Freshman Life

Freshmen sleep whenever they can. (Photo courtesy of edublogs)

Thoughts on being a freshman...

1. People overload.
2. Abundance of free time. But it's not free time. You should be studying, but you don't have to study. Who studies at 9:15 in the morning.
3. No car. You can spend large amounts of time on campus. Endless hours. On campus.
4. Or you take the bus.
5. The transition from a know-it-all high-school senior to being lost.
6. Cafeteria food. Burritos every night.

Profiles in Debt

Name: Nick Satterfield
Major: Civil Engineering
Year: Freshman
Debt: 2,000 a year
Deep Thoughts on Debt: "I have a student loan for 2,000 a year and it is going to come out to between 8,000 and 10,000 by the time I graduate it. It's not that bad but I don't really think it is worth it compared to how much it costs. To me, it makes more sense to just pay it now but my mom wants me to have it the way it is. My mom is trying to push me a little bit so that I pay for some of school. I also have financial aid which helps. I'm under the impression that it is guaranteed. Hopefully that's true; I don't know."

From Arizona to SCU!

I interviewed my suite neighbor, James Spadafore, about his thoughts and feelings about being at a college away from home. James is a freshman (business major) from Phoenix, Arizona. He has enjoyed his first year here at Santa Clara University, and he feels that he has made the right college choice. Ever since his sophomore year in high school, James knew he wanted to attend SCU. One of his high school teachers was a SCU alum, therefore he informed James about how wonderful and beautiful SCU is. James then researched and even visited SCU only to find out that his teacher was not lying-- Santa Clara really is that great. James was finally able to attend Santa Clara in the fall of 2007, and his experiences have been memorable so far. James appreciates the warm California weather (with the exception of winter quarter) as well as the beautiful campus here at SCU, located in the Silicon Valley. He enjoys meeting new people, especially in his classes and around campus. James likes the small class sizes and the ability to be able to interact with his professors and establish relationships with them. He also stated that the ladies at SCU are pretty good-lookin’. During his free time, James enjoys stargazing and horseback riding. On the contrary, James misses his family and his cats. He especially misses his mom’s cooking, but he has gotten used to Benson food (Bacon chicken ranch burgers are an everyday meal for James.) He wishes he had his car on campus so he could cruise in his red convertible Stang’ around town. (However, he should probably stay away from vehicles due to the amount of speeding tickets he has received.) James will miss SCU this summer, and he is excited to return in the fall!

-Karina Grobelny

Lonely Freshman

There's a perception that college is supposed to be the time of your life, right? But we all know that's not necessarily the case. It's definitely not the case for one Loyola-Chicago freshman.

"I'm a freshman at a small private school in Chicago. It was my last choice, but I tried very hard to approach it with enthusiasm. However, I have no friends here. At all. I don't even eat dinner because I don't want to eat alone. I hate my classes. None of my professors even know my name, and they don't explain anything and the tests are insanely difficult. I can't motivate myself to study because I hate this place soooooooooo much. I cry all the time. I go home every weekend and work, under the guise of needing money, but really, I just can't stay here and sit in my dorm room all weekend alone."