Like at the beginning of every school year, there is a wave of different emotions; excitement, nervousness, anticipation, anxiousness.

This is even more true if you are about to start the school year at a brand new school. There are a bunch of older kids that you do not know. You’ve heard the horrid things about high school, they might not be true but there is always the possibility that they are. Grades matter now more than ever. Friendships are tested and you wonder if your best friends will remain your best friends throughout this next chapter in your life.

Luckily, there are people willing to help you feel less anxious to start school — Link Crew leaders. These upperclassmen spent two days training for the big day that is supposed to make you feel better and more confident for your first day of school.

However, no matter how much is planned or rehearsed, the reality can sometimes differ from the expectations. Does freshmen orientation measure up to what was expected by the freshmen?

When asked, what were there expectations for the day and how did the reality differ, Nadine responded with, “I thought that we were going to do something academic instead of the activities. Like in middle school, 6th grade orientation was about going to your classes and getting to know your teachers.”

Another student Miguel T., said, “I expected to walk around the school and get to see where my classes were. Instead we had a day full of other activities and ended up not having enough time to see the second floor of the school.”

One of the goals of freshmen orientation is to make the students feel more comfortable for the first day of school and inform them of some of the aspects of Wilsonville High School. In aspects to this goal, Miguel G. said, “I found it to a little helpful because I got more information about teachers. The rest I already knew prior to beginning school.” Zoey, on the other hand, said, “It was not as helpful as I expected it to be. I thought that I would be going to classes so I was kind of lost the first day of school.”

Another goal of freshmen orientation is to reduce the level of nerves that one might have experience prior to this day. Nadine and Miguel T. both said that they felt less anxious and nervous since they got to walk around the school and see their friends. Miguel G. said that he didn’t experience these emotions due to taking summer classes at the school during break.

One thing that all four students agree on, in aspect to what could have been done to make their experience more enjoyable, they said that they would have like to meet their teachers, know where their classes, and receive information about the weekly schedule.

Freshmen orientation can be considered a success with just a few bumps on the road.