10 Places to Be

I was kind of nervous to do this blog post, because I thought I would have a difficult time choosing only 10 things about Rutgers that would help first-year students get acquainted with the University.  However, after a lot of thought, I was able to narrow down my choices.  Below are ten different resources on campus that I believe first-year students MUST know to feel confident getting around campus and feel connected and engaged to the Rutgers Community.  There is no particular order!

Rutgers Bus System

The most useful way for students to get around the University is through the bus system.  The Rutgers bus system allows students to get between the different campuses easily and efficiently.  To be a successful Rutgers student, one must be comfortable with the buses.  It is important that students know how to get between different campuses for classes and to experience what other campuses have to offer.  First years might find the bus system intimidating, but it is easy to understand, and very quick!  There are bus stops throughout every campus, so you will never have to walk far to get to where you want to go!

For more information about the Rutgers Bus System, click here.

Krieger Learning Center / Record's Hall

I believe that it is important that students utilize every resource that is available to them.  I took a picture of the Krieger Learning Center as well as Records Hall, a computer lab on College Avenue.  The Krieger Center is a tutoring center where students can go to for academic help.  At all of the Learning Centers at Rutgers, the tutors are University students, faculty, and professional staff that provide academic support for FREE.  The students can make sure to reach for help if it is needed, or if they feel academically able, they can go out to apply for tutoring jobs, as well.  Record's Hall is in the picture to show students the University has a lot of places to study and get work done.  On every campus, there are a number of places where students can study including computer centers and quiet lounges.  The academic experience at Rutgers can get stressful, but as long as students reach out to find the many resources and places of support, they will be sure to succeed!

For more information about the Learning Centers, click here.

For more information about the Computing Services, click here.

Center for Latino Arts and Culture

The picture of The Center for Latino Arts and Culture is to represent the wonderful diversity present at the University, and it is very easy to be immersed in such different cultures at any time.  The Center for Latino Arts and Culture is just one of the departments focused around a single ethnicity and the culture surrounding it.  If students identify strongly with their ethnicity, I believe that they should get involved in the many cultural groups that Rutgers offers.  I know that being Middle Eastern is something I strongly identify as, so I have been to many Middle Eastern Clubs to get my face known to the community.  The Center for Latino Arts and Culture puts together many events that offer academic and extracurricular opportunities to discover the Latin culture and history at Rutgers University and around the world.  By simply walking in, students will be greeted by a wonderful staff that will gladly welcome them to the center and make their experience great!  I encourage all students to go and see how easily it is to get involved.

For more information about the CLAC, click here.

The Dining Halls

Every student should know where to eat, and luckily, they do not have to go far to get food.  On each campus, there is an amazing dining hall that provides buffet-style dining for a single meal swipe.  I took a picture of Brower on College Avenue, because it is my favorite one.  Each dining hall also provides take out meals, so if students are in a rush between classes and do not have time to sit down, they can swipe for a packaged meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!  I think that all students should be aware of all of the Dining Halls offered to them, because if they have a meal plan, they have access to SO MUCH delicious foods and they won't have to spend any extra cash.  Transitioning into college, students have to learn to have healthy eating habits, and as long as they are eating at the University's Dining Halls, they can choose whatever food they want to eat to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

For more information about Food Services, click here.

The Student Centers

For students to get the most out of the different campuses, they must feel confident in finding and navigating to each of the campus and student centers.  In each center, not only are there stores for students to buy necessary items, but there are also restaurants, as well as venues to many events.  For example, each campus center has a Multi-Purpose Room that organizations can use to hold events.  You can find out about these events at the main reception desk at the entrance of every student center.

For more information about the Student Centers, click here.

Rutgers Recreation

As an employee of Rutgers Recreation, I know all about the different opportunities present in the department.  Not only are there many recreational activities including, intramural sports, fitness classes, and personal training, but there are also many leadership opportunities within Recreation.  Students can sign up to be team captains for intramural teams and they can apply for an on-campus job within Recreation.  I have been a fitness assistant for over a year, and I absolutely love the job!  Staying physically fit is a great stress reliever for many students and as students are transitioning into Rutgers, they should make use of the many facilities and services that Recreation offers.

For more information about recreation, click here.

