First Year Thoughts
By Izzy Sanders
Caption: Students sing along in the crowd of Welcome Week’s Katie-oke Event
Entering a new stage of your life can be scary. College is one of those stages, and Izzy Sanders took some time to talk to some First Year students to see how the transition has been so far.
For one commuter, Devyn Betts, and one resident, Elena Johnson, it’s safe to say college is better than they expected. Johnson states that her class workload has been very manageable, allowing her time to balance it with her home and social life. She initially chose the school due to its proximity to her house and job at Carondelet Village, its size, and the ambiance of the grounds. Though she didn’t know this when making her final decision on schools, she has learned that St. Kate’s appears stereotype and stigma-free, qualities that have enabled her to try some new activities such as intramural volleyball.
Students at Welcome Week’s Italian Dinner event
Similarly, Betts has found that her favorite thing about campus has also been its non-judgmental tone. Her expectations of college have been met with the knowledge that effort reflects well something she admits is much different than what she expected. In her free time, she works at Panera and has been able to attend a Swifties club meeting (one she reports having a “chill” nature).
The main difference between these students seems to be how they get to and from class: Johnson having only a five-minute walk to any class of her choice and Betts taking her ten-minute drive to campus early to get some extra study time in before classes. It’s no wonder these two have been able to take the year in stride between the relaxed social norms of the campus and the balance they have managed in their lives.
There’s no one right way to do your first year of college and every Katie experience looks different. The Wheel is sending best wishes, lots of luck and all the good thoughts to our First Year students as they reach the half-way mark of their first semester on campus!
