The Transition from "Underclassman" to "Upperclassman"
By Paige Barlow
Photo by Ben Parker
The first two years of college at Cornell consist of meeting new people, joining new clubs, learning the best places to eat and study on campus, and figuring out how to fit in and find your place in this small clocktower-full world. While being a junior at Cornell has its similarities to my first two years here, there are also many differences. After being a junior for over a month now, I have come to realize just how different (and similar) it is being an upperclassman at Cornell.
1. Registration time
To say course registration as a freshman is stressful is an understatement. There’s nothing that makes your heart skip a beat quite like the second the clock on your computer hits registration time and you have to click “Enroll.” At least for me, registering in the courses I wanted to take as a freshman was almost impossible. I remember freshman year me looking at the course roster and thinking, Wow, there are so many cool courses offered this semester! Little did I know, I would not be getting into any of them! If you know Cornell registration, you know that big classes are an underclassman’s best friend… Oceanography, I’m talking about you.
2. Food on campus
If you’re anything like me, Trillium was the only place to eat on campus freshman year. Realistically, any dining hall that was remotely close to my lunchtime class was going to be where I got lunch. Every day. Every week. I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t realize there were other food places or because it was just the shortest walk from classes, but nonetheless, by the end of the semester, I was pretty sick of quesadillas. I think it’s safe to say I have not been back since. Then, fast forward to now. This year, eating on campus has been WILD. Martha’s, Zeus, Terrace, Macs, Goldie’s, and more — there’s never a shortage of lunch locations to choose from each day.
3. Living in Collegetown
Living in Collegetown is very different from living on North Campus. Gone are the days you can walk to Louie’s, do work in the Architecture building, or walk around Beebe Lake. Instead, you can sit at Collegetown Bagels, walk to Starbucks, or — if you’re an engineering or hotel student — actually get to class on time. While I love the freedom that comes with being in Collegetown and living in an apartment with my friends, North Campus will always have a special place in my heart.
4. Club to job applications
Going to ClubFest (and then virtual ClubFest) as an underclassman was an important part of the semester. Walking around, going to the different club tables, writing your email on way too many email lists, and taking home too many club flyers was an eventful experience. As an indecisive person, I remember feeling pretty overwhelmed with all of my choices. Then, I learned that you actually have to try out for a lot of the clubs at Cornell. So that pretty much narrowed it down for me! As an upperclassman, the “club search” has been replaced with the “internship/job search.” HireViews, Zoom calls, and more have taken the place of info sessions and club recruitment.
5. Being a big kid on campus
Being a junior means feeling much, much older. I don’t know what it is about being a junior, but all of a sudden I went from feeling like one of the youngest on campus to one of the oldest. Whereas before I felt like a middle schooler in a world of adults, I finally feel like the adult. And I’m not exactly sure how I feel about that just yet.
Transitioning from an underclassman to upperclassman brings a lot of exciting change. You’re more comfortable on campus, you’ve found your people, had amazing memories, discovered classes you like (and classes you don’t), developed your interests, and realized that Ithaca means home. I’ll always look back on my memories as an underclassman with both appreciation and laughter. A time of finding your way around campus and finding your interests. Finding your friends and finding yourself. While I’m ready to continue to embark on my journey as an upperclassman, I will always remember the first time I looked up at the clocktower, walked down the Balch steps, woke up early to (not successfully) register for my classes, and stepped through the doors of Trillium. I may be an upperclassman now, but once a freshman, always a freshman.