Freshman year makes best memories

Remember your first semester at Tech? For those who aren't first-years, this may be an ancient memory, but it's still one that should never be forgotten. Whether it felt like breaking out of prison or like leaving the place you love, or maybe even both, most of us get our first taste of independence during this momentous year.

I can't say it was my favorite memory, but the hill was certainly special for me. I had an 8 a.m. class that fall and woke up every single time to go to it (attendance was important in English). That and eating hash browns just like the ones from Waffle House with hot peppers, onions and cheese at 7 a.m. (they were always cooked by Ricky-I'm not sure where he went, but I haven't seen him since that year) are a couple of my fondest memories of that semester.

So why is it important to remember every small detail about your freshman year? If you forget it, then you will forget your humble beginnings; you will forget the untainted, innocent child you were before being thrown into the crazy world of college.

Besides, when you get really bogged down by your everyday routine that you've fallen into several years after you've been at Tech, it's nice to remember how unplanned and chaotic the old days were.

For me, that entire year holds a special place in my heart. As a first-semester freshman, I first met my girlfriend, who has been a huge part of my life ever since, developed procrastination skills that endured until today, played (or attempted to learn how to play) my guitar all the time, went back to my hometown a lot and generally tried to involve myself with as little career-building, extracurricular stuff as possible.

I was following the classic advice given to freshmen-I was simply adjusting to my new freedom. It turns out that adjusting is a lot more fun than already being adjusted.

The best part is that everybody's adjusting; everybody is just as awkward as you are, and there's no reason to spend too much time doing things that keep you from having fun. Classes are relatively easy (if you don't think they are, you might be in for quite a surprise for the next several years; they get more interesting but don't get any easier), and, if your experience is anything like mine, you will have a great roommate and neighbors who you spend all your time with.

It's only freshman dorms where everybody leaves their doors open and people frolic up and down the halls all through the night.

With all the excitement in the air, most people are not afraid of trying new things as freshmen. We can finally break out of our comfort zones and learn to handle all kinds of new experiences. Living with another person in the same room was great but also a huge adjustment.

The showers at Towers also required a great deal of adjustment (all of you who have had to traverse the maze of showers in one of the freshman dorms know what I mean). It was all about learning to live in a smaller space, to be comfortable with a smaller bed and to get used to walking. I can't say that I ever expected to walk as much as I did when I was a freshman.

Not only are the living quarters new, but so is the daily schedule. If chosen well, a freshman's schedule is a far cry from the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day; it's the year that we finally break the grade school routine that had consumed our lives for 12 years.

There's nothing like sleeping in or going to class (or not going to class) at noon, being done with classes at 11 a.m., or relaxing with friends until the early hours of the morning. After going to college for two, three or four years we take it for granted, but we forget that not too long ago, this was impossible.

The most important thing I gained from all these experiences as a freshman was a time to unwind and have fun. This period of adjustment, of trying new things, was one that I shall cherish forever.

As I apply for professional school and get ready to leave Tech, the memories I will look back on most often are those from freshman year-that magical year will never be forgotten.