2019 was an eventful year for the Bears. Here’s a look at the top 10 Wash. U. sports stories of the year.

Before coming to Washington University, I couldn’t tell you how many times an adult came up to me and said, “College will be great; you’re just going to love it.” It was nice to have those words of encouragement, but after a while I started to feel like I was being burdened with a cliche of late-adolescent life. The “college is the best, therefore you must be happy or else” mantra has become so entirely prevalent in teenage culture. If you asked Wash. U. students what their take was on their first year, I think many would tell you that being at this place is incredible. But, as you may have seen on Yik Yak, Wash U Confessions or in the New York Times, there is an element of adversity that we all have to go through.

An extended summer assignment, a new diversity course offering and major South 40 construction are among some of the changes that the incoming class of 2019 will experience in the coming year.

From accepting more Pell-eligible students to striving to create a more economically and ethnically diverse class, this year’s admission process was different from what it had been in the past. Julie Shimabukuro, the Director of Admissions, noted, however, that the general criteria for Washington University acceptance remains unchanged.

As new students arrive at Washington University for the first time this Thursday, they will be greeted by spacious dorm rooms, Tempur-Pedic mattresses and most importantly, a themed dorm floor. Each Residential College’s residential advisers are in charge of creating and executing the themes. While not all of the floors had finished putting up decorations as of the writing of this article, Student Life picked five of the best we found.