I remember it clearly, the day I received my acceptance letter to the Colorado School of Mines. It didn’t seem real I had to read the letter over and over again before it hit me. I was going to Mines; I was mixed with emotions of excitement and shock. Summer passed in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, it was August 19^th. Move in day! It was an early morning and after a two hour car ride I was pulling up to the resident halls. After unloading the car, and getting my keys. It was time to move into Bradford 3rd (best floor ever by the way;) It was no easy task but after about an hour my family and I had lugged my stuff up 6 flights of stairs! Yes, you read that correctly, 6 flights. At first I thought I would get used to them, but 4 weeks later and I am still huffing and puffing by the 5^th flight.  As for the roommate situation, I live with my best friend from high school. People always warned me that it was a “bad idea.” The most important part to making it work is communication and learning to be understanding of one another’s weird tendencies. So far it is going great and it is nice coming home to a familiar face!

After move in day, orientation weekend began. The weekend was packed with events and FREE food for students. Overall the weekend is a blur of activities and asking a countless number of people the same three questions (“What is your name? Where are you from? And… What is your major?”) The events that stand out most in my mind are the hypnotist (my face hurt from laughing so much!) and Play Fair. Play Fair is an event where you get to know as many people as possible in a small amount of time while executing ridiculous tasks in the field house (it was very sweaty experience to say the least.)

The M climb was an experience I will never forget.  It all began at 5 in the morning when I woke up to the sound of an electric guitar version of the national anthem. Thanks to the upperclassmen it was impossible to fall back asleep and I was on time for the walk up Mt. Zion. The climb was a lot better than I had originally anticipated. Along the way the clubs around campus made sure we were well hydrated. At each station, we were drenched with water as we sang the fight song and snacked on popsicles!

Once the fun was over it was time to start school. Classes began the day after the M-climb.  It was all a little overwhelming, but after a few days I started getting into the swing of things. Studying became an everyday occurrence.  Before I knew it, it was test time. I had two common hour exams on the same night. It was beyond stressful.  The chemistry test was not nearly as difficult as the BELS exam.  Majority of the freshman class did worse than they expected, there was one genius who managed to score a 96 though. It was much harder than I had anticipated, and it was a wakeup call. Academics are not the only focus at Mines. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and have fun. Celebration of Mines is an event hosted the second weekend of school and there are tons of clubs to sign up for.

Study party!

Tips for incoming freshman:

-          Loft beds: invest in one, they are a major space saver.

-          Bring a fan or two. The rooms are beyond hot the first couple of weeks.

-          Pick your rock wisely for the M climb and wear clothes and shoes you do not care about.

-          If teachers assign suggested problems or reading, make sure to do it!

-          If you like grilled cheese, Digger Den makes the best grilled cheese ever!

-          Be open to new experiences!