As a new school year begins at Otterbein, the upperclassmen have found several ways to identify a freshman around campus. From wearing their lanyard around their neck to traveling in packs, there are a few quirky habits the freshmen each year seem to develop.
About “freshman habits”:
• Don’t be afraid to break away from pack traveling. Even though it might seem so, traveling solo isn’t at all dangerous.
• Showing up early to class and writing down every word the professor says is actually a
good thing. Don’t let upperclassmen slackers be a bad influence.
• If wearing a lanyard around your neck is the only way to keep track of your
cardinal card, then keep on keeping on. It just might evoke the whole “freshman” assumption.
• Dressing up, even for an 8 a.m. class, is never a bad thing. Looking good helps a person exude confidence.
• Otterbein is a very small campus; it won’t be long until everything is familiar and easy to find. In the meantime, just don’t wander around aimlessly; ask for directions.
• As for the “First Flight” t-shirt, the only acceptable places to be seen in one are at the gym or in the privacy of a dorm room. Upperclassmen can easily identify those shirts as they are marked with the year that freshmen will graduate.
Despite the fact that most freshmen are relatively easy to spot around campus, it isn’t a bad thing. Upperclassmen know who the freshmen are simply because they once made the same classic mistakes.
Good luck to the class of 2017, and welcome to Otterbein.
