Every incoming college freshman can’t wait for move in day. The day we leave our hometowns and families to begin our new journey in a new town with brand new people. Some can’t wait for this day, and others (like me) were a little more apprehensive. Luckily, at Lasell we have a program to help all first years with their transitions: Welcome Weekend. It begins when you arrive on campus for check-in and is filled with various outings in Boston, including a boat cruise. This program is designed to help us, but as the newbies in town, Welcome Weekend is also somewhat of a hassle for some students. Here are some positives and negatives about the whole weekend, so if you ever get the chance to be a freshman again (time machines?) you can decide for yourself, “Would I participate in Welcome Weekend again?”
Positive: You meet so many new people!
What better way to meet new people than to be stuck on a train with them for 20 minutes? If you decide to go on a trip into Boston, sit next to someone you don’t know and just say hi. Everyone is just as awkward and uncomfortable as you, I promise. Most of these outings are geared towards a specific interest, so most of the people you are with like at least one thing that you do! Go on the boat cruise and dance with anyone and everyone! Make some friends! Everyone is so much more friendly and inviting when they are letting loose on the dance floor to some Chris Brown.
Negative: Hectic Move-In Day
As freshman, you get to move in two days earlier than the rest of the student body, which you think would make the process smoother, but it doesn’t really go down like that. Everyone floods the campus at pretty much the same time, making walking up the stairs with bins as wide as the stair case a little difficult. Note to incoming freshman: come at your assigned move in time, PLEASE.
Positive: Exploring Boston is a Total Plus
For many new students not only is Lasell completely new to them, but so is Boston. During Welcome Weekend there are many trips available specifically in Boston for newcomers to participate in and see their new city. Go on the duck tour because you get to see all the different neighborhoods in Boston while enjoying a relaxing and humorous ride. Not having to walk is always a plus in the brutal 90 degree weather. Whichever trip you choose, you will either learn or see something about Boston that you didn’t know before, gaurenteed.
Negative: Fun, But Tiring
Be prepared, with all the fun of Welcome Weekend comes early mornings and late nights. All of the trips leave relatively early and you will end up staying up late with new friends, so just do what you have to do as far as your sleep schedule goes. For someone who L-O-V-E-S sleep, those first few days were pretty rough.
Positive: Learn the Train System, It Will Save Your Life
Note to all first year Lasell students: make sure you get on the D LINE on the GREEN LINE. If you don’t you will get very lost, trust me. Another plus side to the trip into Boston is getting to see exactly how to get to the train stations (Riverside or Woodland) from campus as well as how to take those trains into Boston. This is such an important thing to learn! I am always going into Boston and if I hadn’t had that experience the first weekend it would be much more stressful. *Just beware of the commuter rail and switching between lines, green line to red line, etc. *
Little Time to Settle-in Before Classes Start
If you’re someone like me who wanted to do a lot during Welcome Weekend then you will have very little time to fully get yourself into school mode. Between moving in on Saturday, going on a trip and boat cruise Sunday and a target trip on Monday, by the time the first day of classes came around on Tuesday, I was not very prepared. Just remember that although Welcome Weekend is full of fun, you are here for school, and it will start eventually!
Photo provided by Hannah Henkel