If you are a Baylor student, you know the excitement that comes with getting ready for school. It is exciting, nerve-wracking, and a brand new life stage. I remember moving in last August and feeling completely excited and overwhelmed by everything that was going on, especially when it came to making friends and meeting new people.

Over the last few weeks, new freshmen have been posting on the Baylor 2022 Facebook page talking about Line Camp, moving in, dorms, and Welcome Week. And I would like to spend a quick moment to say: Hi! I'm Lauren and I'm going to be a Welcome Week leader for about 25 of you wonderful people! I'm a sophomore in Memorial, so if you live on the third floor of Memorial (Colón East, to be exact) there is a pretty big chance we will be spending your first week on campus together.

I know how excited I was during my Welcome Week, but I was also nervous. So I wanted to write to y'all and give you advice and background on Welcome Week and what to expect. Because from one Baylor student to another, advice is essential.

1. You aren't required to participate in Welcome Week activities, but you totally should.

When I was participating in my Welcome Week, so many people ditched Welcome Week activities to sit in their dorm room. Welcome Week is a great time to meet people because no one knows anyone on campus when they arrive. You might not become best friends with anyone in your Welcome Week group, but you'll at least know some friendly faces during the first couple of weeks on campus. Plus, we try to make Welcome Week as awesome as possible for y'all, so it would be a shame if you didn't come.

2. Be yourself and don't try to act like a different person.

I know this is cheesy and cliche advice, but it's really true. Y'all need to be yourselves during Welcome Week and the first few weeks of the semester. I know it might be tempting to create a different persona for yourself when you're learning about other people (trust me, I was in that same boat). But no matter if someone in your Welcome Week group has 3 yachts, is from Paris, or is an Olympic gymnast, you should just be yourself. YOU are the most interesting person, not the person you're pretending to be.

3. Get to know your Welcome Week leader!

I might be totally biased on this because I am a Welcome Week leader, but get to know us! We may be a little older than y'all, but we were once in your shoes. I became best friends with my Line Camp leader, and I can't imagine not knowing him (shoutout to Denton Wood, also known as the coolest dude at Baylor). We can give you great advice about classes, friendships, life, and how NOT to pull 7 all-nighters during your last week of classes. Plus, we can be really great friends and we really want to get to know y'all.

4. Get to know people outside of your Welcome Week group if you can.

The people in your group are fantastic, but so are the other people in your dorm, your freshman class, and around campus! It's alright to be nervous about meeting new people, but try and meet as many people as you can during your first few weeks. Whether you're friends with those same people at the end of the school year or not, you'll have met some awesome people.

5. Keep an open mind.

You may not want to hang out with strangers when you could be checking Twitter or watching Netflix, but part of the college experience is keeping an open mind and trying everything. Playing get-to-know-each-other games might not be your thing (and they aren't mine either) but keep an open mind and try them anyway. You never know what could happen.

So those are some of my tips to the incoming freshman! I can't wait to meet y'all in a few months and I hope that you guys are as excited to come to Baylor as Baylor is to meet you. You're going to have a great time, and if you have any questions or anything, hit me up on Instagram (@laurennnnnanne).

Sic 'em, Bears,

Lauren