The roles have been reversed; the seniors are now freshmen. They are once again at an unfamiliar campus and the halls are a sea of unfamiliar faces. Are these freshmen registered for Small Fish In A Big Pond 101? No, although it may be tempting. The first couple weeks of college have been far from traumatic for these first years CHS grads.

“Apart from the rain and having to learn a whole new language to go to school in Washington, nothing changed much from Carlsbad,” University of Washington Freshman Morgan Ruby said. “I also dodge vampires to get to class on time.”

In between sitting on top of your suitcase in order to zip it closed and making a mad-dash to Ikea, the stress piles up at the same rate as your socks. Inevitably, something will be forgotten or one sock will be missing from its pair. Students often stress when they are packing for their new home away from home.

“Bring a bathrobe instead of a towel,” Harvard Freshman Cindy Hsu said. “It’ll make trips to the shower easier.”

As soon as mom and dad make their tearful goodbyes, it’s just you and your roommate making small talk. There may be people from your high school at the same campus, or you might be the Lone Lancer. Meet the people on your floor and in your dorm because you are essentially living with them. Especially when freshmen choose their own classes, they are placed with people of like mindedness and similar interests– it’s the perfect environment to relate to people within the same major and find common ground.

“Things fall into place more than you think,” Tim Krause said. “You don’t have to go around shaking hands with every person you see and try to remember names.”

There wasn’t room to be shy for Ruby when she had to rush for sororities, so she relied on her quick wit and remained uninhibited.

“Going Greek was a really good decision for myself,” Ruby said. “I’m the farthest thing from Elle Woods, yet oddly I fit in. Also, someone is playing Bach on the piano right now. So there.”

As top men on campus here at CHS, seniors seriously contemplate where to apply because the hours spent on these applications determine the next four years of their lives. These college freshmen take comfort in the myriad of opportunities on campus.

“I went to an activities fair and name something– it was there,” Krause said. “Meaning: there’s a place for everyone.”

Plus freshmen go into college with a mentality that is open to change. Take comfort in this seniors– college applications are not life or death decisions. Students are often grateful when they keep an open mind and apply to more colleges. It’s not all that rare to hear about students attending a backup school. The few additional hours may serve you well in the next four years.

“Don’t think you’ll end up sticking with your major or your dream college,” Krause said. “I think it’s best to go to a school that offers a diverse selection of majors and one where changing majors, even multiple times, is kosher. I once heard of a student who left CalTech to study English. It happens.”

In order enjoy college to its fullest, these freshmen embraced the unknown and felt completely comfortable with themselves. If people like you, great. If they don’t, oh well. College offers countless of colorful opportunities as we all know, so why not take advantage of all it has to offer?

“As many of my Carlsbad colleagues might remember,” Ruby said. “I’m a smidge crazy. So, when I cross my eyes and start talking like a Norwegian baby with an Australian accent, things get awkward.  Hopefully, the Washitonians will learn to accept me.”