The first week of freshman year of college can be terrifying. Getting lost on campus, losing your student ID or burning popcorn and forcing an entire residence hall to evacuate are just a few of the nightmare scenarios for any student.
For many freshmen, surviving their first week is like being thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool without arm floaties. We decided to ask some freshmen how their first week at IU was. Here’s what they told us.
Cassandra Roberts, an animal behavior major, was sitting by the center desk at Wright Quad. Roberts moved Friday to Wright after being in overflow housing in Foster.
How was your first week?
Roberts: It was good. I thought I would be more stressed than I was, but I wasn’t. I have three classes every day. I thought my schedule was good, and then I compared it to other freshmen's schedules and they have two classes a day or one class a day or some classes no days (sic). I don’t have any 8 a.m.'s. My earliest class is on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it’s at 10:10 , so that’s pretty nice. I’ve got math everyday, so that sucks. It’s pretty nice so far. It’s pretty easy.
What’s the biggest difference so far between college classes and high school classes?
Roberts: I feel like in college classes, I’m actually learning stuff about the world and stuff that I need in the world and in life. High school, I was just trying to pass. I wasn’t really learning anything.
What's your favorite class so far?
Roberts: My favorite class would have to be my acting class. I’m in “The Fundamentals of Acting". So far, we had to memorize a monologue, which I thought was going to be a lot harder than it was, but I memorized it perfectly and got a great score. We just play a lot of games in there, and it’s really easy to have fun in that class.
Will Gibbons, a computer science major, was enjoying dinner at Wright Food Court with his friend, Malachi Britton.
How was your first week?
Gibbons: It’s been good. It’s been interesting, definitely long. It’s something new. It’s been a nice change.
What’s the biggest difference so far between college classes and high school classes?
Gibbons: Workload outside of class here is substantially higher. I think in classes, aside from one class that I won’t name, my teachers have all been very good and very understanding and knowledgeable, which isn’t a major change. And it’s been nice to see that; it’s been comforting. Otherwise, I mean, it’s not all that different than a high school class. People are generally more respectful, which is nice, but that’s about it.
What’s your favorite class so far, if you have one?
Gibbons: Probably just my computer science class.
What makes that your favorite so far?
Gibbons: I’ve just been interested in it for a long time. I took a class in high school that was really bad, and it’s nice to have a good experience with a good teacher. It’s just been a lot of fun.
Cassidy Powell, a media major, has bright magenta hair. She was studying for a class in the Franklin Hall Commons. One of her lecture halls has more people in it than in her entire high school class.
How was your first week?
Powell: It was a little chaotic.
How so?
Powell: Just figuring my way around campus. I come from a really small school. I think my graduating class was like 110. So just a big culture shock, just the magnitude of the campus and navigating it on time.
What the biggest thing that shocked you?
Powell: I think just some of the sizes of some of my classes. I have a 300-person lecture, and that was just a little bit jaunting (sic). Showing up there and being like "Oh, OK, this is how we do it here."
What’s the biggest difference so far between college classes and high school classes?
Powell: Probably just the independence of it and how it’s all on you. There’s no reminders or anything. You’re just responsible for all of your own deadlines and remembering what to do. So that's gonna be interesting.
Do you have a favorite class so far?
Powell: I’m in two media classes, Media 101 and 223, and they’re both taught by these really interesting professors. Those have been pretty fun, plus they’re specific toward my major, so I’m a little biased because that’s what I want to be learning about.
Malachi Britton, an international studies major, was eating dinner with his friend, Will Gibbons, at Wright Food Court. He was chowing down on Charley Biggs chicken strips.
How was your first week?
Britton: Long, but interesting.
What was the most interesting part?
Britton: Probably Arabic, languages.
Have you studied Arabic before?
Britton: No. It’s really hard. It’s very difficult.
What did you study in high school?
Britton: I don’t know, the requirements from the state.
What’s your favorite class so far, if you have one?
Britton: I don't know, yoga. Yoga’s definitely fun.
