Reading 1 The Freshman Experience: College Is Not Summer Camp The first week of college is summer camp. The second is back to reality. When I arrived on campus a little over a week ago, I never imagined going from name games to essays in a blink. My college has a week of orientation, so it never really felt like school until I walked into Geology on Tuesday morning. Before that, I had been watching movies with other freshmen, exploring — well, really getting lost in the campus, and trying every imaginable ice cream combination at the dining halls. From the moment I walked into my class, I realized I can ’ t just watch movies and eat ice cream for the next four years. Buying textbooks before the class was its own problem — really, if a book is used, shouldn ’ t it be dirt cheap, not just a fraction less expensive than the new version? — but being in a room filled with strangers, most not na ï ve first years like me, was quite frightening. In high school, the first day was one of my favorites. Sure, I hated knowing I had a year of work ahead of me, but I loved seeing old friends, catching up on summer gossip. Here, I sat down and immediately started taking notes. What part of this lecture was important enough to write down? Who was the person sitting next to me? Was I allowed to raise my hand to ask a question? And then came the terrible syllabus, something I ’ ve never used before. So now I have four separate syllabuses from my classes, all confirming that I will be piled down with reading and papers for the next few months. Not only is it overwhelming, but it ’ s making me feel hopeless to even consider joining clubs or having a little social life in college while keeping up with work. Sure, I worked hard for the last four years. But that was nothing. What really scares me is I just don ’ t know what to expect. One professor told me to call him by his first name, but I ’ ve heard that another thinks “ Hi Professor _____ ” in an email is too informal. Upperclassmen have told me that some professors expect students to drop by during office hours, while others think it ’ s a nuisance. How am I supposed to know what is expected from me? From new subject matter to new academic expectations to new professors, I am overwhelmed. When I look at my messy dorm room and list of homework in my agenda, I still can ’ t believe I ’ ve been here for less than two weeks. And I can ’ t help but partly wish I were back at camp, not college.