Caught in a Whirlwind Called "The Freshman Year"

It’s open registration time for the spring semester now. This reminds me of my beginning at college. I can remember the strong sense of just being overwhelmed.  That was August of 1990. I arrived at Berea College in Berea, KY. Berea is a private liberal arts college with a total student body around 1600. I had come from a high school that had a graduating class around 50 people (I think). I recall the sense of being overwhelmed as I took my first steps on Berea’s campus. My parents brought me to the first orientation day; we were directed to go to the gym. Inside there were tables set up all over the gym floor. Each table was a station that represented a college office: from financial aid to academic affairs. So much happened on that day, and it all felt like being caught up in a white-out snowstorm: I had few landmarks to get my bearings. Most of the people working the stations were friendly, and I think I remember most of them being patient. There were so many things that I needed to do in the week of freshman orientation. I was assigned my new home for the next few months. I had to make sure my student account was in order. I had to check in with my work-study assignment. Since I was a first generation college student, some of this was completely foreign to me.

Watching many of the students arriving this week, I can see the looks on their faces. Some of them look dazed, some terrified, and some have a look of nervous excitement. Many of them will be in a similar situation to mine so many years ago, but their world is different now. The economy is in a different place. Many of them have families at home to take care of and some have jobs already. It is hard for me to imagine the level of pressure that would bring now were I in their position.