Two years later, I still remember my first day at WashU: the humidity and harsh sunlight, the sound of cars honking on Shepley Drive mixed with the chatter of groups of friends on their way to tour each other’s dorm rooms, and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed.

Last year, as a freshman, I felt like I was doing something wrong.

In a time where we have all been asked to balance safety and socializing, perhaps no one has felt the strain of this task more than the University’s freshmen.

So, you made it here. Congratulations! Years of hard work have finally paid off, and now your journey starts as a somewhat-adult, broke-yet-rich-in-education college student.

If the First Year Center and Campus Life intend to keep a nine-day orientation moving forward, there are many lessons to be learned from this year’s issues.

My college experience freshman year was not at all what I had anticipated it being. I initially expected to be working like crazy most of the time but spend my downtime with groups of friends. Instead, I found myself completely unmotivated to work and spending most of my time in my dorm room, alone.