Henry Abbott

Orientation week is probably one of my favorite times to be on campus. The nerves and excitement permeate the air, and everyone is in a bubble of transition. Conversations revolve around what “was” during our summer and what “will be” during our semester. Orientation is where time feels like it stands still, yet everything, and I mean absolutely everything, can feel like it’s changing—I’m thinking of you, first-years!

This year, as many of us know, the schedule for orientation trips (O-trips) changed. First-years got to campus and had two nights of sleep in their bricks and one full day on campus before embarking on trips throughout Maine. At the risk of sounding like a nostalgic upperclassman, back in my day, things were different.

The schedule for arriving at the College used to look like this: arrive, drop off camping gear at Watson, unpack in your dorm, eat, say goodbyes, eat again, sleep, wake up and then go into the woods with about 11 virtual strangers.

It sounds hectic, but to me it was amazing. I was overwhelmed, but there was no time to think, no time to be homesick, no time to reminisce about home and summer. This was perfect, and when I initially heard the schedule changed, I was worried about our first years’ experience. But then I remembered all the changes that the College has undergone in the past.

Maybe five years ago upperclassmen were worried when the first sleep in Farley Field House was removed—yes, that really happened, and yes, there were over 500 people sleeping in the same place for one night.

I know that everyone experiences orientation differently. Many of my friends during our orientation were also overwhelmed. For the same reasons I loved the fast schedule, they hated it. We all come to campus from different homes and different places. What might be easier for some might be more difficult for others. That’s why I think this year’s orientation schedule might be most revealing about how we at the College handle change.

To think about how we deal with change at the College, we only need to look as far as the dining hall. If anyone has gone to Thorne Dining Hall, you’ll know that the clear glass bowls have been swapped for white ceramic ones. I think I had at least seven conversations about the bowls being changed and how greatly missed the glass ones were. Why were we so disappointed? Is change that difficult for us to accept?

Change scares me, too. This semester, I’m going to be abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland, which feels like a massive change. But, if I’m being honest, I’ve basically chosen a school that is Bowdoin but in another country. I’m still going to be living by the ocean, I’m still in a small town and I’m still in a place that values community. And, even still, I’ve never been more scared to leave a place than I am to leave the College.

When I say that we need to be more open to change, I don’t mean to discredit valid criticism of O-trips. Being a trip leader is an honor, but as anyone who has done it can tell you, it’s a lot of work as well. And this year, trip leaders spent more time volunteering with first years on campus than they have in past years. However, that might be more of a discussion for another time.

We, as upperclassmen, had a hard time accepting the change of dishware and an orientation trip schedule that lasted around a week. But you—you are experiencing the most change, so reach out to your floormates, talk to your proctor and know that we all have been in your shoes.

So, to the first years who may be reading this, I get it. Whatever you’re feeling, someone else on this campus has been there. If you’re homesick, we’ve been there. If you’re overwhelmed, we’ve been there. If you’re tired, we’ve all been there!

The Bowdoin community is what I will miss most while I’m abroad, so make the most of it while you have it directly in front of you. I know I’m going to do everything I can to keep my community at the College, even when I’m thousands of miles away. Change is hard, but I like to think it’s usually for the better.

Just remember how lucky we are to keep living in a world where the versions of ourselves that once were are both always the same and always changing.

Ruby Fyffe is a member of the Class of 2026.