Freshman year for me was incredible. I'll probably say this over and over and never be able to sell to people just how amazing it was. But within the nine months of studying, going out, making friends and making memories – there were weeks of difficulties which I ultimately am thankful I experienced.
1. Welcome Week (Month)
Emma Gallagher
This may come as a shock, but I look back on that first part of college and could not be more thankful. I can admit – I did not want to be at Creighton. Did not want to be away from home and the friends I had grown so close to, and certainly did not want to have to branch out and be social. But within a day of arriving and packing my stuff into the room that would soon become my favorite place – I felt so at home.
Welcome Week gave me the opportunity to see a little bit of the school that I was going to be at for the next four years, with constant events and gatherings I didn't have much of a chance to miss home. I felt in my element within that week-long orientation period which turned into a month of assemblies. Most importantly, I met a couple of the people that were alongside me the whole year and was introduced to how much I loved my new home.
2. Recruitment
Emma Gallagher
While I never considered myself the "typical sorority girl" (to which I've realized is not a thing), I decided to join the hype of Greek life on campus and go through the recruitment process. The week was tiring and the individual days were full and slow-moving. I was constantly hungry and felt conflicted with the choices of sororities (although I'm definitely loving the one I'm in).
But between the running from building to building in freezing weather, the sore feet, sweating and repeated conversation – I developed a sense of excitement for what I was experiencing. Despite the uncertainty and the draining days, I am so happy I went through the week. It led me to so many individuals I'm not sure I would've met otherwise. It also helped me prove to myself that I am able to step outside my comfort zone.
3. Finals Week
shoutout to my friends for being calm enough to take care of me when saying goodbye </3
Emma Gallagher
This week was daunting for multiple reasons. But there were two sides to the terror that made me realize I needed to experience it.
First, I HAD to study. Something I avoided so much the rest of the semester because essentially these was core classes and I could figure it out easily enough – or so I told myself. I faced a week of five finals, an oral exam and a seven-page paper. So I basically had to suck it up and put in the effort. I challenged myself and pushed myself to keep working which ultimately made me feel more confident when I approached each exam and also was a reminder for the challenges I'll face the next three years.
Second, the goodbyes. Awful. I was an emotional wreck, although I hid it well until I was actually moving out. Aside from leaving home months earlier, I had never felt so sad to leave a place. I teared up saying goodbye to friends I had met two weeks earlier, took every opportunity I could to eat at Becker, enlisted the help of friends to pack up just to see them a little longer, spent extra time in the library and drove around campus with my car packed up before actually leaving Omaha. Again, this was awful. But it was during this week that I saw the most love I had seen during my year. People reached out, helped one another and shared well wishes. Overall though, it made clear how much the people and the environment meant to each person. It brought me back to the week of move in the nerves and uncertainty that had drifted away ultimately making me wish I could stay.
