I thought the first day of college orientation would be the most stressful day of my life. If being a freshman in high school is rough, wouldn’t it be even worse in college? Besides, I brought way too much stuff, and was nervous about meeting my roommate. But I quickly learned that being a freshman at Saint Michael’s College is nothing like being a freshman in high school.
Upper-classmen voluntarily came to campus a week early to help us make our transition, and it was clear to me that the older students cared about helping the freshmen feel at home. This was my first sign that Saint Michael’s College was a very nurturing place, but it wasn’t the last. Orientation included a ton of activities to help the entire freshman class get to know each other. We had a cookout and a dance as well as a hypnotist and basically everyone just had a crazy time together, allowing us to become more comfortable with our new community. It also allowed me to meet the most amazing people who are now some of my closest friends.
The bonding continued all that first month, as I signed up for as many activities as I could. In fact, if I could give one piece of advice to a high school senior who is about to enter college, it would be get as involved as you can by joining student groups and clubs. By getting involved, I met more great people who had interests like mine. I joined Drama Club, sang in the Chorale and worked on the Yearbook Staff. I also wrote for our college’s online magazine, The Echo, and joined the Founders Society (a student ambassador group working with the Admission Office). All of these activities made my first-year experience unforgettable and have made me a better person.
I found caring people on the academic side as well. My professors were friendly and approachable, and most of them told us to call them by their first name. It was the first time that I had been in an educational setting where I felt like I was part of a team with the teacher instead of being taught at by a teacher. I felt like the faculty loved what they were doing and that they wanted to see us succeed.
In my opinion, Saint Michael’s College has some of the best professors in the country as far as their knowledge of their field, their contributions to the college and the effort they put into our educational experience. Their day doesn’t end when classes are over. Many of my professors gave me their home phone numbers and personal e-mail addresses so that I could contact them with any questions during the evening or over the weekend. This made my experience as a freshman more inviting, and I was much more enthusiastic about learning than I ever was in high school.
Coming to Saint Michael’s College is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I have built some great relationships with people that I know I will continue long after graduating. I admit that entering college was a very emotional and scary time for me, but when I actually got to campus, I forgot about all of my worries and focused on what a great time I was having and am still having today.
