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As I was getting ready for Color Wars, I was wondering how much paint would get on me. I originally had on a pair of Nikes, and then someone told me you just take your shoes off. Luckily, I listened to them because, when it was all over, I was drenched in a crazy amount of paint!

They had the freshmen and juniors on the green team, and the seniors and sophomores on the red team. There were buckets of paint on each side of the field and a line in the middle. When the time came, we all sprinted toward each other and flung as much paint as we could.

By the time all the paint was gone, every white T-shirt was no longer white, and everyone was covered in paint from head to toe. It’s a memory I will look forward to making every year here at Longwood.

I can’t wait to see the photo I take next year and who I will get to enjoy the experience with in fall 2020.  

On Saturday night of Oktoberfest weekend, Waka Flocka performed on Stubbs lawn, and it could not have been a more perfect night! The weather was just right, and everyone was just down to enjoy the concert. It was so crowded that people were getting on other people’s shoulders so they could see.

I honestly thought it was an amazing show, and I was glad I was a part of it.

Earlier in the day on Saturday, many of Longwood’s student organizations set up booths to recruit members and raise money. It was so awesome to see all the clubs in one place. There were a variety of booths giving out really good food! 

The past several weeks at Longwood have been a learning experience for me. It’s been enjoyable even though there have been some growing pains with it!

I’m learning how to do things independently, like making sure I plan out my days to meet my deadlines and keep up with my academic obligations. Now, don’t get me wrong, these things take some time to get used to, especially when you haven’t had to do them before. But the process is fun because I know that I am becoming more of an adult.

This is primarily related to my academics.

When it comes to my social life, I have been having a lot of fun meeting people, having lunch with peers and even watching TV with them in the sunroom on a weekend. All of these experiences are what I expected.

I also went to the CHI walk (http://www.longwood.edu/lancer-life/traditions/chi/) recently along with some other students. The walk was at night and a little creepy, yet kind of fun. I wish I had gotten a CHI dropping while I was there, but I’m still glad I got to be a part of the tradition—and I’m looking forward to other school events in the future.

The weekend culture here is nice, with people outside socializing and the special programs, like move nights and the hypnotist who “performed.” Even though it gets hard sometimes academically, it is good to know that there are opportunities for me to wind down for a bit and give myself a mental break.

Before arriving at Longwood, I didn’t really know what to expect from college. I had only heard stories about how mean and lacking in understanding college professors are and how terrible living with a roommate could be.  

Well, I am here to tell you the opposite is true when it comes to the professors here at Longwood! From the first day of class, each professor has said multiple times that they are here for us and that they want to see us succeed. Also, because my classes are very small compared with other universities, the professors have an opportunity to get to know their students on a personal level.

Another plus is that every professor has certain times they are in their office with the door open, and they’re prepared for students to show up with questions. They set this time aside so that they can help students be successful in their class! Before I came to Longwood, I thought professors didn’t care about who you are or if you were successful or if you were struggling in the class—but that’s not the case at Longwood.  

I have heard plenty of stories about experiences with bad roommates! I got the impression that your roommate was going to make or break your freshman year—or your college experience in general. Leading up to my freshman year, I was a bit nervous about finding a roommate because I didn’t really know anyone who would be attending Longwood, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go random or not.

Let me tell you that I lucked out with a great roommate! It turns out that our dads actually met through Longwood. My dad was an education major, and he did his student teaching at my roommate’s dad’s high school. Her dad was interested in the same major that my dad was pursuing, so my dad talked to him about Longwood, and he graduated from here, too!

When living with a roommate, I suggest that you discuss your expectations: for example, if you want to keep the room clean, if you are normally cold/hot, if you care about other people being in the room. After all, it is both your and your roommate’s room! It’s an adjustment to share a room and have such a small space for yourself, but after a few weeks of being in the dorm, I have finally found a place for everything and gotten in the groove of things! 

Although it is only about a month into the college life, I am loving it! It took me a little bit to figure out my time-management skills with schoolwork coming first and my social life coming second. But I am making new friends and enjoying my classes (for the most part!), and I love venturing out into Farmville on the weekends! I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks will hold!  

The first week of college has been a very challenging—but yet very exciting—new journey for me. I thought that the biggest transition for me would be living in a small room with three other girls and sleeping in a twin-size bed—but it wasn’t.

The most difficult thing for me so far is getting use to Canvas (an online platform that facilitates additional communication between professors and students about courses) and waking up for my 8 a.m. class.

Also I got to experience my first G.A.M.E march. It was a very long walk and it was hot outside, but I think it was worth it because not only did I get a free scarf (see photo above)—I also got to experience my first of many Longwood traditions.

I am so excited for my next four years at Longwood!

In the past, being away from home hasn’t always come easy to me. From summer camps to retreats, I’ve always found myself becoming homesick even if it was only a couple of nights. Before move-in day I was extremely nervous about how I was going to react to the new living situation. I was afraid of how I was going to get used to my roommate/suitemates, making new friends and, most of all, missing my family.

I’ve now been at Longwood for more than a week, and I can truthfully say that I’ve never felt more at home. Ever since move-in day, everyone at Longwood has made me feel so welcome! Everyone’s always smiling here, and they made me feel like family.

This year I have the privilege of living in Frazer, which is the most recently renovated residence hall at Longwood. Actually, the other buildings are nice as well.

