Students in front of Kittredge West (Casey Paul/ CU Independent)
As the first semester of the school year starts to really get underway, some freshmen at the University of Colorado Boulder have struggled to find their place in a rapidly changing campus that isn’t like what many expected.
Freshman Teal Wall said she felt terrified to begin her time at CU Boulder. After the pandemic forced her to live in a personal bubble for so long, she felt that she forgot what the real world was like. Teal was still trying to process the fact that she was a high school graduate and felt unprepared for her new chapter.
Wall’s experience is shared by many of the university’s freshman class. After spending time on campus and beginning to integrate within the community many freshmen have a fresh perspective on college life and what they think it means to be a Buff. Some, like Wall, feel like they’ve found a place to call home.
“Even though I’ve lived in Colorado for forever and been to Boulder plenty of times, living here is a completely different experience. I think that CU has done a great job of making me feel at home on campus. Also, there are so many opportunities to try new things and step out of your comfort zone which I absolutely love,” Wall said.
The transition into college is tough for other freshmen, however. For freshmen like Abi Jeong making friends and having relationships can make all the difference.
“I think the biggest thing is that people are in the same boat as you, so you have to take advantage of that. It’s so much easier to make friends because everyone is in a new environment! It’s definitely hard, but rewarding once you put yourself out there” Jeong said.
Jeong also said that joining clubs allowed her to meet “like-minded people” who share her passions, beliefs, and backgrounds.
Due to the prolonged issues brought upon by COVID-19, it’s been tough for a lot of freshmen to find a place where they feel like they belong at CU Boulder. Freshman Amruta Kelshiker said she’d shared some of those same struggles.
“It feels really odd having a hybrid mix of in-person and online classes. I thought that being in a college environment would be my inspiration to do well in school, but I’ve kind of struggled with motivation to be honest,” Kelshiker said.
Many in the freshman class have finally started to get accustomed to this new stage of their lives. Students like Wall, Jeong and Kelshiker said they’re happy to be taking those steps even with the drawbacks of a pandemic.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Arnav Seth at arnav.seth@colorado.edu.
