Reflections From my Freshman Year

I started my Northeastern experience as a freshman in the fall of 2018. It was a hot, humid August, and everything I’d heard about Boston being unbearably cold seemed like a lie. I moved into my dorm a week before my roommates because of the scholarship program I was in, so I quickly got used to doing things alone. I unpacked my room by myself and went to the dining hall alone. My building didn’t have a welcome sign when I arrived; instead, it was engulfed in Boston Public Works scaffolding. 

But even once my roommates moved in, I didn’t feel like I was part of a community yet. I didn’t realize how huge Northeastern was. I realized that 16,000-ish undergraduate students is a lot of people. The dorm I lived in, Kennedy Hall, was a “Fusion” LLC, which means that everyone who lived there was a different major. As a natural introvert, this made it really difficult for me to meet people. Since I was in Fusion, I didn’t have classes with anyone in my dorm. And since I was an Explore student and taking courses in several different disciplines, I didn’t have classes with any of the same people. Even my roommates and suitemates were all in different colleges. I tried joining a couple of small clubs to meet new people, all to no avail, with one exception. When I joined sorority recruitment, I was forced to talk to countless new people every day for four days. Once I ended up in Tri Sigma, I suddenly had chapter events to attend, new member meetings to go to, and so many new people to meet. 

Interestingly enough, when I joined a sorority, I actually met a lot of other Explore students. My peer mentor in my Connections and Decisions class was a member of the same sorority as I was and later became my “Big” (which is sorority-speak for an older member who guides you and shows you how things work). Her “Big” was also a former Explore student and student leader! Once I met them, my year started getting better. I didn’t immediately start having the college experience I was expecting, but I finally started to feel less alone. 

I didn’t anticipate joining a sorority, but the connection to the Explore Program felt like more than a coincidence. I started attending more Explore Program events – I was so excited to see some familiar faces there. I finally found a community – in both Tri Sigma and the Explore Program.