The first few weeks of class By: Katie Caudle

As the first few weeks of school have finished and classes are getting into full swing, students are starting to settle into university life.

However, “the newness has worn off and the harsh reality has set in,”said Dr. Dee Romines, associate professor of music education and director of choral activities. While the reality might not be so harsh for some, the “new” feeling of school has certainly passed. The first days of school have a unique feel for different years of university life as well.

The first day of school for a freshman is always exciting. At Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) there is Stampede (freshman orientation week) that helps students get to know each other. Seeing teammates from Stampede in your first-year classes is always fun and helps the campus feel more familiar and friendly. It’s a little bit nerve-wracking as a freshman to be away from home and outside of “normal” life. After the first few weeks of classes, though, freshmen can get a break for labor day and go home for the weekend and catch up with family and friends. 

Sophomores come back with much more confidence than the year before. While freshmen still look wide-eyed walking around campus, sophomores know exactly where they are going. Most of them starting their major-specific classes, sophomores still have not lost the excitement of getting the opportunity to learn. Their first weeks are more involved with connecting with friends made in previous years, and anticipating “syllabus week.”

Juniors return to school with renewed determination to meet the challenges that await them during their third year on the “Forty Acres.” Having made it past the half way mark, they are in the throws of difficult classes. They rejoin their communities and mourn the loss of their senior friends who graduated the previous year. They also have to gear up for the responsibilities that come with being upper classmen now. 

For the seniors who are now experiencing their last first week of school, come back to the University more determined than ever to make a positive impression on what will soon become their alma mater. Somewhat sentimentally, they look at the places they have seen a thousand times with a fresh perspective. The school they have come to every day for three years is now so familiar that directing the fresh-faced freshman to classes is no longer a burden. They look forward to the future while appreciating all that they have gone through at HSU. 

While every year provides students with a different first week experience, what is more important is what we do with the rest of our time as students. As the seniors would most certainly say: “Enjoy the first few weeks and make lots of memories.”