Freshmen face challenges, changes
By Justin Manager
Welcome to Santa Clara University! You are beginning a year of work, exploration, new relationships and new experiences. That is simultaneously the great joy and unsettling uncertainty of college life: you have no idea what to expect.
Most of us are living among kids who are desperately searching for identity. The clash of confusion and insecurity and the powerful desire to be loved and accepted creates a state of duress. In an environment so chaotic and unstable, everyone is doing their best to hide their struggles, and it's easy to become overwhelmed, depressed and lonely. I am attempting to bypass the superficial guise most of us have erected and hopefully identify with what a lot of you are really thinking and feeling after being thrown into the proverbial "college mix."
The first couple of days you are here, it's a do-something-with-someone/anyone dash. The more you can avoid walking to Benson or class alone, the better. In a sick way, it's a lot like high school: the more people you "know" or are doing stuff with, the more secure you feel. How many times have you had dinner in one of a big group of people you really didn't know, and not really said a whole lot? This re-hashing of high school phenomena probably became painfully obvious to most of you who went partying Friday night. If you think you were the only one who felt out of place or thought that parties aren't as great as you had hoped they would be you aren't alone. Of course, the goal of all of this is to ultimately find the small group of people you will trust, and who actually care about you. But the process takes awhile, and it can be disheartening journey. For any of you out there who are still looking for that group of people, or even that one special person, buck up...it may take some time, but if you keep putting yourself out there and aren't uptight about meeting new people, you will find them, or they may find you.
Then come your classes. How good or bad they are depends on what you're studying and how much you like the material. My experience last year was varying. After a couple of classes, I thought "This really doesn't seem that bad at all," while after the others I was thinking "They want me to do or read THAT much in THAT amount of time?! You've got to be kidding me!" Most of the time, schoolwork will be left for the times when you really don't have anything else social or fun to do, but if you have the willpower, I would suggest not falling into that trap. My freshman year, observing people who waited until the last minute to do their homework or write reports was a source of great amusement. Guys would walk around with a blank look on their face, uttering to themselves, convinced that they were "totally screwed." Girls got rather upset about the ordeal, oftentimes blurting out their panic faster than I could ever hope to understand what they were saying. Take care of your work, and do it well. It is, after all, the main reason why you're here. And with academics, much unlike the social scene, you are almost always rewarded for your efforts.
Whatever may happen, do your best to enjoy your year, and don't forget to work!