Meeting New people: A freshman challenge
Eric Williams and Trahan John met the second day they were on campus. The two were walking from one informational session to the next when a typical Mobile downpour prevented them from making it to their next one.
“It started pouring and everyone was sprinting because they didn’t want to miss the next session,” said Williams. “People were going crazy and getting soaked,” chimed in John, “but we just kind of stayed behind and got to know each other.” From then on, the two would be friends and spend most of their time together.
The two of them both said they were not “really social people” and expressed that finding friends first semester was difficult. They both shared that social life was one of the things they were looking forward to most when they came to school in the fall. “The idea of ‘the college experience’ was stuck in my head,” said Williams. He explained that coming to school he thought about meeting people, hanging out, and partying. “But when we walked on campus we did not get that experience at all,” said Williams. Williams had several online classes and also said that not having a roommate made him less social. “I feel like if I had a roommate to pull me out of my room it would have been easier to meet new people and get involved,” said Williams.
Trahan John & Eric Williams
John agreed that having a roommate would have also been helpful to transitioning to college. Back in the summer when he thought he’d have a roommate, he believed that the roommate would be an instant friend. However, walking onto campus he had to find friends elsewhere. Luckily, John had a few in-person classes. “I made most of my friends during class,” said John, “the nursing program is tight because we have to rely on each other to study.”
But besides the few class friends and each other, the two men look back on first semester and felt that they didn’t feel a part of Spring Hill. When asked if there was anything the school could do to make them feel more a part of the Hill, Williams said, “it’s up to us to make sure we get out more.” The two men, look forward to campus next year, where there aren’t as many COVID restrictions that prevent social interactions.