One of my favorite experiences at Yale has been my position as a First-year Counselor. I’ve written previously about my FroCo team and how awesome they are but asides from having the best team, I also have the best first-years––or “frosh” as we endearingly refer to them. Our first FroCo Group meeting happened virtually, before move-in happened and I was nervous that I wouldn’t really be able to engage with my first-years once we arrived. In general, all the FroCos were anxious about how we could make the most of the one semester our first-years would be on campus planning activities that would let them socialize (safely) and get to know each other/Yale along the way.
My First-Years on our hike to East Rock
But from the get-go my first-years were engaged and committed to making the most out of their semester at Yale. Our initial meetings were fun and when we got to campus we found ways to hang out socially distant. One of the first activities we did was a socially distant hike to East Rock (pictured below). Throughout the semester we have continued to meet over Zoom, playing fun games and giving “journey maps” where we share how we got to Yale and the people we are today. And the more I get to know my frosh, the more I see how kind, thoughtful and open they are. That’s why they have graciously allowed me to interview them, featuring snippets of how their semester at Yale has been. In each interview you’ll learn about how they imagined college would be like when they were applying and how it has been this semester (which I can proudly say has been going well)!
Here are the three questions I asked my first-years:
- What did you expect college to be like when applying?
- What has it actually been like so far?
- What’s something you wish you would’ve down/known when applying?
Name: Madison (she/hers)
Hometown: Northeast Texas
Favorite food in New Haven: Chicken and Dumplings in general but in New Haven: boba (specifically coconut milk tea)
Honestly, I thought it would be very intimidating being here. I thought the people would be intimidating and the work would be much harder
Now that I am here it feels like a home. Everyone is so welcoming and accepting of others. And the work is just more intense and we go more in-depth in classes but it’s not necessarily too hard. The work I’ve been doing has required me to engage intellectually/metally but also emotionally and really be reflexive which I’ve really appreciated.
When applying to schools last year, I think I would have told myself to prioritize my Yale application because now that I’m here it’s everything I wanted.
Name: Anne (she/hers)
Hometown: Waycross, Georgia
Favorite food in New Haven: New Haven Pizza!
Obviously I expected a lot more people to be on campus and a lot more activities to be going on––even just physically walking to classes and being able to attend events. But since COVID happened that’s not really possible. I wasn’t sure how the people would be [whether I would like them, they like me, whether I’d fit in] either so I was a bit intimated.
I think We’ve still had a lot of opportunities to interact with new people even though it’s been socially distant, through Zoom, and just walking around in New Haven/on campus. Our FroCo group has been one of the best experiences I’ve had since coming to Yale. We all love each other and hang out outside of the mandatory meetings and trainings and there’s just so much love between us. Everyone generally is so nice, especially the dining hall staff, and that has made my experience so much better than I ever expected given the circumstances.
I really wanted to visit Yale beforehand, but I couldn’t, because I think it would have made me prioritize Yale as my top school. Being here and exploring campus would have helped me decide “why Yale” and although that’s not super feasible for people applying now, I think just interacting with Yale online or really trying to figure out what life here is like would be helpful.
A picture of some of my first years, including Madison and Anne, from the Trum-Fall Photoshoot
Name: Mary (she/hers)
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Favorite Food in New Haven: Noodle Bowls from Junzi
When I was applying to college, the pandemic had not hit yet, so I had expected to be on campus for the full year and that I’d be meeting more people. I thought I would have formed study groups with people in my classes, and I was excited to attend lectures in large lecture halls and have passionate discussions in small seminar classes. When I learned about Yale’s procedures for the pandemic, I honestly thought I would spend most of my time in my room and that I would not leave much. I thought that I would get really close to my suitemates, and I feared that I would not be able to meet people and form friendships outside of my suite.
In some ways, the pandemic eased my transition into college. Because I do not have to walk to my classes, I feel as if I have more time to do work. It is also much easier to focus on my academics because there are not as many large events that will distract me. Socially, I am much closer to my suitemates and the people in my residential college because I try not to leave too often. However, while I thought that I would be in my room all the time and that I would not be making many friends, I have been able to meet many people at Yale and form friendships with people outside of my residential college.
When applying to college, I wish I would have created a bucket list for each of the schools I was interested in because it would have helped me picture myself in the college’s environment.
Name: Danush (he/him)
Hometown: Shrewbury, Massachusetts
Favorite food in New Haven: Firecracker Chicken bowl from Junzi
Before applying to Yale, I thought everyone here was going to be super intellectual and to be honest, a bit snobby. That’s something I was actually pretty nervous about not fitting in.
However, I’ve been super surprised after coming here. Everyone I’ve met has been so far is incredibly nice, from the students to the amazing dining hall staff. While people here are all amazing at some unique thing, I haven’t met one person who lets that define their behavior or personality.
When applying to college, I wish I had known that college would be less about the actual academic experience for me, but rather, the social experience. School is obviously an important and big factor but the people here are really what have made my college experience great. I definitely spend a lot of time overthinking my college decisions, worrying about academic rankings rather than the communities I’d become part of.
