Freshman Year: Chaos ensues

Well, shark week wasn’t that long ago…

For those of us on cape cod, it is not shark week, it is shark season, from May through November! But really, after the first few weeks, you tend to meet people through smaller, interactive classes and activities, and less through just talking to new people in the dorm, dining hall, etc.

This is why I am glad you are taking the intro to religion class. You will learn a lot about other religions, plus you may make new friends from different backgrounds through class discussions. And it must be satisfying a gen ed.

The intro to religious studies is also part of the required classes for my religious studies minor, so it knocks out a gen Ed and it’s for my minor as well! /happily

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equestrian team tryouts are in 3 weeks (17th) and it’s super early in the morning so… inhales I’m hoping I just get a spot on the team. I did W/T (walk/trot) for 3 years up to the State level (ended up 8th out of 40 in my class for the entire state, since there was only one class and 4th out of 20 in the championship)- I have show experience. I’m just hoping I can now do WTC Flat (Novice per IHSA terms)- it’s what my trainer recommends I stick to- been cantering for well over a year now and have done 2’ jumps- so… we’ll see where they put me if I make it. I’ll update y’all if I make the team. /sighing

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Best of luck!

No harm in being pre-novice either. They move up fairly quickly to novice.

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I went home for the weekend (my cousin was there) and now I’m back on campus. Classes start this Wednesday and I’m… kinda ready? Anyways, that’s all the updates. Go Huskies! /happily

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Why did you go home? Are you having trouble with the social intensity? Please, try joining something, some clubs, something. These first two weeks of college are crucial, the time when you find your friends.

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I think OP noted they’d be going home early - because cousins visit, etc. It may have been on the previous thread. That was a desire of NEU - so they could go home as I recall.

While I don’t agree with it personally, I believe that was part of the previous chat.

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Yup- I went home to see my cousin! Missed him anyways so I wanted to see him and I forgot a few things at home so it was worth the visit. But I’m not going too often, maybe once a month? /sheepish

I would very strongly suggest that you go home mostly when there are actual breaks at Northeastern. The times when students interact socially are those weekends…and if you aren’t there, you are going to miss out on that.

Most kids don’t go home once a month…unless there is a really strong reason to do so.

You chose a residential college to live at the college and make connections there. So…do that.

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Glad you are adjusting well and seemingly having fun!!

Always great to hear your updates but now that you are at school I can virtually guarantee that your time can be better spent then being on College Confidential. Engage people socially, pursue academic interests, just enjoy being outside before the NE winter hits.

No matter what you are doing I can promise it will be more productive than chatting with all of us. I can understand why it may feel like a sounding board and community but you are now very much part of the college community that is just outside your door. A moment on line talking to strangers is a moment wasted that could have been spent forging real relationships.

/Sincere and meant to encourage with kindness.

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It is a great compliment to your CC community to hear from you today. Hope you rest tonight and have a good week ahead😀

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The Ivy I went to was in a major metropolitan area. The kids who came from nearby virtually never went home other than Thanksgiving and vacation times, although I do recall one lucky South Asian student who had their mother come occasionally with the younger sibs for a brief visit and a delivery of amazing home-cooked food. Some of the local students might go home during reading week so that they could study undisturbed at home, but that was it. Nobody went home Labor Day weekend.

You really need to make friends at school, and this is when people are doing it. After the first couple of weeks, people have met their new friends, and are far less open to meeting new people just for the sake of it, unless they share a common interest, such as through a class, or a club or activity. Dive into the social opportunities head first. Check out every possible group - religious, ethnic, of course equestrian, any type of performance group you might be interested in, outdoors club if you like hiking, LGBTQ club if appropriate, anything! This is not the time to leave campus. You worked SO hard to get there, because you wanted to be at that school campus with those people. In terms of academics, you’d have been perfectly well-served commuting to Framingham or Bridgewater state, and certainly living at UMass Amherst. The only possible advantage for you that NEU had was that it was more selective, meaning that the students there all had to meet a higher bar - higher academic and EC achievement. You want to meet and befriend your peers there, so go for it!

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i have been meeting people, don’t worry! i’m hanging out with people left right and center, i swear. anyways that’s it and go huskies <3 /happily, sheepish

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I think that going home once a month is a big mistake. It means that every couple of weeks you are going to be planning your next trip home instead of planning school activities. It’s great that you are meeting lots of people, but consistently staying on campus will take it to the next level.

The next level means getting involved. That is harder to do when you are planning a trip home. It also means that other students might turn elsewhere (different friends) if they think you leave campus frequently.

Clubs, volunteering events, dinners with friends, weekends with research groups, group invites to professors homes for BBQs or other events (yes, that could happen), study groups, etc. Lots of things take place on weekends, and you need to be there. Your job is to fully immerse yourself in your new community.

I do not mean to sound harsh, but leaving once a month is not going to help your goals. You fought hard to get to the Boston campus, and now you need to stay… and grow.

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Going home on the first weekend after move in wasn’t a good idea.

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I thought one of the reasons OP wanted a Boston campus was so they could go home frequently.

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Wow these replies are really harsh. What good did this reply do? The first few included some compassion, and some guidance and your opinions are fine. Why keep piling on? This reply—really? Telling them that what they did in the past was a bad idea. The tone of this is just mean. What do you think this added here??

I know OP has taken feedback and I’m sure they still will, but they’ll also figure it out on their own.

I don’t understand why this thread can’t be more supportive of them.

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Let’s move on from the OP’s decision to go home.

And a reminder that CC is supposed to a warm and friendly place. This may be one of those times to remember the adage: “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

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Also, I for one am totally impressed with this OP. They have accomplished so much so far and I know they’ll be successful in college and in life.

There have been more challenges than for most, so I it’s great that CC can provide some support, some guide rails.

OP good luck this week. You have this!!

/Sincerely :slight_smile:

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