Freshman year. All students have been at that place in their college careers and have to handle all of the adjustments that come their way. Kelsey Schweer, freshman in communications, is no different. She moved from Lawrence to attend Washburn University this fall. 

“It’s basically like starting all over again,” said Schweer. “Moving to a new city, new classes, making new friend and taking responsibility for yourself is all a new experience.”

Sam Juarez, freshman in broadcasting, also moved to Topeka to study at Washburn. Juarez said that the hard transition from Garden City, Kan. to Topeka was made a little easier because his older sister also attends Washburn.

“It’s kind of hard,” said Juarez. “I’m trying to get used to it. My family is five hours away. I do know a couple of people here from Garden City and that makes it a little easier.”

Making new friends can be one of the most intimidating things for a college freshman but Schweer found it easier than she anticipated.

“I expected it to be a lot more difficult to make friends,” said Schweer. “People really mature from high school to college. They learn to accept others and are more friendly. I live in the dorms and that helps because it’s like a huge social network.”

Schweer attended Lawrence High School before coming to Washburn and she said that the homework is another big adjustment she had to make in her first week of college.

“The homework load is a little overwhelming. You have to spend a lot more hours studying,” said Schweer.

Braxton Hunt, freshman in theatre performance, also said that the workload in college is already a step up from high school but that he enjoys the challenge.

“People say the workload in college is a lot harder but when you have a schedule that is engineered around what you like, it makes it a lot more enjoyable,” said Hunt. “It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s like the difference between a job and a career.”

Even with the challenges of making friends, adjusting to new places and learning to be independent, Hunt said that he feels like the adjustment has been easier at Washburn than anywhere else he considered attending. All three students said that they enjoyed the smaller class sizes at Washburn and thought the interaction between faculty and students made the transition easier.

“It’s great to see the level of association between staff and students,” said Hunt. “I really enjoy the level of personal contact.”

Hunt said that he thought getting more involved on campus would also help with his transition into college.

“Since coming to Washburn I decided it was definitely time to be more involved. I am trying to get involved in freshman senate,” said Hunt. “Vote for me for freshman senate.”