Nine months ago, Penn freshmen were easily identifiable -- complete with campus maps in hand, trying to hide the looks of apprehension on their faces as they first set foot on campus.
But Tuesday evening's Froshfest -- an end-of-the-year event sponsored by the Freshman Class Board and SPEC -- was evidence that the freshmen have truly come a long way since those first few weeks at Penn.
Featuring a battle of the bands competition and tons of free food from fried Oreos to grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, the event saw a huge turnout. Intended to serve as a culmination of a great first year at Penn, Froshfest offered students a relaxed environment in which to hang out and celebrate their friendships.
"It was a great way to celebrate the end of our first year at Penn," Nursing freshman Gretchen Berlin said. "It shows how close our class has come since New Student Orientation."
The event's success can be attributed to the months of planning and preparation that the Freshman Class Board carried out behind the scenes.
"We've been planning this for three months or so," said Engineering freshman Pooja Sethi, who also serves as the engineering representative on the Freshman Class Board. "We held auditions for the bands and had to plan everything from food to setup."
But things went off without a hitch, and Freshman Class President Jack Cohen said he was very pleased with the large turnout of the event and was glad that his hard work was worthwhile, despite the threatening weather conditions earlier that day.
"We thought [Froshfest] was going to have to be canceled because of the rain, but it miraculously turned around," Cohen said. "It is a great venue, and I'm happy that lots of people stuck around to hang out and see their friends."
That's just what College freshman Maren McCauley had in mind when she headed to Wynn Commons for Froshfest.
"It was good to come and see some people before we all have to leave for the summer," McCauley said.
Wynn Commons was buzzing with activity, as the battle of the bands seemed to attract an audience of more students than freshmen. Many groups performed for a panel of judges and competed for cash prizes.
Gbandfree took first place, landing a $500 gift certificate to Sam Ash -- a music store -- and Guy Incognito earning a $150 gift certificate to the same store by coming in second.
"I came to watch my friends in the band Remedy," College freshman Evan Silverstein said. "I have heard them practice a lot, but this is the first time I've seen them play."
For other students, the free food was the event's main attraction.
"The free food was very appealing," College freshman Grania Michel said. "I figured, 'Hey, I've already gained the freshman 15, what's another five?'"
Overall, Sethi said that Froshfest served as a wonderful way to say goodbye to the label of "newcomer," and welcome the new title of Penn sophomore.
"It was the culmination of all our events as freshmen," Sethi said. "We wanted to go out with a bang."
And with approximately 900 people in attendance, they just may have accomplished their goal.