Residence Halls

Feeling safe and comfortable at school is the most important thing students need, and I believe that all starts in the Residence Hall they are living in.  For many students, this will be their first time ever living on their own, and they will have a lot of independence.  Residence Halls help in transition from living at home to living all on your own.  Each building has a Residence Life Staff of Resident Assistants, who are student leaders who provide support to the students for whatever they may need.  Residence Halls also provide students ways to get involved through Hall Government.  Rutgers's Hall Government, known as the Residence Hall Association, or RHA for short, is a very popular organization on campus and allows all student participation.  I know many Orientation Leaders have been involved in Hall Government, as well!

For more information about Residence Life, click here.

New Brunswick

To get the most out of Rutgers, I think that students should become familiar with the wonderful city in which it is found.  New Brunswick is a very lively city that is the center of nightlife and great food.  The picture is a picture I took of the hospital to represent the resources that can be found in New Brunswick.  Students are lucky enough to have restaurants, public transportation into the city, hospitals, and many fun hang out spots all within ten minutes of each other.  Many times, students choose Rutgers because of its proximity to such a great city.  Students can feel engaged in the New Brunswick Community by taking advantage and visiting the great places and stores within the city.

For more information about New Brunswick, click here.

University Libraries

For students to truly feel like they know the University, they must make use of the Library Services at Rutgers.  Each campus has multiple libraries that provide students with endless resources for their academics or for their personal knowledge.  Library Services has so much to offer and if there is something that University does not have, students can even borrow books and multimedia from other schools through the Inter-loan Library System.  First-year students should be aware of what the library services offer because it will make their first year on campus so much easier!

For more information on Library Services, click here.

Rutgers Deans

I took a photo of Bishop House to represent the important resource that many students often fail to reach out to - University Deans.  The Deans at the University are the people who have the most knowledge of Rutgers, and the best part is, any student can meet with them to pick their brains about anything!  By setting up a simple meeting, students can meet with academic deans, deans of students, or departmental deans.  Many times, the confusion that is involved with starting college can be cleared up by speaking with the deans, who, if they cannot answer your question, will lead you to people who will!  Once students feel like they can navigate around campus and find their deans, their experience here at Rutgers can be a lot smoother! 

The List of Deans and their numbers can be found in the student directory.

I know that other students will have other things to put in their photo collage, but I feel that these ten places give students a wide range of places and resources that will make their transition into Rutgers easier and more enjoyable.  It was actually really nice reflecting on the different places I love to go to, because it reminded of how much the school offers me.  I hope first-year students can look at this blog post and feel more comfortable navigating around the campus and becoming more involved!

Boom. Bang. Wegmans.

I used to dread going grocery shopping. Actually, I take that back; I kind of still do. I simply can’t tolerate walking around in stores for long periods of time! I can’t! And, no matter how much I know that I don’t like it and that I, ironically, know people who are legends in the field of taking forever to go food shopping, I always agree to tag along. Why? I have no clue. Still, I think that many of us have been through a similar, if not the same, situation:
Your parents say that they’re going to get a “few” items from the store, and they even have a “small” grocery list. A brief outing to fetch a gallon of milk (the 2% kind), wheat bread, and paper towels can easily turn into two hours’ worth of shopping.  ShopRite to Stop and Shop to Walmart to Kmart, you usually regret agreeing to go out at all! Even so, you might not mind it so much if you go shopping at an award-winning, awesome, diverse, successful, inclusive, empowering, purposeful, and valuable grocery store!

Where can you find such a place, you ask? (I didn’t even know ‘til recently).

 WEGMANS is that place, and they really are all over the country, so go! =)

Upon Team Rhymes with Orange’s commencement of their excursion, we were totally pumped to venture to Wegmans. Well, maybe not totally pumped, but we were certainly anxious as to what was to await us at a grocery store—in a good way. As I walked up to the automatic doors, the scent of freshly baked goods filled the air, customers were moving and grooving, and the staff members were doing their jobs with a smile. I simply knew that we were going to be in for a polished and informative session on the awesomeness of the family owned Wegmans.

In the first few moments of our experience at Wegmans, we met a worker named Karen. As our ever so kind hostess/ tour guide, Karen remains a highly skilled worker who works in whatever area of the store she is needed. She is just that good. Karen walked us around the aisles and gave us the play-by-play on how the successful business of Wegmans operates. The company checks “best if used by…” dates daily and keeps tabs on the pricing of the items, in hopes that they match up well with their circulars and other competing grocery stores. All of this is done to maintain the productivity of the company and keep it as Forbes’ 4th best out of 100 companies to work for. Go Wegmans!

