Aside from the night after you’ve taken your last final, the first week of school is generally the best time of the whole semester. The weather is great, you’re reunited with all of your friends, and the school year has returned just when you were starting to feel like you had too much free time.

The campus is buzzing with returning students, eager to see what the new year has in store. Even if you anticipate your hardest semester to date, there’s still a feeling of excitement in the air during the very first week.

1. You Get to Scope Out Your New Classes

Maybe I’m a dork, but I was always excited to see what my new classes would be like. In certain classes–the must-take courses taught by the professors with the best reputations– it was great to see what all the buzz was about. Other classes might have sounded intriguing in the course catalog; reading through the syllabus on the first day, I’d think the class sounded interesting, and hadn’t been assigned 500 pages of reading to prove me otherwise. I would also look through the syllabus and see what the course requirements looked like, so I could estimate how little effort I could put into the class, and still walk away with an “A.”

Of course, it’s also fun to see who else has signed up for the class. Whether you walk through the door and see five of the girls from your freshman dorm, or right into the eyes of your new insta-crush, it’s fun to find out who you’ll be taking the class with. Read More »

It’s that time of year again: the first day of school. Students all over the world are preparing for the opportunities that lie ahead. There is so much to learn and so much to see. It is no wonder so many students look forward to this day.With the first day of classes so near, I began thinking about the way things were in high school around this time.

I remember the big trip to Office Max with my mom every year; we’d hop in her SUV and drive on down to the store, where I would leap from the vehicle while it was still in motion, and run up and down the aisles (think: Supermarket Sweep) seeking out the newest pens and folder colors.

I would then return home with my new purchases and proceed to label every folder for every class, color code my notebooks and binders, and put it all in my bag for the first day of school.

And I know I’m not alone. Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 1
Current Mood: Exhausted.

So today was my first day. First day without my parents around, first official day on a college campus, and first time waking up in a bedroom that wasn’t the one my crib had been in 18 years earlier.

Moving in yesterday was like hell. It was hot, there were a lot of stairs, and everyone was trying to do the same thing at the same time. I’m in one of the dorms closest to the dining hall, on the second floor. Which, judging by this morning, means I’ll be smelling the day’s breakfast way before I officially wake up.

Saying goodbye to my parents yesterday was weird. I couldn’t say all the things I wanted to say because there were people everywhere. I promised I’d call a lot. I hugged them. And then they were gone. I felt like crying, got this weird ache in the back of my throat, and ran back up to my room before my emotions made me That Freshman Girl Who Bursts Into Tears in Front of Everyone.

Last night my two roommates and I went to dinner and then to a Welcome Session in the student center. Stacey is my first roommate, and she’s your typical polo shirt clad, bleach blond, heart charm necklace wearing California girl. She only ate a peach at dinner and kept saying how “Massachusetts is so cold in the summer!”

I’m not sure we’ll get along. Read More »