror so you can do your make-up in decent lighting to avoid a horrid orange foundation line along your jaw. It’s about the constant battle with command adhesive - how many hours will this board stick to the wall without falling? If I add some more strips will it finally hold? (No). It’s a time for meeting three new “best friends forever” each day and looking at your phone and wondering which of the several new Matt contacts is the one you actually want to talk to because last names are just really difficult sometimes. It’s a time to go to the activities expo and sign up for entirely too many clubs while getting that free slice of pizza you've been craving all day. It’s about wanting to remember everything that’s happening so when people ask, you can tell them about how amazing each experience is.

Which reminds me, I think I probably owe my mother a phone call to fill her in on precisely everything I just wrote about. Maybe I’ll just save some time and send her this link!

New friends 

Dad and me in my dorm room.