We’ve been back into the swing of campus life for about a month now and I just can’t shake the most annoying, nagging feeling that reappears every time I see a lost freshman holding a map or asking for directions to the fifth floor of Stamp: relief.
I walk around our beautiful campus and keep thinking to myself how wonderful it is to know how to get to my classes, to have an amazing dorm to return to each day, to feel so at ease. I don’t feel lost walking across the mall. I understand that North Hill is on South Campus and that Worcester is pronounced “Wuster”.
Don’t get me wrong, I really feel for these freshman. If there was a fifth floor to Stamp, I’d walk them there myself. I want to help them and I often do. When they look really hopeless I even go out of my way to give the most detailed directions as I possibly can to find their unplottable building. But every single time I somewhat guiltily feel such amazing relief at not being a freshman anymore.
As a freshman, I initially surprised myself with an unfortunate mixing of horrendous directional skills, homesickness, and hatred of change. Sprinkle in my sarcastic and somewhat erratic sense of humor, shyness around new people, and insistence that my old fire engine red, Mickey Mouse rain coat (which, I learned the hard way, was not at all waterproof) was cool. Read: I was lost, confused, and not particularly enjoying the experience of being thrown into a new place.
Thank the good people (upperclassmen…mostly my sister and her friends, but still) of our campus who decided to reach out to this train wreck of a nerdy freshman. They swiftly pulled me out of my initial rut and into the fun experiences college provides.
Recently, I paid it forward a bit while chatting with a fellow journalism major, freshman Joelle Lang. She needed some advice on her intro journalism class and I was ready to spew out my totally falsely perceived sophomore wisdom and discuss how to get through the boredom of paper proposals.
“I feel like the juniors have played a huge part in my experience here,” Lang said when asked how welcoming UMD students really are. “I find that they’re the people I really look up to since they’ve helped me out a lot.”
As a sophomore suffering from bouts of extreme relief regarding my status as anything but a freshman, I’d like to reach out to my fellow non-freshman with some tips on how to help this new bunch out. Think of it as good karma or just a nice thing to do.
Some do’s and don’ts for helping out the freshman:
Scenario One:
A freshman asks for directions to a building. You’ve heard of it, but have never had a class there and aren’t completely sure you know which building it is.
Don’t: Make up directions. They’ll listen to you. How would you like walking to Chincoteague Hall while looking for Knight Hall?
Seriously Don’t: Make fun of them for not knowing their way around yet. Remember, it’s only been one month. Not all of us have supernatural built in GPS guiding our blissful lives. Some of us will get lost. Often. Daily. However long it takes until this enormous campus starts to feel like home.
Do!: Ask a friend to make sure you’re sending this lost lamb to the correct building. Maybe even point out some landmarks they’re likely to pass on the way.
Scenario two:
You’re at an event and you see an obviously uncomfortable freshman standing alone.
Don’t: Sigh a breath of relieved air at not being a loner. (Unless you then proceed to the following do.)
Do!: Reach out, ask their name, have a genuine conversation. Make sure you actually listen to what they have to say. Tell them about things going on, invite them to a party, or swap numbers if you want to stay in touch. And now you have another friend, you’re welcome.
Scenario three:
Be proactive!
Don’t: Ignore your chance to see campus in a fresh light .
Do: Show freshman around to unique University of Maryland experiences and landmarks. My personal favorite? Bringing freshman to echo rock (across from Montgomery Hall.) It’s always exciting and hilarious to see the shock on someone’s face when they hear their echo bounce back while stand on the amazing rock.
Okay, enough with the scenarios. I’m fairly certain you know how to be a kind person. If not, you’ve probably given up on reading this by now anyhow.
Life’s hard enough without being cliquey or exclusive. So just try to help other freshman feel involved at our amazing University!
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Photo #1: Danya Czarnolewski at Echo Rock (Montgomery Hall Residence Hall)
Photo #2: Danya Czarnolewski
Photo Credit- Laura Shaposhnikova