Katherine Daniel ~ Editor-in-Chief
As I sit here thinking about what I want to tell the new incoming freshman class, I realize that I am in the stages of writing my last pieces of news stories and opinion pieces for The Critograph because… I am a SENIOR!!
Senior year is finally here and boy, does it feel good. There is always the saying, “I cannot wait for senior year to get here.”
You begin to have that saying stuck in your head when you are in high school. You get that same saying in your head in college too, but I can finally say that I am a senior in college.
But for the new incoming freshmen, high school is way different than college, trust me on that. It is not as hard as you think it is going to be. You are probably excited but nervous for your first year here at the University of Lynchburg.
There are many questions going through your mind like, “Am I going to sleep in and miss my class?” “Where is Hopwood 13?” “How am I going to make friends?” Do not panic, you will be fine. If I made it through my first year of college, you can too. Tate and Mont are not as bad of a living arrangement as you might think it is, even when you have to share communal showers.
When you are a college freshman, there are many opportunities to explore, whether it is Greek Life, clubs, going to a sporting event, meeting people at a party, etc. There is plenty to experience your first year of college here at the University of Lynchburg.
Being a senior now at the University of Lynchburg, I can look back on all of the fun and great experiences that I have had while being here.
Whether it is playing a softball game or hanging out with a couple of friends after class, these are the memories that I will never forget.
Especially working for The Critograph, I have met many people that I would not have ever met and had a one-on-one conversation with, without this job. Whether it is an hour and a half interview with President Garren, or taking pictures at the live sporting events, these memories are things that I will remember once I have graduated.
For those of you entering your freshman year, take my word that there are PLENTY of things to do in Lynchburg.
You have downtown Lynchburg, which I LOVE and also many other places around campus to go and do things. Being in a different place from where you are from and have grown up your whole life is hard.
Change is hard to get used to in general. Trust me, from coming from the country in little ol’ Dundas, VA, where you get stuck behind a tractor or a bus on a back road and where everyone knows you, to a place where no one knows you and you have to make a change is so hard.
It will get better, because I went through the same thing you are going through. Now, going into my senior year, I live with my fiancé and my two dogs, Milo and Otis, in my apartment five minutes away from campus.
Like I said, change is hard and you do not realize how true it really is until you move away from your hometown into college your first year.
When you finally move into your dorm and say your final goodbyes to your parents, it hits you that you finally are alone. After leaving your friends, family, and pets your freshman year, the first couple days of college are extremely sad and a bit frightening. It is hard to realize that you have left your comfortable bedroom to go to a small dorm room that you will be sharing with another person for almost a year.
I thought to myself, “How am I going to have enough room for all of my stuff and another person in one tiny room?” But for me, I was excited to finally meet my roommate again after hanging out at SOAR and beginning my new life that would have my emotions on a rollercoaster my freshman year.
Now, being a senior, I have adapted to change and living the somewhat city life in Lynchburg, VA is not so bad at all.
Your first year of college is not easy. All of the people who tell you what to bring and tell you about your first year will not prepare for this moment in life. Y
our first year of college is a part of life where you realize it is time to grow up and start to be on your own. You leave everything you know and you truly find out who you are with this experience.
Even though you are still learning to be independent, you are not alone because there are many other freshmen doing the same thing. While it may seem very overwhelming at first, college is fun.
Enjoy every minute of your time here at the University of Lynchburg because I know that I am going to truly miss it when it December come and I officially have my Bachelor’s Degree.