What a first year it's been! For a new student, the first year of college is a truly unique experience.
Let me begin with orientation weekend: the ladies of Saint Mary's tend to be shy and well-mannered, attending each informational meeting with only a slight murmur of boredom pronounced under her breath.
One of the first weekends I spent at Notre Dame, taking the beauty of the campus in, I learned the term dis-orientation. Dubbed by the upper-classmen, I can find no better word to describe the festivities. Freshmen are "kidnapped" by the juniors and seniors and shown a really great weekend.
For most students, you know what I'm talking about.
For those who don't, where have you been?
During the first few weekends of September and October, the various class boards put hard work into planning fun and safe activities for the new students to enjoy, such as the Jamaica Shaka and the drive-in movie on the library green.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, sported much more exciting dorm parties, in which as many people as possible packed into a tiny room, danced the night away, and met various other students who they would later reunite with in the classroom setting, struggling to figure out how they know him or her.
Another topic to touch on between the two campuses is obviously the dating scene. Virtually non-existent, I am hardly surprised.
With the people we have met on countless weekends, I'm sure most of us know how easy it is to have a great time with someone and not see him or her again.
Contrary to popular belief, the sole purpose of attending school at Saint Mary's is not to "find a husband." After all, this is the 21st century, and we are here to get an education like everyone else. Nevertheless, college is a learning experience in other ways than just school. The Saint Mary's ladies are just trying to have fun like the ladies of Notre Dame.
The college life between Saint Mary's and Notre Dame is unlike any other, and I can't help being in awe each time I am on either campus. Here are thousands of some of the smartest, most privileged students in the country; they know how to study hard during the week and let loose on the weekends, maintaining strict grade point averages.
I'm so glad that as a freshman I received the opportunity to be privy to the college scene through not just one prestigious college, but two.
