I was told that Orientation week was pretty much crucial to social life on campus, that relationships were forged in the catalyst of that one week and that, afterwards, you’re pretty much screwed in terms of meeting new people.
I just got out of a group interview for the Columbia Mentoring Initiative (CMI), where I applied to be a mentor for new freshmen. During the session, we were asked to think back to our first impressions of Columbia and what other people said about their new student orientation program (NSOP) week was really surprising to me. In retrospect I probably had a really unusual frosh. My parents took me out for the first day or two to have family time together in Stamford; my ex-boyfriend and I had just broken up (again). Even though I had all the people I met during the Columbia Urban Experience (CUE), I still felt so disconnected from everyone I met.
In all honesty, there was probably a stench of desperation in the air during NSOP week. Everybody was out of their element, away from friends and familiar places, and was on the hunt for something to cling to: new friendships, new connections. Most of the “friendships” that I’ve seen cultivated during orientation have often died after the first couple of months. I know that I made such a conscious effort to say hi and introduce myself to as many students as I could see…
My real relationships have developed on my floor and during club activities. Despite my freakish first week on campus, I have been able to actually connect with a few people when I am not under the pressure of socializing. So yeah, NSOP can be fun and exciting. But really, it’s only a (usually lame) beginning to some wonderful connections waiting to be made.