Karen relayed to Team Rhymes with Orange that Wegmans has high standards and values. They do not sell cigarettes because that is simply not something that they want their brand associated with, no matter how much of a profit cigarettes could grant them. We were also informed that Wegmans does not have your everyday training when it comes to working for and with them. They have “universities”. Universities are the different departments of the store that the workers are trained under. For example, Karen was trained under the floral university. Even so, she also went to through the produce and fruits university, making her an efficient asset to the Wegmans team. All of the employees are trained in more than one area. This allows for the company to work as a team, and the customers can be served with the best information and convenience!

 A GROOVY FYI: In the cheese university, there are over 7,000 cheeses to learn about! Not a single person on his or her own can possibly know all 7,000, but as a university, business, team, and family, they can! =)

Wegmans also creates an inclusive space for the workers. They all wear name tags that sport… well, their names. Nothing else is shown on the name tags, just the name of the person. The business does not mention titles or positions on the name tags because they are not about a hierarchy, so there is not a reason for the positions to be displayed. They are about a cohesive team. Moreover, the executives visit the stores often, and this is not as a check up on the workers. It is simply to see if any help can be lent from them. If the executives see a spill, they do not call on the janitorial staff. They clean up the mess themselves. HOW COOL IS THAT!!?

Wegmans invites empowering, committed, and goal oriented workers into their stores. The company values their beliefs and purpose, and they will not stray aware from those aspects of their stores. It is because of their purposes to satisfy customers and create an atmosphere that is welcoming for customers and staff that have made them a prominent store in America, such a store that has survived and thrived in the economic hardships of the country. These purposes are kept in the minds of all of the workers, aiming all of them towards a common goal!

For the fun part (I'm totally serious), this all ties in perfectly with Rutgers NSO! There are so many parallels between Wegmans and NSO. We really do value the idea of a reverse hierarchy, and I think that is fantastic because as a team of leaders, we want cohesion and an open forum for everyone to put forth their best for the good of the incoming students (This is just like how Wegmans longs to put forth their best for the customers). Not to mention, as Orientation Leaders, we are going to have to take on roles that we aren't familiar with, similar to how Karen works in produce even though she was first trained in the floral department. We can depend on each other, and make the most of each others' talents and strengths to reach the goal of acclimating incoming students to Rutgers.

As Orientation Leaders, we are going to have to keep in mind our core values and the ways that we thrive, empower one another, fulfill our purpose, process our experiences, keep our ethics in tact, while understanding the ethics of others, and include one another for the wellbeing of new students. With such a mindset, there couldn't possibly be any room for dreading orientation in the manner that some dread shopping! Duh! Go NSO!

 

A First-Year Murder Mystery

For my final posting, I chose to attend a Rutgers Geek Week Program!  Although not a program specifically geared to first years, the Murder Mystery Party was a great experience for the first years, transfer, and new grad students in attendance!  It gave them a chance to interact with other students they’d never met and have a lot of fun in the process.

The Scene: It’s 1899 in Victorian London.  George Sweet, the 5^th Earl of Coddingham is hosting a party to “mend some fences” before leaving the country.  You see, George was not a very nice man in his life and he mistreated a lot of people.  This party was supposed to help repay some debts and make a few apologies to people, some, you might argue, who would want to see him dead...

The victim (just look at that ACTING!)

That’s me!  Upon arrival everyone at the party was given parts to play.  We began with pleasantries, acting out our various roles until disaster struck.  George Sweet has been poisoned!  Now the goal is to investigate his death, collecting various pieces of evidence from each other and attempting to put it all together to find out “who dunnit.”  The great plot twist was that after my character died, I RAN to the bathroom, changed clothes, shaved my face, and came back out as George’s son, William Sweet!  Hilarity ensued.

A forged marriage certificate attempting to legitimize George's secret first son!

I think the best part of this program was the fact that most people didn’t know each other, yet they were given roles to play, which gave them a chance to interact without the typical social anxieties.  In a way, have “walls” up as their characters actually helped them open up to each other.  I watched one first year really getting into his character and having fervent arguments with some other characters, all trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.  It was nice to see the mix of graduate and undergraduate students working together and having such a good time.

Our gallant "inspector," delivering some crucial evidence.

I think this kind of event could be a HUGE asset to summer orientation, if only we had enough time.  Even if there was a Murder Mystery option at Social on the first night, I think the first years could have a lot of fun with it!  Like a giant game of Clue!  There seems to be a lot of pressure, especially during Social, to break the ice and make new friends.  I think an activity like this could help people reach out of their comfort zones because they’d get to pretend to be someone else for a little while, with some genuine face to face interaction.

