The first week of freshman year, colloquially known as O-Week, is a unique period of freedom where new students start to find their footing in a campus full of possibilities. There is little supervision and few rules or responsibilities to keep us down. For me and many like me, this week marked a radical shift in my young adult life. My parents never let me stay up past midnight during weekdays. But during O-week, I stayed up until 3am every day with new friends, crying about the Summer I Turned Pretty (team Jeremiah forever), hitting up parties in the Annex, or demolishing cups of instant Kraft Mac N Cheese. But behind our shenanigans, Cornell did its best to curate a week full of activities to welcome us into the community. Each day had several events meant to jumpstart friendships, all towards the goal of getting us used to being Cornellians.
My initiation to Cornell started before I arrived. The To-Do List was a convenient way to handle administrative tasks, and served as the way to curate our own individual O-Weeks. Each day were several events we could sign up for, such as Tours of the Museum of Art, Shabbat Dinner, and major-specific seminars. I am a fan of this scheduler because I knew exactly what I was getting into and the events happening on campus. I appreciate that Cornell went through the effort to make sure every day had at least one event to help us get to know the Cornell community and let us have fun, while preemptively teaching us how to live and breath calendar apps in preparation for the academic year.
However, the organization of such events was not always optimal. The Camp Cornell event made us line up to scan in with our IDs. You’d think it was an exclusive event, yet this line was just to enter the courtyard and be left to our own devices. I made more friends complaining about the long wait to scan in to get in a public courtyard with multiple other entrances than awkwardly standing on the grass. I appreciate Cornell’s attempt to force us to get to know each other, but my friends and I collectively agreed that this was a skippable event, and we did not return for Camp Cornell 2.
The Small Group initiative was not a hit either. This consisted of randomly putting us into groups of 20ish people paired with upperclassmen PAs as a way to give us a built-in peer group. My PAs were dejected and did not want to be there. I, among my first year peers, did not want to be there either. This event felt like a checkbox for Cornell to say they tried to foster community. There was no information they gave that I was not already given. It was a waste of my time.
The only other event that could rival the Small Groups in my lack of enthusiasm was Touchdown’s Resource Roundup. The goal was to explore Cornell’s resources such as Campus activities, Career Services, or Student Equity Center by going to each stand to get a stamp on a “passport.” Turns out, putting 3,000 students to go to 9 stations in 2 hours is not a good idea. Students rushed to get over with this “voluntold” activity, which resulted in an amalgamation of hot, tired first years piled up into endless lines for each table. If any student was actually interested in learning about each department, they were out of luck. People operated with the determination of my dad during family trips. The second they completed one tent, they were onto the next. I still have no idea what the Cornell Recreational Services does.
I’m not just a hater; Cornell didn’t mess everything up. Convocation was great, and I enjoyed listening to the President’s speech. Yes, it did give me a sense of pride as an Ivy League student, but more importantly he promised the type of education any student should hope for, “One that embraces the life of the mind: with the ability to listen, to argue, and yes, disagree, without ever shutting other voices down.” The ice cream served during the Post-Convocation celebration was sweet, a small taste of the glory to come.
Glow Night was one of the better activities. The concept was unique compared to Camp Cornell. There were many activities, and I was not bored out of my mind. Shoutout to Silent Disco and that DJ who played bangers. Movie night was also well done. We watched Jumanji under the stars, and the free popcorn and candy didn’t hurt either. Freshman Festival brought bouncy houses, which brought back good memories of birthday parties from elementary school.
All of these events are centered around meeting people and finding a community at Cornell. Upperclassmen continue to tell me that the beautiful, big friend groups I see that formed during O-Week do not survive the first semester, and your real friendships are made during the year. After the 15th round of “name, major, where are you from,” meeting people is a party game, and it’s not indicative of a friendship or community. Cornell tries to push us together through O-Week events, but it’s up to the individual to break through the superficial ice breakers and start asking the real questions: “Chessboxing match between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, who is winning?” or “What’s your favorite race?” (Mine is the Space Race).
I don’t know if my friendships from O-Week will last, but I’m happy with the memories I’ve made so far. O-Week is not really about finding lifelong best friends, rather placing down the first few blocks of a new life away from home. It’s about learning how to belong in an unfamiliar place you’re not sure yet you fit into. Community is not inherent, but it is slowly molded through time by curiosity and compassion.
By the end of my four years, I am confident that Cornell will be my community. I will look back on O-Week fondly, thinking of those late nights I spent with strangers. It was chaotic, memorable, and absolutely worth it.