Living in the dorms has given me the opportunity to make lots of lifelong friends. It’s fun to know that your friends live in the same room or building as you because there are plenty of places to hang out without even leaving your building.

Now, I’m not going to lie. Farmville isn’t the most entertaining place I’ve ever been. But over this past week, I’ve made so many friends—and they make living here interesting! For fun, my new friends and I enjoyed a night of watching Bachelor in Paradise together! We bonded over arguing couples, countless amounts of homework and junk food. It was the highlight of my week.

I can’t wait for more nights like that one, and I’m so excited for everything else Longwood has in store for me!

I knew Longwood was meant for me when I came to campus on a school field trip last winter.

The tour guide was so friendly, and I realized how beautiful Longwood was. I live very close to the campus so at one point I was hesitant about coming to Longwood. I thought I wouldn’t get a new experience. However, when I stepped on campus it didn’t even feel like I was close to home.

One thing I really like about Longwood is that it’s not too big but not too small. Another thing I worried about was not finding friends and fitting in, but I think I have found some lifelong friends already. Honestly, college is about meeting new people and growing out of your shell a little.

My favorite thing to do around Longwood would probably be going to the D-Hall with my friends for dinner. My favorite food in the dining hall would have to be the ramen.

My favorite class was wind symphony because I love playing my clarinet. Even though I love band, I decided to drop the class so that I could focus on my core classes.

Also if you are not a morning person, do not sign up for 8 am classes.

I’ve been at Longwood for a week, and I’ve met so many different but cool people. I really love Longwood.

After going through my first week as a college student at Longwood, I have come to realize that I can officially call it home.

Going from being an only child and having my own room to moving into a small dorm room with three other girls had my anxiety up to the max. I was very nervous that my room wouldn’t feel like home and that I would get homesick very easily. But that was not the case at all.

My dorm room couldn’t get any cozier, cooler or safe. My roommate and suitemates have helped me a lot with making our dorm and dorm room feel like home—and I am very grateful.

Although, at this writing, I can’t hang anything on our walls until the paint is completely dry, I am very pleased with how my room looks. I have been able to create the dream room that I never was able to have at home.

I am beyond excited to spend the rest of the year in my new home!

 

Over the course of this year I am going take you on my adventure of my freshman year. Let’s get started!

This first post is all about meeting your roommate and suitemates for the very first time. Meeting your roommate is like waking up Christmas morning. You are anxious to see what you get.

I was very nervous about meeting my roommate, Dylan, who’s on the left in the photo above. I had no idea if my roommate and I would get along. Once I found out who my roommate was, we started to email each other to get to know each other. We communicated through email not only to get to know each other but also to make sure that we didn’t bring two of everything.

After emailing each other back and forth, move-in day finally came, and I was ready to put a face to the name. We get along very well, and we respect each other’s spaces. 

I’m so excited to be sharing my experiences of my first year at Longwood! It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to write about because of all of the wonderful experiences I have already had during my first few days.

The first full day at Longwood, I was part of New Lancer Days, an activity that helps you meet fellow students and a peer mentor to help you through your first year. My favorite activity was the pep rally. It was a moment when the entire Class of 2023 was in the same room. Seeing so many friendly faces was what made that day so special.

At Longwood, freshmen sign up for coaching groups that are led by a peer mentor and university staff. My peer mentor, Lauren (in the bright green shirt in the photo above with our coaching group), told me about how the first few days at Longwood are so important and how wonderful it is to have a group of friends you already know. I now know I have people I can turn to if I ever need help with anything, and that is something I will never take for granted.

Moving into my dorm was very exciting as well, thanks to the help of the upperclassmen. My family and I pulled up to my hall, and they came rushing over to help us move in. It was such an inviting experience, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that next year.

My roommate and suitemates have been so helpful with moving in, and I love them for that. I first met my roommate and suitemates online. When I met them in person, it was so reassuring to learn all the similarities we share.

It is especially reassuring that I have known one of my suitemates since high school. I feel very privileged to share a dorm with her. We had a lot of fun at the late-night New Lancer Days event with a mini golf course, two inflatables, lawn games and more!

I’m looking forward to all my experiences at Longwood, and I’m so proud of everything I have been a part of so far.

Move-in day was a whole mix of emotions: nervousness, excitement, stress and so on. I don’t think there is any one thing that can really prepare you for it.

It started off with waking up in our hotel room in Farmville. We had driven to Farmville the night before so we wouldn’t have to leave home on move-in day during the wee hours of the morning! We were first in line on campus at 6:45 a.m. (I highly recommend getting in line as early as possible!)

Part of the reason we got there so early is that I wanted to be the first to move in and I wanted to get all of my things moved in as quickly as possible! The other part is that the marketing and communications staff from Longwood had reached out to both of my parents because, when they were students here at Longwood, they both lived in the high rises!

Throughout the morning, we were followed by a photographer, and my parents were also interviewed by a videographer. It’s pretty cool that I get to live in the newly renovated Frazer, which is where my dad also lived when he was a student.

In the midst of all of that, my roommate, suitemates and I were trying to get everything moved into our room. After getting most of our things settled, my family and I, along with my roommate and her family, went to lunch at Pino’s, a local Italian restaurant very close to campus that I can see from my dorm room.

My parents then wished me the best and started the journey back to Yorktown after a long day.

I know that this is just the beginning, but I am very excited for all of the memories and friendships that I will create during my time here at Longwood!