As flocks of incoming freshmen flooded campus on Monday and Tuesday for the first of 13 orientation sessions, returning students and graduates were reminded of their own experiences as first-years.
Alumna Emily White, a graduate of the business school, expressed a common sentiment attached to seeing nametag-clad freshmen — envy.
“I’m really jealous that they’re about to start college,” White said. “They’re just starting and they’re so excited and they have so much ahead of them.”
From the other side of the college journey, incoming freshman Isaiah Devoe embodied the excitement mentioned by White as an orientation attendee first experiencing life as a USC student.
“I love it. I’ve always wanted to come to Carolina ever since I was a kid,” Devoe said. “There’s a certain feeling I get when I’m here; I love the atmosphere.”
At orientation, students attend a number of informational sessions, fairs and meetings over a two-day period to learn about the activities and resources offered at USC.
As it is an overnight event, incoming freshmen have the chance to stay in selected residence halls.
Third-year psychology student Christina Henson remembers the load of informational events as being boring. “It was just a lot of information thrown at you at one time,” Henson said.
Some students took to Yik Yak in response to the freshman swarms. Several yaks from anonymous users involving “freshman advice" were posted.
A few examples include “Remember to look your best for school picture day,” "Be sure to wear all your high school athletic clothing the first day" and "If you have a choice, pick McBryde."
One post even suggested to “Make sure you snap BigCalPeen, he’s got your best interests at heart.”
Whether the incoming freshmen will add BigCalPeen on Snapchat is yet to be known, but freshman advice on Yik Yak will likely continue throughout the summer as more new students become acquainted with the university at orientation.
The next freshman orientation session is set for June 17 through June 18.