Kelly Higgins | Welcome to Old Student Orientation

New Student Orientation is the second-best time of year, rivaling only Spring Fling. It is a chance for the new freshmen to acclimate to the environment of Penn, learn a little about the city of Philadelphia and meet new people.

But NSO should be an inspiration for all Penn students, not just the freshmen, to start anew.

Beyond helping incoming Penn students, upperclassmen can also take advantage of the opportunities that are directed at freshmen. As a freshman, everything is new and students are willing to take chances, meet new people, join organizations or take classes that are different or challenging.

But, as students grow older, they find themselves cemented into their group of friends, their extracurricular activities and their majors.

I envy the way freshmen see Penn.

Yes, they are naive and do not know how to find certain buildings or know which professors’ classes to take or avoid. But they are willing to try things without repeatedly checking Penn Course Review for the professors’ scores or worrying about the effects of an activity on their resumes. What makes Penn a great institution is the variety of options and opportunities that students are repeatedly given, and students should not stop taking advantages of those chances after their freshman year.

Penn students are supposed to be some of the brightest, most ambitious and most talented students in the world. Yet we are often complacent in our lives at Penn.

How frequently do organizations see students joining after their freshman year? There are probably a few sophomores, most likely transfer students — and not many after that. Students fall into their lanes and refuse to change for fear of what could happen.

At the beginning of every year, we should think about what will happen if we do not try anything new. Many upperclassmen consider freshmen to be confused and uncertain, but I see them as risk takers.

When was the last time after freshman year that you went up to a large group of people you didn’t know and introduced yourself?

This coming NSO, upperclassmen should become like freshmen — not so we can bring Tupperware to the dessert party following Convocation or take advantage of the nonstop parties associated with not having classes but to try something new and meet new people.

Actually browse around at the Activities Fair instead of solely staffing your organization’s table. Take your own advice when freshmen ask you what sort of classes they should look at. Try some new activity that may be scary, challenging or outright ridiculous.

If you happen to think you are above all this advice or it is too late, then get involved with the freshmen directly. Upperclassman can join Peers Helping Incoming New Students, be a peer adviser, work as a resident adviser or help with move-in.

I challenge all Penn students to enjoy NSO for its parties and free T-shirts for all four of their years at Penn. In the spirit of freshman year and NSO, I also challenge you to think about one class or one activity that you have always wanted to try, forget about the consequences and sign up. If it turns out to be awful, there is always the add/drop period.

NSO provides a period of time when students can be college students without worrying about class and homework. Take advantage of it because, one day, you will be a rising senior, realizing that the coming NSO will be the last opportunity that you have and what a shame it would be to have missed out.

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