Elise Lehrkamp: Student Writer
Coming into the new school year as a freshman has so many challenges and hurdles to overcome and with that are so many new questions and experiences. My hope as a first year student is not just to answer some of my own questions and to learn new things for myself, but to also provide everyone with a little extra support and find answers to things you may not have even thought to question.
Our upperclassmen on campus have so much wisdom to impart and a willingness to share it that we would be remiss not to ask them all about it. That being said, I’ve gone out and done some of the work for everyone by interviewing some of my favorite seniors for tips and tricks on college life.
Is there anything as an upperclassman when you came in as a first year that didn’t know and would have wanted to know?
Christian Mangini: Probably just where different resources on campus were because they would say there’s this resource and this resource, but not tell you where it was, or show you how to find it. So just kind of a way to navigate campus without having to do it all by yourself, but sometimes it just takes some time to get used to or someone to show you around.
Emily Fermin: Something that I wish I could have known when I was a freshman definitely was how easy it is to get lost, not just on campus, but how to get lost just within, as who you are because that transition from high school to college is insane. And if I talk about it from the perspective of a commuter, I went from taking a bus to high school all day and then going to driving myself and then struggling to find parking. Yeah, and while that is such a big issue to get lost in, you also can lose yourself in who you are because you want to fit in with everyone and it’s sometimes so hard to realize that you stand out as amazing as you are, and I think that I wish I understood when I came in. I could have known that it’s okay to be confused or to be lost, but there’s always someone out there that’s willing to pull you in.
Is there anything specifically you wish you had known coming in like navigating campus, food or classes?
Christian: I came in, you had to meet with your advisor, so you kind of got that initial step of like, oh, here’s the classes you will be taking. But now, I feel like some people are kind of off and confused with the Lucey center because they’re not getting that one-on-one conversation anymore. So just finding somebody to talk to you ,whether it be upper classroom or Pro staff, either one just having someone to talk about things to.
Emily: I think I definitely would have wanted to know that there are so many clubs on campus straight off the bat. I knew where the Hub was just because that is the central space on campus to find what clubs and orgs are active on campus, because if that was the case, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to get involved. And the involvement fair is great, but if you miss the involvement fair because you’re in class, you’re like, oh, where do I go if I want to join a club? So I definitely wish the Hub was more put out there as well as the commuter lounge and obviously, I’m repping it because I’m a commuter, but I wish I knew sooner that there was a space that had study rooms just because study rooms on campus are kind of scarce.
What are the best study spots or spots to just be alone (because a lot of people need to get away from their dorms)?
Christian: I like it in the library, especially on the second floor, there’s a back room. It’s a quiet room, so it’s a very secluded space. So, I like that and as an honor student, I also spent a lot of time in the honors commons. The library is definitely good when you want quiet time, but if you want a loud environment, then the Sak is probably better.
Emily: Definitely the second and third floor of the library. The second floor of the library has a little quiet area closer to the back, and that is such a good hidden spot, because it is a quiet area, so you can’t be talking too much. It’s definitely always a good space to just go and decompress and all of the bay windows are there, so you can just sit on one of the couches, and look out on campus and the third floor does have other quiet rooms. I know that closer to FYE there’s sometimes offices and if you ever need questions answered, they can help you, and they might actually be able to use one of the offices as a study room. Sometimes they’ll even let you use that space to just be able to get work done, or just take a minute and decompress.
Is there a professor or specific person that you go to to get advice?
Christian: So many, actually. But if I had to name one, it would probably be the head of the first year seminar program, which is Justin Bowen. He’s been like my rock these past couple years, and he holds so much knowledge in terms of academics and stuff like that. He’s just very personable, so I always go to him when I have questions and such. I mean, he’d be my go-to person, but then, obviously, I have so many history professors that I’ve gotten to know over the years.
Emily: I’m in the school of education and social policy, so every Professor that I’ve had has become my personal mentor, and this is kind of where I give my shout outs to Professor Ruth McKenzie and Professor Kessler or PK because they have probably heard everything of my concerns. Right now it’s looking at grad school here. But shout out to them and then shout out to Professor Kate Kurkul because she has been amazing, she just came back from sabbatical and she’s been such a help. I definitely recommend going to the school that you are in and talking to the professors that you had more than once because they really get to know you and they really are able to get you help. Obviously, most people in the first semester only have professors once, but finding that one professor. I’m not always going to say, go to their office if you can’t, but definitely talking to them after class and just being able to put yourself out. It’s great because they’ll remember who you are, and then just show up to office hours or send them email.
What advice do you have for students to start getting involved?
Christian: I always say go around the involvement fair just put your name down on papers, even if you go to one meeting and think it’s not for me that’s okay, you just gotta try something else. But, if you know you’re really into art, literally type in art in your Gmail and the art club’s email will pop up. You can just email the club and tell them you’re interested in joining, so never be afraid to send that email and never be afraid to talk to people that you know, are in that club, or any club, and just get more information about it.
Emily: So, I remember my freshman year, obviously, through the involvement fair. I looked at orientation, and this kind of got me out there. And orientation was definitely such a good experience to get me out there and as well as the ambassadors of the Merrimack tour guides, they also were such a good experience to kind of push you out of your comfort zone, because from a commuter standpoint it gets you to know campus and it gets you to know Merrimack history and then you go and help either prospective students or incoming freshmen, and you get to know all about the different clubs on campus. I really, truly, didn’t know that much about accessibly until I learned about it through orientation, or even just getting in a club doing it for one or two years. And joining the e-board gets you out there. I want to give the Hub a little bit of a shout out, because a lot of people also go and hang out there. Just walk around campus like walking through the Sakowich. You’ll see clubs like doing tabling, and it kind of gets you out there, even just doing something like that.
Finally, knowing everything you know now, what would you tell your first year self?
Christian: Be the one to say hello first. You want to say hello, because a lot of the time, people will be struggling making friends, or something similar, but if you are the first to say hello, that conservations gonna start, and then you never know what that relationship might end up.
Emily: Knowing everything I know now, I wish I could tell my freshman self that everything will work out. It’s okay not to move at the same speed as the others. Everyone walks life and learns at different paces, we don’t all have to run. To put it simply, I’d say that “There is still time.”
