2008 Woodie Awards
The best of youth: freshman year
Nasimeh Easton
Issue date: 9/2/05 Section: Features
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Day one. Suddenly, you're away from home. You have no idea what to do, what's to come, or who all these strange people around you are. Everything's a frenzy of moving, unpacking, new faces, and …
You've never been more excited in your life.
Ultimately, students come to Guilford because we want a great education. For the class of 2009, college offers the opportunity to continue already successful school careers. Numerically, this year's group of 418 traditional first-years is the most selective class at Guilford since 1987. These young men and women are the top sixty-three percent of the 2,491 students to apply.
But being smart doesn't make the first week of college any easier.
"Chaos" perfectly describes the tumultuous days, full of activity and adjustment, which begin the first year.
We meet our roommates - "We might kill each other by the end of the year, but I like him," says first-year Joe Cary.
We go to the planned events - Playfair had mixed emotions from the first years, though the general feelings on the hypnotist and open mic night were very positive - and we begin to shake the feeling that we're being herded into a giant pen like cows.
"It was definitely a period of adjustment," says Bjorn Goodwin, a first year from Virginia.
"I didn't really know what to do with myself," admits Christy Farmer of Asheville.
Still, as overwhelmed as we all may initially feel, therei the comforting reality that every one of our classmates is just as confused.
So, we begin to settle in. We move our things. We make a few friends and, though we still feel as if we may just explode at any moment, things start looking up.
"I was so lonely," says Julia Fout of her first night on campus. "But later that night, I made an effort to play a game with a few people; I got to know some of them and started feeling better about being so far from home."
Getting to know classmates can be an eye-opening experience. Diversity is obvious at Guilford: we represent 37 states and 6 countries. 68% of students are Caucasian, 10% African-Americans, 2.5%, are Hispanic, 1.5% are Asian/Pacific Islanders and .7% are American Indian/Alaskan Natives, not mention the 16 % of the student body from an unknown descent.
You've never been more excited in your life.
Ultimately, students come to Guilford because we want a great education. For the class of 2009, college offers the opportunity to continue already successful school careers. Numerically, this year's group of 418 traditional first-years is the most selective class at Guilford since 1987. These young men and women are the top sixty-three percent of the 2,491 students to apply.
But being smart doesn't make the first week of college any easier.
"Chaos" perfectly describes the tumultuous days, full of activity and adjustment, which begin the first year.
We meet our roommates - "We might kill each other by the end of the year, but I like him," says first-year Joe Cary.
We go to the planned events - Playfair had mixed emotions from the first years, though the general feelings on the hypnotist and open mic night were very positive - and we begin to shake the feeling that we're being herded into a giant pen like cows.
"It was definitely a period of adjustment," says Bjorn Goodwin, a first year from Virginia.
"I didn't really know what to do with myself," admits Christy Farmer of Asheville.
Still, as overwhelmed as we all may initially feel, therei the comforting reality that every one of our classmates is just as confused.
So, we begin to settle in. We move our things. We make a few friends and, though we still feel as if we may just explode at any moment, things start looking up.
"I was so lonely," says Julia Fout of her first night on campus. "But later that night, I made an effort to play a game with a few people; I got to know some of them and started feeling better about being so far from home."
Getting to know classmates can be an eye-opening experience. Diversity is obvious at Guilford: we represent 37 states and 6 countries. 68% of students are Caucasian, 10% African-Americans, 2.5%, are Hispanic, 1.5% are Asian/Pacific Islanders and .7% are American Indian/Alaskan Natives, not mention the 16 % of the student body from an unknown descent.
