“Damn, this place is huge” was the thought I had when I first arrived on campus this summer. After that revelation, it hit me that I didn’t have the cool parents who gave their kids cars for graduation so I would have to walk everywhere in the heat of June. At that moment I began to seriously reconsider starting classes in the summer.
After the semi-breakdown inspired by the above revelations, I realized another enormous task that faced me – learning how to find buildings like Turead Hall, which is not located conveniently on the Quad. I tried asking other students who looked like University veterans – the type with the black-rimmed glasses and long hair who sit in the Quad analyzing the meaning of life – but I discovered they were just as dumb as me. Perhaps they were high off the Starbucks they’re always clutching.
The upperclassmen had failed me. I had to discover other methods of navigation. I visited the information desk in the Student Union but immediately figured that carrying one of those huge maps would be like plastering “I’m a social reject” across my forehead.
Thus, we come to the other major issue facing me – not embarrassing myself by looking like another dumb freshmen. Painfully, freshmen are made to worry about not sticking out in a society that seems tailor-made to make freshmen stick out.
Driving around with my parents, we got confused navigating the campus streets with all of the one-way circles and other weird contraptions some genius decided to implement. I am sure if someone was watching our car, it must have looked like the driver was drunk.
You also have to discover the secret that there are two halls with the name Boyd attached. Again, not very intuitive for freshmen.
I was lucky with it. Starting classes in the summer gave me a better environment to avoid embarrassment. There were less people around, which meant a chance to learn things without everyone watching.
Unfortunately, freshmen beginning classes now are not afforded this luxury. You will have to stumble around campus with upperclassmen snickering behind your back. To minimize the possibility of embarrassment and social disgrace, I recommend research. Covertly sneak one of those big maps I mentioned earlier into your backpack and start learning the campus.
Honestly, even though it seems you will never figure anything out, things do get better. I have only been here for a summer semester, and I already feel like an expert.
—–Contact Allen Womble at [email protected]