GUEST COLUMNIST: The awkwardness of freshman year

Freshmen? I hate the word, as I hate hell and all underclassman. Freshman year is certainly a harrowing experience. In high school, we were the epitome of cool. Some of us had varsity letters, others were leaders in the community, but all of us were seniors. We were older, wiser, and as one College freshman put it: "We knew what was up." And just when we had it all figured out, and things were finally running smoothly, we have to start all over again. At my high school, I looked down upon the naive freshmen who had so much faith in the system, in education, and in the faculty. All of that changed one day when a little freshman screamed at me from across the halls?"Just wait, next year you too will be a freshmen." When I first visited Penn, it was love at first sight. The beauty of the Quadrangle, students studying on the Green, my stroll down Locust Walk, neighboring West Philly and Ben Franklin on the bench. There was something about that statue that really enthralled me on that first visit. But now I go here, and all of that is simply a brochure of the past. I have to work on making it through Locust Walk in one piece, on platforms, and still getting to class on time. An impossible feat! I tried studying on the Green the other day? enough said. After I sat down and got out my books, I was rudely interrupted by a congregation of vicious squirrels at my feet. But hey, that's fine?after all, I'm in college and that is all part of the ambience! We freshmen -- easygoing and extremely carefree. Why are we looked down upon? Why must we receive "Oh, you're a freshman?" wherever we may meander? Can we not escape these labels? Can we simply be referred to as "students at the College?" Or what about "members of the Class of 2001?" That sounds so much better! When it takes us three times to "pass" on the swipe machine, I think that's a good thing. After all, practice makes perfect. When we e-mail our friends messages about how much we despise Political Science 1, and then send it via the the class' listserv, that takes talent! When we sign up for 9 a.m. classes, we are merely making good use of our time. Freshmen: kings of time management! There is NOTHING better than a trip to Wawa at midnight. The "Freshman 15?" Fair enough! As one of my dear friends remarked "the only freshmen that gain weight are the ones that eat pizza at 2 a.m." She couldn't have been more right, but those words rolled off of her mouth as we were eating pizza, and I think it was a little past 3 a.m.! But we are so innocent and we mean well. If you can't understand us, just accept the fact that we are trying the darned best that we possibly can. I've been here for barely a month, but I feel as though I have been here forever. I NOW know not to venture past 42nd Street (the world just ends), where to get the best lattes (you think that I'm telling!), and what time I should set my alarm in the morning if I hit snooze 12 times. Yes mom and pop, this is exactly why I went to college. I know the football team is nothing to write home about, but they do try hard! I've conversed with my professors, played basketball with the varsity squad (and scored!), and am currently working on a psychology research project?and I'm not even the subject! So, with all of this experience on my back, why must I still be a "frosh?" Everyone gawks at the freshmen at Penn as they converge together in packs on the way to some party or another. They charge us to get into some "exclusive Greek party" and we willingly pay (do we know ANY better?) We try our best to look inconspicuous, but no matter how hard we try, we always manage to walk on the wrong side of Locust Walk! Our PennCards hang from our necks, and our nervous excitement permeates from within. Forgive us! But we know the truth: every time you pass a freshmen on campus, you are thanking God that that phase of your life is over, and behind you. But is it?

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