We, at Patch, would like to welcome approximately 820 freshmen who, for the next four years, will hopefully call Waukesha their home a way from home. As a graduate in 2008, here are five things new Carroll freshmen should know.
1. Downtown Waukesha is not that far away. I’ve done the walk even in the rain and it is not too bad of a walk there or back. Don’t forget that Friday Night Live, eight stages of live local music, goes on through the end of September. Many area businesses give Carroll students a discount if you show them your Carroll I.D., and some even accept Carroll cash. Please support Waukesha’s locally owned businesses.
2. Become involved in the campus and local community. Some organizations I have been involved with both as a student and now giving my time as an alumnus include WCCX radio and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Some of the other great campus organizations include Habitat for Humanity, Century magazine and Harry Potter club. If you are interested in theater, consider trying out for a play on campus or at the also located downtown in walking distance from campus.
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3. Becoming involved in the community also means knowing what issues the community is talking about. Waukesha has some decisions to make regarding how and where we will get our water in the future. As required reading, Carroll freshmen were asked to read a book called The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman, who will also be speaking at Carroll’s opening convocation.
4. Be a sponge! Learn as much as you can from your professors, textbooks, guest speakers who come to campus for lectures, etc. I will admit that a mistake I made in college was doing just enough so I could get a good grade. Don’t procrastinate on getting papers done. Rather, enjoy the process of doing them.
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5. “Sow a wild oat.” I don’t know where I first heard that phrase, but I like it. Take some risks, but be safe about it. One of my favorite memories in college didn’t happen in the classroom. I decided that I needed a hair cut and I didn’t want to pay anything for it. My dorm mates decided that my hair style needed to be a mohawk. I got a lot of laughs but had a lot of fun with it. That same year, I also went grocery shopping at 3 a.m. I’ve never done that before. Whether you are headed to Carroll, UW-Waukesha, Waukesha County Technical College or a college far a way from Waukesha, be safe, make good decisions, and welcome to your first year of college.
