Dear Incoming Dragons,
Congratulations on making it through the tumultuous journey that is often referred to with disdain as “The High School Phase” and for deciding on a college! The decision to come here isn’t easy for everyone but I hope it was for you because I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to greatly enjoy your time on our urban campus in the City of Brotherly Love.
I don’t want to put up a sugar-coated façade about life on campus because, after receiving your syllabus, that will come crumbling down along with your self esteem and hopes for the semester. Yes, there will be some hard classes, gruesome all nighters, and nasty breakups that will occur during your time here, and I sincerely hope they don’t happen to you all in the same week.
You will, however, have a multitude of joyous experiences that you’ll recall fondly as you head home after freshman year or as you watch your best friends walk across the stage to receive their diploma four or five years from now. Believe me when I say it’ll go by quicker than you could ever imagine.
Welcome Week is an energetic, exciting, and exhausting introduction to college but be sure to make it count. Form and solidify friendships before classwork gets in the way and don’t hesitate to make friends outside of your college. Some of my closest friends during freshman year were bio and engineering majors with myself being a member of the business college.
While you’re still at home, take the time to appreciate the free time you have and the foundation of friendships you’ve created because they will be tested throughout the upcoming school year. You might not be as close with your friends as you once were (purely because you aren’t seeing each other every day) and that’s ok. As you continue to grow as a person, from a high school graduate to a collegiette, just remember it’s ok if everything isn’t the same as it was in high school. That’s honestly one of the true beauties of college.
So, future Drexel Dragon, be prepared for some shocking changes, lifelong friendships, and a wild four or five years. True to our tagline, I have no doubt that you’re going to LIVE IT here.
Sincerely,
An upper classman