Impressions of Orientation

So, I now live on a college campus. In fact, superior evidence of the fact flashes itself defiantly in the face of any would-be debaters in the form of the preoccupation that has both prevented me from posting until Wednesday of my first academic week, and which forced me to write my post at midnight. I have garnered the intelligence rather quickly that here at least, night is as much a part of the day as morning is a part of the night.

I arrived at Transylvania University Friday morning around 10:00AM, to be greeted by a host of burly and not so burly men ready and willing to carry my compilation of random functional and not so functional items out of my crammed corolla and into my second floor dorm room in clay hall (pictures to come soon!). I must admit, that first day felt a little unreal; almost as if I was moving into an extremely furnished hotel room or preparing for a summer program. It has taken all the time up until now, and in some senses I perhaps still haven't fully felt the gravity of the fact that I LIVE here now.

A question that I had going in, and that I think a lot of students everywhere have, is what this really means. How does living on a campus work? Will I like it? Will it be fun, difficult, demanding, stressful, exciting, or some haphazard compilation of all of the above? Ultimately, I don't think I can answer that question, since all experiences will be different and have a different impact for all people. I can however, share what my experiences have been; and I will do my best in this blog to demonstrate and communicate with this purpose in mind.

So how did orientation go? The entire purpose of the orientation program is to make first year students feel comfortable with 1-The location, and 2-The people. To be completely honest, the first goal isn't a daunting challenge because of where I am. This is Transylvania, we pride ourselves on a small scale. As a result, I recognized the bulk of campus, from the cafeteria to the library, the grill to the dorm, all in a matter of a day or two. Also as a result of its small scale, Transylvania strives to breed a sort of intimacy which allows an expedited, if at times forceful, path towards meeting people. Orientation Olympics, black light party, University 1111 meetings, hall meeting, and even things as simple as meals are all aimed, in some or another, to allow first years to get to know one another before upperclassmen move in and the pressure of studies kick in. I can honestly say that I've met essentially every member of the class of 2014, and while I readily admit I have yet to learn the names of a fraction of that, I still feel comfortable in knowing that I've already made friends with whom I can watch TV at night, go to a restaurant for dinner, or ask for help with homework. More to come on homework, and my first impressions of classes, later.

Overall, orientation wasn't any sort of overwhelming life-changing experience. It was a simple process, with a simple goal in mind of becoming familiar, which is comforting in a way that perhaps some people don't really think of until their bed at night is tens or hundreds of miles away from mom's and dad's. There was never any moment of epiphany where I cried out in glee as Handel struck up the Hallelujah Chorus in the background, rather, upon reflection, I note that in a very striking and remarkable way, I've grown capable of calling this 12x12 concrete slab surrounded by fellow students in 12x12 slabs home. Of course, free pizza was involved in the process, so there's a chance that I'm biased, but still, it's something I take comfort in. Ultimately I'm learning that it's not just about classes, that learning to live is an important part of college as well; and so far, I'm enjoying living here quite well.