Article By Delaney Judkins
Photography By RMCAD
The first few weeks of college are unlike anything else. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and a little confusing starting out. For freshmen at McKendree specifically, starting college means adjusting to a new campus, new expectations, and a new level of independence. From navigating campus hills to figuring out Brightspace, freshman year comes with experiences that upperclassmen instantly recognize. These moments may feel stressful in the moment, but they quickly become shared stories that define the beginning of college life.
Freshman year is not about having everything figured out; it’s about learning, adapting, and growing. The habits and experiences I’m sharing below highlight what makes the start of college at McKendree so memorable and so unique to freshman. Just know, as a fellow freshman you’re not alone!
You’re Personally Victimized by the Hill
Every McKendree freshman learns very quickly that campus is not flat. Walking to class feels manageable—until you’re late, it’s hot, and the hill suddenly feels personal. Upperclassmen glide past like it’s nothing, while freshmen are quietly rethinking their life choices.
Treating Ames Dining Hall Like a Daily Event
Freshmen enter Ames with enthusiasm and curiosity, loading their plates with a little bit of everything. Mixing foods that don’t belong together, getting dessert every meal, and grabbing snacks “for later” becomes routine. Eventually, that thrill of getting whatever whenever fades, but those first few weeks or even months is like a dream.
Walk Around Campus Like They Know Where They’re Going (They Don’t)
Freshmen will confidently walk in the wrong direction rather than pull out their phone. Everyone is pretending they know where Piper, or Old Main is even if they have no clue.
Go to Every Event During Welcome Week
If there’s free food, free shirts, or free anything, freshmen are there. Bingo night? Yes. Random ice cream social? Absolutely. By mid-semester, attendance drops, and you start taking those naps you recently found out you can take whenever you feel. At the start though, freshmen are fully committed.
Overdecorate Their Dorm Rooms
Freshmen arrive with LED lights, tapestries, throw pillows, plants, and decorations that take hours to set up. By October, half of it goes untouched. But at the beginning, dorm rooms feel like a personal design project. Even their dorms get holidays thrown at them.
Introduce Themselves as a Freshman Every Chance They Get
“I’m a freshman” becomes part of every introduction. There’s pride in it, but also a subtle way of asking for grace while figuring things out. It’s also the answer after every question, “What year are you” or “What’s your major?” Which I’m sure upperclassman memorize by now.
Panic Over Brightspace
One of the biggest freshman shocks is navigating Brightspace or even the McKendree homepage in general. Assignments feel hidden, deadlines feel unclear, and freshmen spend a lot of time convincing themselves they didn’t miss something important.
Read Every Syllabus Like It’s a Legal Document
The first week, freshmen highlight, annotate, and stress over every syllabus. A few weeks later, they’re shocked to find out there was a quiz or discussion post due.
Make Friends Instantly—and Deeply
Freshmen can become best friends after one conversation in class, at practice, or in the dorms. Bonds form quickly because everyone is new, open, and looking for connection. Why is this? It’s because you can’t be a freshman at a college campus and be alone! Truly, it’s okay to not have so many friends. You are still cool!
Question If Everyone Else Is Doing Better Than Them
Freshmen often feel like everyone else has their life together. Regardless of if it’s socially, academically, and emotionally. Most people are just learning how to survive week by week, and others are faking it.
Text or Call Home More Than Expected
Even the most independent freshmen find comfort in checking in with home. Whether it’s about stress, laundry, or missing a familiar routine. I know I never wanted to call are talk to my parents, but as soon as a left I wanted to facetime my mom just to show her the little sketch I made today in the corner of my paper during class or tell her what I just ate five minutes ago. I think you realize how much you want and need them in your life often as you because more in depended, (and with less of a teenage attitude on your back)
Learn Independence the Hard Way
Freshman year at McKendree is the first time many students are fully responsible for their schedules, meals, sleep, and motivation. Mistakes happen, but growth does too. You don’t ever have to grow like other people, you can go at your own pace! It’s better to go through the motion rather than being told what to do.
Being a freshman at McKendree University is a shared experience full of trial and error, small victories, and memorable moments. One day, today’s freshmen will walk past new students struggling up the hill and smile—because they’ve been there too. Freshman year may feel overwhelming at times, but it’s also where confidence, friendships, and independence begin.
