For those who start attending a big school like PSU for the first time it can be exciting but also overwhelming. Before becoming a PSU student, I used to visit the campus from Southern Oregon. I saw what a nice place this school was and also met students from different parts of the world; PSU is known for its diversity. I vividly remember the last time I visited the campus before moving to Portland.

One day, after walking around the many buildings, I found a place to sit under a tree between the Library and Neuberger Hall. The weather was so nice that it made me completely forget the other rainy days of my previous visits to Portland. It was spring term and many students were walking in front of me and behind me, others were laying on the grass and enjoying the sun. During those moments it just felt right to be there, and I wished I could someday attend PSU. Well, soon after, I got accepted to PSU.

Everything seemed great during the first term, but when winter with all the rain came, I wasn’t happy about it. Also, big schools have a high number of students, of course, so there were times when I felt lost in the crowd. But I quickly got used to the environment and everything around me as I made more and more new friends. However, now that summer term has come, things have changed dramatically. No more crowds of students, no more long lines at Starbucks, certainly not much of any student activities. Summer definitely feels like a weekend after a busy week of work.