It happens every year around the end of August. No, it is not the closing of the pool, pre-season football, sweet corn, apple cider, or the changing colors of the leaves. It is the beginning of college. For millions of people around the world, this is a return to a familiarity – same friends, same buildings, same professors, sometimes even same courses. For millions of others, however, this signifies the end of dependence on parents and the beginning of total independence (until tuition is due). They begin the proverbial journey of a thousand miles with that proverbial single step. And, at least in this country, we call these people freshmen. They can be identified by the clueless stares on their faces and the anger exuding from their pores directed at either physics or calculus homework. I say this with full knowledge – my clueless stare is permanently affixed to my befuddled face and I nearly cried over my Calc II homework this week. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am a freshman, and I am not ashamed to admit it. Perhaps you too, reader, are experiencing everything for the first time. No matter what your class, you may be curious to read on as this week, Minds at Mines investigates how these fresh-faced youngsters are coping with the transition to Mines life. As is readily apparent, responses varied widely, from advice to complaints to blank stares – lots of blank stares. So, without further ado, here are several representatives of the class of 2014 saying what is on their minds after three weeks at the Colorado School of Mines.
| “Parking sucks! I kinda wish they didn’t charge for motorcycles. If everybody rode a motorcycle, there’d be so much more room.” – Arnold Borgsiewicz |
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“You have to do so much more for yourself. It’s not like high school – there’s not as many people looking out for you.” – Thien Nguyen |
| “Haha…um…Do your homework.” – Kayla Johnson |  |
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“The first two weeks were really intense, and what I learned was better penmanship.” – John Pontius |
| “My first two weeks at Mines were full of discoveries – where my lab classes were, that I can wake up at 6:30 if I try, and that NHV is code for “English collides with ethics.” It was definitely an experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here.” – Emily Kane |  |
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“It’s definitely different from high school – it’s really hard. Calc is kicking my butt. I’m really enjoying it, though. I like it better than high school. I really enjoy college atmosphere, and I like how helpful everyone is on campus.” – Sarah Leatherbery |
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