Exeter: A New Experience

The last thing I could have asked for to make my emotions run even higher on my first move-in day at Exeter was for the weather to not cooperate with the lugging and carrying of boxes that lay ahead for my parents and me. Of course, as I am driving down Front Street, the sky does nothing but open up and rain comes pouring down. I could hear the thunder right above my car. Like most people, this initially put a damper on my mood and created so much more angst that I had to wrap my mind around besides the typical first day anxiety.

"It was evident in the first few minutes that these people were happy to have me here, and they wanted to meet me and help as much as they could."

I pulled up to my new home, the wonderful Hoyt Hall, and was flooded with questions about what to grab and where to put it by the most kind, outgoing proctors. It was evident in the first few minutes that these people were happy to have me here, and they wanted to meet me and help as much as they could. Until then, I had never had an experience that was so welcoming.

I knew then that this huge decision I made to leave behind the life I had in my hometown for seventeen years was the right one. Despite the fact that I was only here for a few minutes, the sense of community that is a large factor in what makes this school so great was shining brighter than I had ever seen or heard about before. That was a common theme over the next few days of orientation meetings and “New Student” activities. Everyone was always happy you were here, and they did not want to do anything but make you feel so welcomed. I was now a member of a large community that cared about every person apart of it, whether I was a stranger to them or it was my sister on the path.

It was really easy to get overwhelmed by the swarms of people that all seemed to be strangers to me, and the first few days were really hard. But no matter who you talk to, someone will always be there to welcome you in the dining hall or at the playing fields in your new community. The weekend activities definitely made the transition a little bit easier, too. From meeting people while a trapeze act goes on at the Big Red Carnival or learning how to be a more positive person with your classmates and Ed Gerety, there were always people who wanted to welcome you to the school.

The first days of being a new student teach you how you want to treat the new students next year. The inclusion and welcoming of the Exeter community is one like no other, and I will make sure to carry that with me for years to come in every aspect of my life.