Oops, I almost forgot to mention the best part!  George Sweet was visciously murdered by none other than... his current wife, Lady Coddingham!  Let’s just say, she did it for the money.

Excursion to Stardust

RUTGERS AT STARDUST DINER

[NSO's Green Movement at Stardust]

Stardust Diner is a place where hard work and determination meets entertainment for the entire family.  Sound familiar? Take away the element of food service and add the zealous enthusiasm that comes with being a part of NSO and the parallels between OL's and the waiters/waitresses of Stardust are apparent.  The servers at Stardust could not simply walk in and apply as if it were any old diner in the city. Just as we are student leaders, they are a part of a class of performing arts with as decorated resume. This propels many of them into the lights of Broadway. I'm sure that us OL's are using this summer as a means of building skills to shape a brighter future for ourselves and those we hope to effect.

[Our waiter and one of the performers at Stardust: Shawn]

The waiters at Stardust are no joke! They come from top performing arts majors from around the country that use Stardust as a conduit to Broadway. Some come from NYU, SVA, and the performers double as waiters/waitresses. They use the tips to fund their artistic endeavors. In order to get a good idea of their roles and how they relate to ours, we'll summarize the philosophies of Shawn (above) to understand how they can help us this summer.

Shawn, who studied theater at the Second City theatre in Chicago, explain to us the philosophies and values that got him to where he is now. Here are a couple:

Shawn says:

"One of the hardest aspects of the job is having to be the center of attention on bad days"

This is probably the golden nugget I was looking for when I interviewed Shawn. Our outside lives will still exist with the same motley variations of emotions attached. Our performance with the incoming students is contingent upon how we deal with our emotional responses to any event that conceives our emotion. Shawn deals with this by trying to focus on the people he came to entertain. That sense of altruism must be practiced as we orient first years to the daunting, yet fulfilling Rutgers experience. Our attitude will be a big part of how they perceive this school.

Shawn Says:

"It is vital to understand the importance of perspective within personal experiences"

Empathy was one of the biggest values we studied throughout our class. Shawn could not understand the perspective of others without this quality. Empathy is how we enter into the perspective of others. Shawn's day isn't a typical day in the life of your average American. He works in Time Square, a place where all cultures throughout the world are represented in some fashion. Shawn interacts with people with standards, values, and morals that could be from the other side of the world. He must altruistically supplant his own morals in order to understand the morals of others. This takes an extraordinary amount of critical thinking and empathizing. If we utilize Shawn's advice, it would make working with the diverse crowd of first years not only edifying, but also enjoyable.

[Come for a meal, leave with a smile...and a song stuck in your head]

New York is always a fun visit for a Rutgers student. This city is almost a preview of what Rutgers prepares a large amount of its students for. This is a city where one must know how to navigate a path. The subways are not that much different from the Rutgers buses. Stardust is a glimpse into the awesome qualities that some of the people in the city possess.  Many of the workers are from all over the country and have unique stories. They all sound so much like this group of Orientation Leaders at Rutgers. 

Welcome to the University of Acceptance!

People wonder all the time what the best feeling in the world is.  I personally think that one of the best feelings is the feeling of being accepted.  Acceptance can lead to happiness and a feeling of worthiness.  It can lead to improvement as well as a feeling of unity.  If someone is accepted, then he/she is a part of something.  Acceptance can come in many forms as simple as being accepted into a college.

For these two best friends, it was not the easiest being accepted.  Bartleby Gaines and Sherman Schrader are best friends who went to the same high school and stuck together no matter what.  However, all of that changed when college came around the corner.  Schrader was accepted into Harmon College, a prestigious university while Bartleby was rejected from every single school he applied to.  

Instead of accepting the fact that he was rejected, Bartleby decides to create his own college.  He gathers a group of friends who are also in the same boat as him and they rebuild an abandoned institute into a "college."  Even though he is "accepted" into a college now, he still is going through the crisis of finding who he is.  He does not understand what he is going to do in life nor does he understand what the future has for him.  He is constantly being nagged by his parents to make something of himself.  Bartleby is also envious of his best friend for being accepted into a well-known college.  What he doesn't know is that Schrader is having his own acceptance issues as well.

