I remember the summer before my first year at Carleton fondly. Not only was it the peak of my athletic career, but it was also the year I became addicted to McDonalds, a fact which I blame entirely for the downfall of my sporting life.
Looking back, the thing I remember most was all the talk about choices.
So, considering Carleton is being flooded with thousands of students who are just coming off of their Grade 12 experience let’s talk a little more about the kind of choices they might be familiar with.
The number one choice I remember being bandied about was what university are you going to go to?
Let’s be honest, at 17 years of age nobody is equipped to make a life-defining decision.
Maybe some of you are, but coming from a guy who used to wear XL basketball jerseys with t-shirts underneath and was a chronic over-user of Dippity-Doo hair gel I can’t pretend for a second I was ready to make anything resembling a serious decision at that age.
But again and again, that’s what I heard, from friends, family and most of all my parents. “Where are you going to go to school?”
Eventually I just broke down and yelled “Carleton!” It was a revelation that came as a bit of a surprise even to me.
But there it was, the decision was made, I was going to Carleton to study journalism. My immediate feeling was relief, but that quickly turned into a much deeper feeling, fear.
Cold, unadulterated fear, that sat in my stomach and made me feel sick.
Sure, I had a quick and easy answer to anybody asking me what I was going to do next year, but I was travelling eight hours away to a school where I didn’t know a single person.
Some of you reading this may be in a similar position. If so, I hope you have the same experience as me.
My first week at Carleton was a blur. I met friends, lost my voice, and woke up in the morning without any memories from the night before more times than I’d care to admit.
Now, four years later, and with significantly less hair gel, I’m sitting and writing this in the sweltering hot field house surrounded by thousands of first-year students and volunteers cheering so loudly I can barely think.
So what is Orientation Week all about? What is it that’s made me come back every year, even an extra year, to give up a long weekend for blisters, a sore throat and zero sleep?
Because it is everything that Carleton represents: it’s meeting new and interesting people, it’s fun and exciting activities, and it’s learning more about this school and all it has to offer.
Be the person everybody remembers at the end of the week. Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
If you’re a first-year student you’ve already made the choice to come to the best university in the country—now make the choice to make this year amazing.
