Freshman Fall Highlights

The whirlwind of emotions and unfamiliar experiences felt by every college freshman makes it difficult to pause and reflect. Over Intersession, however, I took some time to look back on the past few months and realize just how much I’ve done and how much I love being a part of this energetic and talented community of people at Princeton. Here are the highlights of my freshman fall:

FRESHMAN SEMINAR

In the freshman seminar, “Equations of Life,” we learned how mathematical tools can be applied to biological systems, allowing us to solve problems, predict future phenomena, and unveil mysteries. Professor Tarnita allowed us to steer the discussion in this seminar to probe deeper into our personal curiosities. I could not have imagined a better course to kick off my Princeton education.

ARTS

Though I’m far from artistic myself, I absolutely love the arts culture at Princeton. I saw the Princeton HighSteppers, diSiac Dance Company, and Triangle Club, all of which amazed me. I hope to see more student groups this spring! I also love the newly opened Lewis Center for the Arts, where I frequently study while listening to a mosaic of music coming from practice rooms.

SOCCER

As a member of the soccer team, I arrived a month early to Princeton for pre-season training. I loved being able to familiarize myself with campus before the flood of students arrived. As for the season, winning the Ivy League and making it to the NCAA Elite 8 was a dream come true. My favorite moment though has to be Abby Givens’s overtime goal to beat UNC and the feeling of celebrating with 25 of my best friends.

WEATHER

I’ve lived in Florida my entire life so I was both excited and frightened for the cold weather that awaited me. But overall, I’ve been so pleased with the seasons here! The color changes during the fall were beautiful, and even more so in this already stunning campus. The first snowfall on December 9 marked my first time ever seeing snow.

TRAVEL

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I am so happy that I took advantage of Princeton’s incredibly cheap Broadway show tickets. I saw both "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wicked." I’ve learned how valuable it is to get away from campus every now and then. NJ Transit makes travel to New York so simple and I look forward to many more trips in the future.

FRIENDS (Old and New)

Many would say the best part about Princeton is the people — and I would agree. Meeting new friends has been the most fulfilling part of my freshman fall. At the same time, I’ve stayed in touch with friends from back home. I was so happy to have my friends Maria from Columbia and Nico from Johns Hopkins visit me for a weekend!