Although he was accepted into college and is sure he is going to have a future, Schrader is having a difficult time finding out who he is too.  When he arrived at Harmon College, he was sure he was going to be having the time of his life.  He was going to enjoy being in college and join a fraternity.  Boy, was he wrong.  Rather than feeling comfort and acceptance, Schrader is ridiculed and taken advantage of by his fraternity brothers. They make Schrader wear a hot dog suit saying that all of the "great legends" that attended Harmon did the same.  Even though deep down Schrader understands the real reason for doing the task, he is compelled to go through with it.  He is misguided by the jokes and bullying and doesn't fully understand his purpose.

Throughout the movie, both Bartleby and Schrader are conflicted with who they are and what they really want to get out of college.  Both of them are going down different paths trying to find and figure out what is it is that is truly important; an education or to look and be the way society wants them to be.  

Bartley decides to create a curriculum that allows students to choose what they want to learn about.  Students are free to take any classes they want and explore their interests.

In the end, Bartleby comes out on top understanding what his purpose is.  At this point, Schrader has brought himself to drop out of Harmon College and follow Bartleby at the South Harmon Institute of Technology.  The both of them don't want to conform and be like students at Harmon College, but rather individuals with their own interests and aspirations.  Bartleby argues with the court to not shut down the South Harmon Institute of Technology and wins the opportunity to continue to attend the university that he created.

What scares students the most is the idea of rejection.  These sheets of paper are considered to "hold the future" of students.  However, little do they know that this is only the beginning.

Many students get accepted to Rutgers each year and choose this university for a college education.  Although a student has technically been accepted to the college, the real feeling of acceptance finally settles in when a student understands why he/she is attending the university in the first place.  It is common among many first year students to feel confused and nervous when entering a completely different environment especially Rutgers because of its large diversity.  It becomes hard for anyone to figure out what it is they want to do.  A lot of the times students come in feeling that college is when they are supposed to find their purpose and to figure out their future.

  However, college is more than that.  It is accepting who you are and using your identity to get you through the next couple of years.  

Congratulations!

WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ACCEPTANCE

High School Shenanigans

RU READY FOR COLLEGE?!!

Two years ago I could have never imagined that this is what my life would be like. Thinking back into high school, I was always an upbeat, go-getter involved kind of student.  As the doors of high school were closing, I was ready to embark on a new journey to college. At that moment, I realized I needed to challenge myself to find out what I wanted my legacy to be. As a second year student here at Rutgers University, I have endured some hard times, where I learned vital lessons, and experienced some unforgettable, life changing moments, where I was changed for the better. I've matured in my thoughts, learned by example, and grown as a student leader. Since my arrival here at college, I cultivated my own motto for success. The grand question that I continued to ask myself was

“Was I better today than I was yesterday?”

As I reflect on my journey thus far I can truly say that I lead to serve others. After identifying my motives, I can proudly say that is the underlining fuel that powers my all of my actions.

For some students high school is a pivotal moment in their lives. This is a time period were many students begin to figure out who they are and what they stand for. It’s a stage in your life where you can completely rebel, mold and change the person you are, conform to others, or just simply be unchanged. The elements of high school are not the most pleasant and challenge students to really find themselves.   Such elements that exist are stereotypes, hormonal teenagers, sometimes violence, he said/she said and many more factors that impact your life. Everyone’s experience of high school is not the same because we all are unique with various differences in socioeconomic backgrounds, responsibilities, and support systems and etc. However, just having these differences does not mean that is our down fall. We need to embrace DIVERSITY (Rutgers’ favorite word). As New Student Orientation leaders, we will be faced with the challenge of making this space in the summer inclusive, united, and a warm welcoming environment for new students. 

New students are going to be coming in with a variety of different expectations and concerns. Now, I’d like to introduce you to a dazzling, ambitious young man who aspires to be a educator, a flight attendant, and a father of 3 someday- Javier J. Nicasio, a high school senior.

Skills USA New Jersey 2011 Regional Elections
 Northern Regional President 

            Javier J. Nicasio attends Passaic County Technical Institute where he is involved in numerous school activities. Javier is a part of the School of Education and Human Services which is the first step he is taking on his journey of fulfilling a career in education.  He is involved in Skills USA where he holds a state position, a member of the National Honor Society, and is a part-time cashier at the Little Falls Shop Rite. In addition, to these extracurricular activities Javier loves spending time with his dog Marley, volunteering at day cares, and imagining he is flying an airplane. 

1. Think about your high school experiences thus far. What have you enjoyed the most? What would you like to change and why? 

