First Year First Impressions: An Interview with Paige Lucas
A first impression is said to be the most important. CU is notorious for giving a great first impression based solely on campus appearance: there’s no denying that our campus nestled right at the base of the Flatirons is absolutely beautiful.
I wanted to see how the Honors Program and the rest of CU did in giving off a great first impression for this year’s freshman class, so I interviewed first year Paige Lucas. Paige is from South Carolina, is studying EBIO, and currently lives in Smith Hall, the Honors RAP.
She chose CU out of the numerous other schools she applied to and toured because the campus gave off such a strong campus vibe and felt like a place she could easily call home because of this.
“Compared to other schools, especially inner city colleges, CU had the strongest campus feeling, and I was really looking for that.”
When I asked her about the vibe now as a student, she said it is just as easy to call CU home now as she predicted it would be back when she was touring our campus.
Ironically, her first impression of the campus her first few days as a student was that it was too big with so many people! Luckily, after a week or so of moving in, Paige said she was able to close her Google Maps app and find her way around CU and now seems to know the campus like the back of her hand. This big campus has become a familiar home, and she said she appreciates seeing the same people walking between classes, even if she doesn’t know them.
When asked about how classes were going, Paige was excited to talk about them, ranging from her tiny geography RAP course to her 400 person Biology lecture.
She, like most students in large lectures, is still getting used to how to learn in such a large lecture hall when the professor feels a little distant, but feels happy to know other freshmen in the class she can study with. Chances of knowing people in your class certainly is one perk of large lectures!
Her excitement really showed when talking about her geography RAP class though. Paige was dumbfounded at her ability to love a geography class as it was the class she expected to like the least coming into the semester. Not only does she love the small class size, she loves the professor and the flexibility of the course due to its small size. The best part, Paige told me, is that her professor, Abby Hickcox, tries to get to know them and works with them to create a great class.
When it comes to getting involved on campus, Paige liked having the different fairs that highlighted clubs she could join. She mentioned that campus clubs feel welcoming, but credits her friends for showing her new things to do around CU.
Her first impression of her experience with the Honors Program was just as positive as her impressions on the rest of CU. Once again, she mentioned how much she loved her honors class. Paige also enjoyed the different events that Smith Hall, the Honors RAP, offered, such as the welcome picnic.
However, she, like most first years living in the Honors RAP, didn’t have much experience with the Honors Program outside of Smith Hall. Upon her first experience with a non-HRAP Honors Program event, I’m sure she will have a great first impression of the rest of the Honors Program.
If you are in the same boat as many students and don’t have an impression of what the Honors Program is like, check out some of our events here!
We’d love to see you at our next TV with a Prof, showing the pilot episode of Game of Thrones held on September 21 at 6:00 PM in the UMC Aspen Ballrooms. Come for the show, stay for the discussion! Pizza will be provided!