Sri Haritha Deevi, Student Life Editor
A Full House: The Signs of Fall Semester
It’s that time again—the fall semester is officially in full swing, and you can tell just by looking at the parking lots. Good luck finding a spot unless you're up at sunrise! It's like a real-life version of a "choose your own adventure" game, but instead of dragons, you're battling... parking.
Walking through campus, there’s this undeniable electricity in the air, like the start of something epic. You see undergrads roaming in packs, some rocking their "fresh fits", others low-key trying to figure out where their next class is.
There's an odd beauty in the chaos—something like Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, but maybe more like, “I hear the campus singing.” It’s singing loud with excitement, nerves, and a whole lot of possibilities.
View of the Parking Lot from RUC. Photo//Sri Haritha Deevi
Undergraduate Excitement
For freshmen, walking onto campus feels like stepping into a whole new universe. Suddenly, they’re navigating buildings like it’s a maze in a video game. There’s this main-character energy as they move through the crowd—wide-eyed, backpacks strapped tight, and a mix of "I got this!" and "What is going on?" vibes.
Everything’s a first—the first time they can skip class (don’t do it yet), the first time they join random clubs, and definitely the first time they feel like they're starring in their own college movie.
But yeah, those first-week jitters hit hard. It’s like that perfect line in Robert Frost’s "The Road Not Taken", except instead of choosing between two roads, it’s choosing between Netflix and hitting the books. Every freshman has to learn how to juggle life, friends, and schoolwork, and trust me, it’s all part of the process.
Graduate Students: Focused, Driven, but Balancing Many Roles
Grad students? Oh, they're in beast mode from the start. No time for wandering lost—these students walk with purpose. They’re in their own personal play where every act has a purpose—each class, paper, and project is part of this big plot, and missing a beat just isn’t an option.
They’re juggling way more than most people realize, and it’s not just academic pressure. There’s work, side gigs, and maybe even families waiting at home. It’s exhausting, but grad students are pros at keeping it all together.
International Students: New Faces and Global Perspectives
International students are straight-up legends. They’ve flown across oceans, left behind familiar faces, and landed on a campus where everything—from the food to the slang is a little bit different. International students are in this whirlwind of cultural adjustment, figuring out what a pop quiz is (it’s not as fun as it sounds) while also trying to fit in.
But here’s the thing—they bring that global flavor that campus life desperately needs. They’ve got stories, perspectives, and experiences that are totally unique, and they enrich the whole vibe.
They’re tackling homesickness and navigating visa rules. It’s wild, it’s tough, but at the end of the day, it’s quite a journey. Like Eliot wrote, "We shall not cease from exploration," and international students are out here proving that every single day.
Welcome Message To All the Students: Fresh and Returning
Whether you're stepping onto campus for the first time or you're a seasoned pro who knows all the shortcuts, this semester is yours to own.
Freshmen, don’t worry—everyone feels lost at first, but trust me, you’ll find your groove. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors, you all know the drill, but there’s always something new to learn, right?
Grad students, keep grinding—you’re crushing it, even if it doesn’t feel like it some days. And to our international friends, your journey is next-level inspiring. Let’s all make this semester count, make memories, and maybe find some time to enjoy it all between those study sessions. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together—so, let’s go crush it!
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