"I have really enjoyed my class called Child Development, where I met students with the same passion as me and bonded so much that we are now like a family.  I enjoyed being in the class of my sophomore year English teacher Mrs Bania- who always gave fun projects. I loved playing man hunt my junior year as a class prank in the hallways. Overall, it was been a good time! Things that I would change about high school is the uniform policy and how EVERYTHING was so strictly enforced."  

2. Do you want to go to college? If so, what are you looking forward to about college? 


" Yes, I want to further my education to ultimately become a teacher for middle school students. I cannot wait to get to college so I can pick my own schedule. I would much rather go to class at 12pm rather then starting my day at 8am. I'm excited about being independent and having the freedom that no one in  high school gets. I don't want anyone "holding my hand" through everything."


3. What are some of your major concerns about college? What are your biggest fears about getting there? 


" My fears would be not being able to obtain good grades because I heard that professors in college are so different. I'm also nervous about not getting a second chance if I mess up. I'm also kinda of worried about not meeting the right people. It's really easy to meet people in high school because I've been going to school with them all my life. In college I'm expecting everyone to come from so maybe different backgrounds-I'm worried they won't accept me." 

New students just like Javier are going to be coming to orientation this summer with similar concerns and expectations. After interviewing Javier I highlighted these 3 main questions and responses that are going to help us understand new students! Our job is to make them feel comfortable and give them the tools where they’ll be able to make the right choices when they get her for their first semester. We need to make them feel at home so they can maximize their potentials and breathe, sleep, eat, and bleed SCARLET!!!


I’m proud to be a Scarlet Knight and I want everyone that walks through those doors during orientation to feel that. 

Interview with a First Year at the Tail End of Their First Year

For my final blog I decided it would be best to interview a current first year student.  The student that I decided to interview is named Gabby and she is first year student living in the Livingston towers.  She is from a town roughly 20 minutes away so she had frequented the Rutgers community long before enrolling.  One thing she made clear in her interview is that although she had visited Rutgers multiple times in high school actually going here is a completely different experience, one that she was not completely ready for.

Paige: Tell me about your experience with New Student Orientation?

Gabby: I thought orientation was pretty cool overall.  I remember it being really hot and it really took me awhile to get into it but by the end of it I was honestly really happy that I went.

Paige: Do you think going to orientation affected your experience here, especially your first semester?

Gabby: Well, I’m not sure.  I know a lot of people that didn’t go to orientation and they are doing pretty well and have plenty of friends but I also know a lot of people in the towers that met some of their good friends here at orientation.  I live really close so I came in with a lot of friends from my own town and I could always go home if I really wanted to but going to orientation gave me the chance to meet new people that weren’t the same people that I was used to seeing all throughout high school and stuff like that.  But one of the main reasons why I am so glad that I went to orientation is because I learned a lot of really cool tips that helped me out when I got to college.  For example, there is no way that I would have known that the DCC allowed you to use meal swipes for things like drinks and breakfast at the Rock Café.  I know a lot of my friends were really surprised when I told them those things.

: Do you think orientation was missing anything?

Gabby: I mean, I think orientation was pretty cool, but I wish there was more of a chill time period.  Like a time where we could just hangout with all of the people there and just mingle.  I know there was like a two hour time period at the end of the first day but I wish there was more throughout the days.  I don’t think I would have been as tired by the end of it.  I also wish I got to see more than just one campus but I understand why that might be hard.

Paige: Well you’re almost done with your first year, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Gabby: I think I had a pretty successful freshman year, I joined a sorority, did well in my classes but there are a few things that I do think I would do differently. I think I would not let the little things effect me and I definitely would have made a much larger effort to find out about a lot of the different things going on around campus.  It’s easy to hear about the big concerts and shows but there was a lot of little stuff going on around campus that I didn’t even know about.

Paige: Do you think orientation added to your success this year?

Gabby:  I mean I think orientation gave me a really great place to start.  I learned a lot of great skills and information that were honestly the stepping-stone for a successful year.  It’s also nice to have an orientation leader that you can contact anytime you have a question.  That was especially helpful in the summer before actually moving in. 

That concludes my interview with Gabby and I found a lot of her answers very interesting.  What I found especially interesting about Gabby is that while her first year was different she did not necessarily have a unsuccessful year which is one of the main reasons I chose to interview her.  Many students end up having a hard time adapting to college and while it Gabby's transition from high school to college wasn't perfect it was successful.  I'd like to consider Gabby an orientation success story.  She took the information offered to her at orientation and put it into action.