By: Gianna Klopping, ‘27
Photo Courtesy of W&M and St. Andrews University
As a freshman, it can be daunting when you first arrive on campus. At some point, we can all relate to that feeling of bewilderment we faced on our first day of classes. You look up to the upperclassmen as mentors, seeing them as having it all figured out. It seems as if you are lightyears behind them, and you wonder how you will ever get there. I am realizing now that this worry persists; the feeling of not knowing what to do, how to do it, or what direction to move in. These are universal experiences.
To illustrate this, I will draw on the experiences of my fellow students of the Joint Degree Program (JDP) with the University of St. Andrews. To give context, this is a cohort of students who will receive their undergraduate degree from both William and Mary and St. Andrews. Students spend half their years in Williamsburg and the other half in Scotland. Typically, the first and last years are spent at William and Mary with the second and third at St. Andrews. From my perspective, freshmen and seniors are not as different as they are made out to be.
At least for the JDP, both are in a bittersweet era. For those graduating, it is quite obvious why. It's their final semester of college. I had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine Hughes, ‘24, a senior in the JDP. When indulging me with tales of her four years of school, I have come to learn of the myriad of organizations and positions she held. Some of these included Greek life, international relations journals, executive positions, peer advising, and much more. Katherine also came across as rather self-aware. She described a solo trip she took to the Welsh Coast where she was able to unplug and reflect. Surely, I had assumed that such a student would have no doubts or hesitations about the upcoming year. Katherine knew herself and was well accomplished. However, she expressed an apprehension about jumping to the next chapter, not knowing what was to come. Many seniors are in the same boat. Waiting to hear back from graduate schools, internships, and job opportunities, much is still being determined.
Similarly, freshmen, especially those in the JDP, don’t know what the future holds. One of my peers, Jackson Neal-Pretus, ‘27, declared himself to be “cautiously optimistic.” Both he and I agree on the dichotomous nature of the JDP’s first year. While it seems we have just arrived on campus, we already face having to part with William and Mary. Jackson described it to be like a "double-edged sword.” While the JDP “family” is tight-knit, many are saddened to leave behind the relationships and connections made here. All the unknowns at a new institution can be daunting. Not only this, but all can relate to the struggles of discovering what one wants to make out of their college experience.
The anxieties of freshman year, trying to figure out how to move forward, remain constant. These unknowns draw parallels between all classes. If anything connects us, it's that no student has every detail figured out. We never will. The more that we learn the more we broaden our horizons to new mysteries. Rather than fearing this, we must take solace in our shared experiences and delight in the excitement of what’s to come.
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