That Much Closer!

Orientation, finally! By this point we’ve all attended Freshman O, registered for classes, and significantly increased our number of facebook friends. Congratulations! We have survived our first steps of college life! From first walking into Shriver and being sent off to sign in and take our ID pictures, to registering for classes and trying to figure out the best schedule to avoid morning classes, the ball was in our court.

I just clicked “finish” on my freshman orientation survey which means our first complete college experience has been completed. Regardless of your small group or what classes you registered for, there was a common sense of initial social awkwardness, excitement, and anxiousness. Though I must admit that though I was a bit nervous to be on my own for registration, I was immediately put at ease upon running into a familiar face. This was not one of my fellow alum but Megan, whom I had met during the Bridges Program in October and had lost touch with. We instantly bonded and put our chance meeting down to fate. Honestly, seeing a familiar face was what made orientation so much more amazing than it already was.

Okay so to the parts that made me fall even more in love with Miami:

1. The Vignettes- My personal favorite was the final sketch on alcohol abuse and sexual assault. As a girl, I feel like there are certain risks that can't be afforded such as being under the influence of absolutely anything. The SOULs were great actors, making it that much more real.

2. Small Groups- My group a.k.a the Baker’s Dozen was so much fun! I loved that we all clicked immediately and had fun, but when it was time to do Cross the Line, everyone took the activity and the discussions seriously. It was a relief to know feel that everyone’s experiences and viewpoints were and are respected without a second thought.

3. Class Registration and Academic Advising- Right before my meeting with my advisor I like, everyone else had tried to translate the course guides and made up a list of what I thought my schedule would be…RIGHT! My advisor was amazing and I was very surprised and relieved at how genuinely interested he seemed in my career goals and academic planning. That being said at the end of the day I have four science classes that I’m super excited about, my honors 181 seminar and my new experience for the year: theater 101, 103.

When it comes to surprises, it’s safe to say that the sense of community was the biggest one by far. Since my first campus visit, Oxford has felt like home but now there’s a family with it. My SOUL Cori, was honest and open but treated us and expected us to behave as equals. Because of her, I’m really excited about getting involved in the Miami Community and applying to be a SOUL next year. When it came time for the social, our group was a little late due to the fact that we were battling another group in Ninja. Can you say, AWESOME! After the social, Megan and I had our first p.m. college experience as we stayed up all night chatting and eating cold pizza…

I think it’s safe to say that my college experience is off to a good start. In about a month, I’ll be on campus and moved in for MADE…I can’t believe it’s almost here but now I feel more than ready to take on my 8am classes and theater anthologies.