My first week at Stanford was pretty much the typical freshman college experience compressed into the space of seven days: confusing and almost overwhelming at times, but ultimately incredibly fun. Freshmen were expected to arrive a week before classes started to get to know their classmates and familiarize themselves with the campus. The amount of work that the Stanford administration and NSO (New Student Orientation) staff put into this week was admirable. Everything was organized to make sure incoming freshmen felt welcomed 110% and were fully integrated into the Stanford community. There were events everyday at all hours. Of course, not all of the events were mandatory, but it was nice to know that I had something to do whenever I was feeling lonely or bored.
It was difficult to keep up with how quickly things were moving, sometimes—I’d never met so many new people in such a short amount of time before. Everywhere I turned there was another group to mingle with. I’m a very extroverted person, so I really enjoyed being around so many people my age. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure at the time if I was actually going to become friends with everyone I talked to or friended on Facebook, but it was still good to meet the people who were going to be my classmates, roommates, best friends, and confidants for the next four years.
Then, after a week of socializing and learning about our university, the first week of classes started. Naturally, I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. What are the professors like? What were they going to expect out of us, the new students? Despite my fears, I actually managed to adjust to college life pretty easily and had a fantastic first year.
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