The Perks of Being a Newbie
Last November, I visited the CBU campus as a complete newbie, ready to immerse myself in CBU’s annual 24event. 24 is an opportunity for prospective CBU students to stay overnight in a freshman dorm, cottage, or apartment;to be involved in other fun activities; and attend a class in their field of study during their 24-hour stay. For me, the 24event was when the “spark” happened– the one that made my college decision for me. I attended a fundamental image class – which, coincidentally, has been my favorite class this semester – and was exposed to the incredible world of digital media and design. I also met a couple of prospective fellow design students, Kayla and Caitlin, with whom I now share classes and am still friends. All in all, 24-CBU was a fantastic experience.
Jumping ahead to this November, I am now again a CBU newbie, on the level of a first-time freshman… and just before Thanksgiving break, seemingly much too soon… it became my turn to host 24 students.
Since one of my roommates knew a high school friend of hers would be coming for 24, we requested that she be our guest for this year’s event. We soon found out, just a few minutes before the student’s arrival, that each of the Tower Hall apartments would host three 24 students each. Oh my!
So when the other two girls showed up, the three of us did our best not to seem surprised and to appear entirely prepared for their arrival. We were not opposed in the least, of course – the more the merrier!
While last year the perks of being a newbie were that I was shown around and given chances to be a college kid for 24 hours, this year the perks of being a newbie were so much better. This year, I got to be the one who has CBU stories to share, advice to give and, hopefully, methods of persuasion to come back next year! What a neat experience that was.
Our three girls were all sweethearts, and we had a wonderful time with them that evening. From guiding them to their activities, to watching The Hunger Games in the Rec Center, to running back, laughing, to our apartment in the pouring rain afterward, to all of the chats and questions in between. I’m so glad to have had that experience, from the other side of the fence.
All of you younger prospective students, I sincerely encourage you to attend a CBU 24 event next year. If you’re anything like me it’ll be a step out of your comfort zone to go stay overnight in a stranger’s dorm (although, coincidentally, I roomed with a friend of a friend. But that’s beside the point). However I highly recommend the experience. Believe me when I say that 24 really is a fantastic opportunity for someone unsure of where to go for college. And when you do attend, and you fall as in love with CBU as I did, I hope to see you around the following year… and that your name will be on the 24 hosting list!
After all, there are always perks to being a newbie around here.
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