Jaelyn

Well, it has officially been a week since I moved into my dorm! Being the oldest child in the family, I get the fabulous job of being the guinea pig for almost everything, so going to college was of course no different. No one else in my graduating class chose to attend the University of Iowa, and with the exception of a cousin who is also a freshman here, I knew no one coming into this year. I wanted to have a great first year of college and start off right, and decided that it would be in my best interest to put my worries aside and talk to people. I already know that my college experience so far would have been very different if I had decided to be shy. I’ve met new people every day so far, and I’m actually pretty stinking proud of myself! I feel like I’m a totally different person now than I was three months ago. I’ve done things I don’t think I would have ever been able to do before. So far I’ve talked in front of over 100 people at the Iowa Edge banquet on Wednesday, and gave an interview at an open house for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Friday. I met people at Iowa Edge (which is a FABULOUS program), at On Iowa! and even at the bus stop, and I’ve played basketball, Bingo, and gone to the rec center with different people. It’s awesome! I feel like I see people I know nearly everywhere I go, and that’s really comforting to me. Everyday, I feel more and more comfortable on campus and even happier with my decision to be a Hawkeye.

Iowa Edge and On Iowa! are two programs that help first-year students transition into college. Iowa Edge is for students hailing from groups that are underrepresented at the university, and if you qualify, you should DEFINITELY do the program. We did a lot of team-building activities and by the end it felt like we were one big family!

Iowa Edge 2013

On Iowa! is the official welcome for first-year students. The coolest part of On Iowa! was making the block “I” on the field in Kinnick Stadium. Bingo night was great too. I’d guess that there were AT LEAST 100 people who showed up to play, and it got very intense! There were a ton of awesome prizes available and I was lucky enough to win twice! Other activities included movies, fitness classes, Convocation, the President’s Block Party, and a concert in Hubbard Park.

Taking the field at Kinnick

Class of 2017 forming the block “I” in Kinnick Stadium

As my first week of college draws to a close, I feel good. I’m getting acclimated to campus pretty well and I’m really enjoying my time here. My first day wasn’t that great, but since then I’ve gotten over the tears and sadness and had a great time. Classes start tomorrow, and I’m excited to be starting a new chapter in my life. I’ve heard that your college years can be some of the best years of your life, and so far, college is living up to those expectations!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 at 8:03 am and is filed under Campus Life, General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.