For anyone, the first day of your freshman year at college can be positively frightening. Looking at it from that perspective doesn’t always put the mind at ease, as every one has their own specific qualms. I come from a small-but-proud farming community roughly 45 minutes east of Lexington. The sheer size of Louisville and its dense population is dizzying compared to what I’m used to. For close to a year, I worked in a factory, limiting my interaction with any peers in my own age group. I felt like I had aged 20 years in the past seven months, applying the old parent’s cliché of “I’m just not that hip any more” to my dormant social skills. To round out all of my fears, I come from a family that “bleeds blue” and even the mention of a Louisville Cardinal deserves to get you gutted from nave to chops.
As you can see, college is a totally different world for me, the transition being anything but seamless. I didn’t think I would even go to college. I come from your typical Eastern Kentucky family, and despite my good grades, my family just couldn’t afford to put me through college. It was through Metropolitan College at UofL that I was given my chance for a much more attractive future.
Being that I come from across the state, the 7:30 early-check-in time was horrid. I had to take a placement test, and to get there on-time, I was awake at 3:30. Running on a Starbucks double-shot and a few hours of sleep, I was positive that I was going to bomb the test. To my amazement, the test that I took wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t timed, it was only a few questions long, and you were permitted a calculator. There worst question on the test was a strangely-worded word problem.
Even if you don’t know any of the other students at U of L, you’re not going to be alone. I was so worried about making friends. I was prepared to keep to myself for the next 2 days. Realistically speaking, there were hundreds of other people there. It would be so difficult to single out a few individuals to socialize with. But to make things easier, every one was split up in to groups of about 15, each with their own SOSer and personal mascot. The SOSer relates his or her freshman experience to you. This makes it easier to bond to your fellow team mates. Even if you can’t relate to their peppy school spirit, they do have valuable knowledge of the school. It’s in your best interest to listen to what they have to tell you, albeit in a rather unconventional way.
While there is going to be a ton of fun activities going on, there are going to be a few seminars. Yes, they are a bit dull, but they are a plethora of useful information. Bring coffee and take notes if you have to, these seminars answer a lot of questions. They do their best to cover everything from what is expected of you as a freshman, to taking care of financial matters, to campus health and security. It’s not always so drab. In the “Real World” skit, the SOSers mix entertainment with matters of social integration, something that affects everyone. This is fallowed by “Breaking it Down”, where every one from your group shares their opinions on some very real issues. In this session, you are encouraged to voice your opinion, no matter what others may think. College is about making your self. No one is going to jeer at any opinion you may have as long as it’s solid.
Just as important as the serious matters are, socializing and having fun is a major part of the college experience. There are many opportunities to break away from your group and do your own thing. At lunch, there will be a chance for you to buy the book-in-common -bring money the first day! They won’t be selling it on the second- and get a look at any organizations you may want to join. I myself joined Alpha Phi Omega, a co-educational service fraternity, and commonGround, the organization for LGBT students and their allies. At the end of the day, you can break away from your group and get involved in the various activities they have set up around the campus. They have something for every one. They had a dance, a game-room, and a milkshake stand. Or, you could just wonder around. I stayed at the top of the clock tower at near the Student Activities Center. This was my first night in the big-city. The view of the city all lit up under the stars was rather awesome.
There is pride in going to U of L. If you don’t feel it yet, you will. There are cardinal birds painted on the walkways. Don’t step on them. It’s not a game, it’s respect. UofL continually ranks nationally in many programs, both athletic and academic. Among other things, UofL is the birth-place of the Gardisil cervical cancer vaccine and the first artificial heart transplant. Louisville was also named the best city for college sports and has the most intense college rivalry in the country. Among the most passionate students in the world, I can now say that I bleed red.
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