Colleen Coleman-

Something is refreshing about my Sophomore year so far. I was walking to the Campus Center with classmates I had just met while leaving our Interpersonal Communications class, which had a large number of First-year students, trying to help some find their classes in Old Main and Olin. I mentioned that there was something exhilarating about the second day of classes;  when you think you finally have the hang of things after day one, but your Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule is different than your Tuesday/Thursday schedule and you’re lured into a false sense of security that you have your life together. Class introductions showed that people in varying class years were still deciding their majors, had a general life idea, or had clear passions about what they want in life. Although unspoken, the same idea was shared with everyone in the classroom – they were excited to be back home on campus.

Or perhaps something is refreshing about not being a First-year anymore. My student employment had me moving in on the same day as First-years. Driving past Pittman that morning reminded me of where I was one year ago; lost on campus, nervous to start a new chapter, yet looking forward to the future. The uncertainty is what made me nervous, as I knew I would eventually find my way but I didn’t know what that way was yet. The confused First-year is infamous across college campuses across the world, and I was no different.

Reflecting back on my day-one self, I know that there is so much awaiting her. She doesn’t know that when she walks into her choir audition that week, she’ll meet her future advisor and the first professor to encourage her to switch to the content area she’s truly passionate about. When she walks into her music theory class for the first time, she’ll meet her future best friends. She doesn’t know that when she responds to an email talking about writing for the school paper, she’ll meet professors and students with perspectives on life both on and off campus that she’d never have imagined.

Reflecting on the version of myself that came to campus for the very first time, I know that 16-year-old me has so much awaiting her. Before I first visited Gustavus, I was lost in a post-lockdown slump. Like many others, I spent my distance learning days of school cooped up and alone. After my Sophomore year was spent mainly learning through a computer screen, around the last week of classes my band director asked me why I hadn’t registered for band for the next year. Sparing him the truth – that I had lost motivation for everything at that point – I blamed it on some clerical error and went to fix my registration that night. That version of myself didn’t know that she would sign up for an honor band at some small-town liberal arts college that her band director went to, and that would be the moment she finally knew what to do with her future.

After week one of classes, things start to settle in. Fewer people are stopping at the information desk asking for help to find their classes, fewer people are grabbing trays in the Caf, and more people lean into what it means to be a Gustie. You create connections, friendships, and memories that you could never have imagined on your first day of orientation. The excitement and wonder never fade and can be seen everywhere.

Adjusting to your new life on day one of year one will take some time, but it’s worth it in the end. One day you’ll look back on your confused self fondly, and reminisce on your first weeks as a Gustie. While you change and evolve during your time on campus, part of your First-year self will always be inside you, in some way or another.

 

By Colleen Coleman