Gone Campin'

Not to be confused with other recent famous camping trips, I went on my own excursion last weekend. This trip, hosted by the Darden Ourdoor Club, was basically a great chance to meet other first-year (FY) students in a scenic setting in the Shenendoah mountains.

It was really exciting to get to know so many new people without the pressure of classes starting. There are always the stresses of new moves and change during these times but the quiet of the woods and mountains sure made worries seem smaller. There was a buzz in the air most of the wekeend of people getting to know each other and they were quick to firget their cluttered apartments they just moved in to.

We had a great trip organized but a couple second-year (SY) Darden students. The mentioned that this was the start of exciting times for us as some of the people we meet would become lifelong friends. We met people from India, Los Angeles, Manhattan and New Jersey. There are a fair amount of people from DC and we also learned the class of 2008 with 339 incoming students is significantly bigger than the typical 310 that was projected. Standing room only?

With only six days until classes begin, I'm getting anxious for things to begin. I'm wrapping up many projects at our new house and getting the laptop ready for action. Many students have already begin pre-matriculation classes this week as a chance to brush up on accounting, numeracy and Excel. After two rounds of accounting classes this year I decided to forego the classes and wait to dive in head first.