On August 16th, all incoming new students on PC’s campus arrived and officially began their first semester. In search of the experiences of freshmen during this time, three people were interviewed: Abigail Donaldson, Benjamin Barrett, and Kassandra Hamilton.
Abigail, a cross-country athlete, described her move-in day as “super good” and stated that people were really helpful with the process. As an athlete, Abigail was able to move-in early, so in order to understand the experience of students on the regular move-in day, two non-athletes were interviewed. Among the non-athletic interviewees, Benjamin shared the same sentiment, while Sandra only said, “We had plenty of time to put things in our dorm.”
In general, the freshmen interviewees chose their courses to fulfill both their general education requirements, personal interests, and major. Kassandra decided to focus more on her general education, deciding to complete her English and foreign language credits but she chose French because she had previously taken French classes and had “really liked” them. Abigail, on the other hand, sought to enroll in classes that fit into her chemistry major.
Out of the three interviewees, Kassandra was the only one who does not seem to have an overbearing workload, stating that it’s been “about the same as high school.” Both Abigail and Benjamin shared that they have a lot of homework, with Abigail saying, “It’s kind of stressful.” In particular, Benjamin had a six page essay due on the third week of classes. However, the two have an optimistic approach toward their first semester. Abigail mentioned that she tried to go through each day with a positive attitude, while Benjamin noted that although college has been tough, it has also been “super worth it.” Despite this, both have been able to juggle their schoolwork, social lives, and extracurricular activities with little to no trouble. Abigail’s secret to maintaining balance is planning her day ahead. She said she was attempting to “think ahead of the day” so she has time for everything important to her during the day.
All three interviewees did not need a long adjustment period after move-in day and the start of classes. Abigail and Kassandra touched on the fact that it’s been different for them, being their own independent people without having a parent to report to. Furthermore, Abigail did not feel much of a transition from high school to college because of the Advanced Placement classes she took in high school. The two major changes are, according to the interviewees, the type of work assigned and how the professors present material.
When questioned about their favorite aspect of PC so far, both Kassandra and Abigail touched on the welcoming community and atmosphere PC offers. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Benjamin focused on his small class sizes, and how they gives him opportunities for one-on-one aid with his professors.
At the end of each interview, the interviewees were asked: What are your hopes for this semester? All three had different perspectives. Kassandra answered by expressing that “this semester would be to fully process being her and kind of get used to the way college is.” Abigail expressed her social goals for this year: “I just hope to find a good community and a good support system that I can use throughout all of college.” Lastly, Benjamin only mentioned his strive to get A’s and B’s in his classes.
As an honorable mention, at the end of his interview, Benjamin Barrett exclaimed “I’m free!” It wasn’t that bad . . . right? Because there will be plenty more interviews to come!
Anyways, later on in the year, these same freshmen will be interviewed again to re-evaluate their adjustments and to see any changes in perspective. Stay tuned!
