There are many reasons why the transition to college can be rough for freshmen: being away from your family, living with a roommate and not knowing your surroundings. One way I was able to immediately connect with Bloomington was weekend activities. Back home in Indianapolis, one of the old stand-bys for something to do late at night was to walk around Broad Ripple, an area full of bars, restaurants and clothing shops. We'd get something to eat, buy some CDs and just walk around. Even though we weren't 21, my friends and I would have a great time people watching and taking in all of the chaos ensuing around us. Some of the most entertaining people to observe were the "bridge kids," a group of steretypical drugged-out punk rockers who hung out on the bridge and tried to scare yuppies. Here at IU, I found Kirkwood Avenue to be the perfect replacement for Broad Ripple Avenue. The flood of people hanging outside the bars is far greater than Indianapolis, and the "bridge kids" have simply been replaced by the frequenters of People's Park. Plus, the best music, movies and restaurants are all far more centralized. In Indianapolis, I'd drive across town to go the best movie theater or find the best CD store. Here, everything seems to be walking distance (which is good for me, since I don't own a car). After a few weeks, I found so much to do in Bloomington, on and off campus. Whether you like good movies, opera, art exhibits, rock shows or a slice of pizza, there are several options for students. It's sad that most students only ask one question when looking for something to do on the weekend: "Who's having a party?"
by George Lyle IV, Features Editor
Every year of college is a new beginning, every year of college is also a repeat of the same things you've already seen in years past, from middle school on up to today. Some people change, some don't. The cliques remain as they did in all of your schooling before, only the names have changed. Instead of jocks, they are the student-athletes. The drama kids are now the theatre majors. The preps now occupy houses with Alpha, Delta, Pi and Phi nailed over the doorways. Yet with all that remains the same, much has changed. You buy your own books. There are no such things as snow days. Alcohol flows, lubricating social interactions like motor oil on a tile floor. We are adults and still have juvenile diversions. We are four, then three, two, one year away from real life, yet we dream big dreams with the reckless abandon of youth gone by. Relationships are forged, bonds made, all the while still doing dirt and gossiping behind people's backs. Trust becomes an issue like never before, with secrets and bodies being shared behind closed doors of dormitories and five-bedroom houses. And when you finally gather with 7,000 of your closest friends and get your degree from a dean you've only seen once in person, you will step blindly into adulthood and think back on the one word you can utter to describe the half-decade you just spent in post adolescent limbo: college.
by Leslie Benson, Scene Editor
This being my first year at IU, yet my sixth year in college (I will soon begin graduate study in the School of Journalism), I have found myself out of my element in Bloomington, facing the transition between my past and my future. Feeling like a freshman, since this is the first time I am completely on my own and living away from any hometown friends or family, it is difficult to transition into the mentality of "Congratulations, you've just graduated college" to "Sorry, you've got two more years before you can enter the work force." I often contemplate why I made the decision to pursue further schooling, and then my thoughts flash to the all-too-famous employment guide. Nurse Wanted. Tool & Dye Specialist Needed. Truck Drivers -- Will Pay Well. Writer Wanted? No. Editor Needed? Of course not! Now I remember why by the time I am finished at IU I will have completed a whopping 18 years of schooling since the first grade -- the economy! There are almost no jobs open in the work force for recent college graduates, unless you have trade skills or a strong background in nursing or computers. So I decided to suck in my pride and ride the wave at IU, studying specifically for the career field that I will work in for the remainder of my life -- journalism. IU did not attract me for its "party school" reputation, nor did it attract me because of its prime Midwestern location. IU is the graduate school for me because its School of Journalism has a solid program focusing on a diverse media education including writing, editing and designing for both newspapers and magazines. I have learned that the smartest way of ensuring your future is to continue your education. The work force is more competitive now than ever. A bachelor's degree is not enough. So, study hard, get your foundational degree, pass the GRE, move to a new town, start graduate study in your field of choice and learn to transition quickly. Your future depends on it.
by Laura Kruty, Copy Editor
Iwasn't looking forward to going home after my freshman year at IU. After all, that meant working, household chores and no more calls to Pizza Express at three in the morning. But most of all, that meant being away from many of the friends I met that year, friends who would gladly join me in my daily viewing of "Elimidate" and "The Fifth Wheel." Friends who would always be up for ditching the cafeteria food and going to Mother Bears. My best memory of that year, and IU in general, had to be when my roommate, our friend and I drove to Cincinnati to visit friends five times in one week. It happened to be Little 500 week, and it seemed like while the whole world was heading into Bloomington, we were the only car heading out. Waste of gas? Maybe. Did we accomplish anything academically that week? No way. Did we have fun? Of course. But in the process of all our trips on I-74 and our stops at the Greensburg, Ind., BP station, we created some memories we can never forget (Although some of them, I could do without). We fostered friendships with each other while listening to Kenny Chesney's "She's Got it All" and the ubiquitous song of the moment, R Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" over and over again. In my opinion, that's the best part of college: creating opportunities to enhance friendships with people you know you'll never forget. In doing so, you may not want to go home after your initial year at IU either.
