Walking home from slichot and on our way to a bar last night, my friends and I passed several groups of newly arrived Columbia University freshmen, doubtless on their way to–or back from–their own drinking escapades. I graduated high school six years ago, when these current freshmen were finishing sixth grade, but I remember the excitement of the beginning of college pretty vividly. At Wash. U. in 2005, we all met each other, tried to get away from our parents as they helped move us in, tried to be as open-minded as possible and drank together. Aside from upperclassmen I knew coming in, though, I kept few of the friends I hung out with during the first week of freshman year. We drifted apart over the following months as we fell into our respective social groups: the pre-meds, the artists, the potheads, the social-justice fighters and–of course–the Jewy Jews.
That’s why freshman orientation was so unique. It gave us a chance, before we found our niches, to be socially displaced enough to approach people who were completely different from us. This also happened, of course, throughout college, but during that week it was in high gear. And though many of them felt programmed or manufactured, those interactions did give us an opportunity to leave our comfort zone and begin to question ourselves and each other–the beginning of the identity-formation process that occupies much of college.
Freshman year, for many people, is intense, fun, inspirational, emotional, dramatic, stressful and transformative. Before all of that starts, before students have to dive into classes, settle in social groups, start relationships, join clubs and figure out how to do their own laundry, orientation provides a week for freshmen to start with a clean slate–and see where college takes them. Below are some thoughts, from around the web, on that crazy first year of college:
We linked to this on Fridaty but it bears repeating: A former Hillel staff member at Columbia talks to new students about approaching Jewish life on campus in the right way. [Jewschool]
It stopped running a couple of weeks ago, but here are some reviews of “Abraham’s Daughters” a play by recent graduate Elissa Lerner about what happens when one Muslim, one Christian and one Jewish girl all find themselves living in the same dorm. The Forward calls it flat and “juvenile.” [The Arty Semite]
While we say that despite its flaws, the play captures the college experience. [New Voices]
As students get bogged down with books, Slate presents its own reading list for freshmen. [Slate]
While Obama sends a letter to college students, reprinted in my campus paper, pledging to help students so they can help the country. [Student Life]
And to the incoming freshmen: welcome to college, and make the most of your time there. It’s a ride.
