Finding your way

I am from an all-girls school in Dallas, with approximately 100 girls in each grade. The entire grade knew about what happened at last night’s party or who got asked out for homecoming from the brother-school. Everyone knew about each other so well that no secret could exist. For the past four years, I believed this tight-knit community was the norm for every high school in this planet.

My narrow thoughts shattered completely as I stepped onto Washington University’s campus. Everything was so vast and spread out. Some people sped by me on bicycles while others lie basking in the sun. Everyone seemed very preoccupied with their own business. My family was so lost in a labyrinth, not knowing where we were supposed to head. After half–an-hour of wandering, we finally arrived on

the South 40.

I believe that I am not the only person who felt this way. I’m sure my classmates might have felt the same way as I did – astonished and mouth wide-open – as they first walked onto the campus. They must have also been surprised by the number of people walking around the school and the immense landscape this school possesses. However, I am starting to overcome my initial awe-struck feelings, as I already have spent two weeks in this place.

The school itself is filled with hospitality. Whenever I was lost on campus, people approached me first and offered me help – some of them even took me to the place where I was heading. A 2335 acre school is obviously very large, but the layout of campus is very simple. The two main sections – The South 40, which accommodates residential colleges and the new Bear’s Den, and the Danforth Campus, which is composed of academic buildings – are all you have to know. If you get lost, find your way to Forsyth Blvd. and a white bus will take you to where you want to go. Even though you may think you are lost on campus, you are actually not, because there is always a way to find your path.

As the first week of classes nears its end, my familiarity with the campus has definitely increased. I have already found the doorway from the DUC that is closest to the South 40. I can now walk to Simon Hall without a map in my hand. When I walk around the underpass between the South 40 and main campus, I see familiar faces that no longer make me feel detached from the whole environment. During my two weeks on campus, the school definitely has grown on me. I have found the solution to the labyrinth that once confused me.