The second time around
Second semester brings new classes, new experiences for first-year students

Mary Cate Connors | contributing writer
mconnors@smcvt.edu

After spending a month away from school, the return of the workload and the social scene can be a lot to get used to for any student. But it can be especially hard on the first-year class.

First years return

First-years attending a housing meeting on Feb. 1. (Mary Cate Connors, photo)

For some first-year students, returning to St. Michael’s College after winter break means yet another adjustment period.

“The first two weeks of both semesters were hard for me,” says Chelsea Pescosolido, a first-year and Joyce Hall resident. “But then I adjusted.”

Pescosolido says that she keeps herself busy with community service, altar-serving, intramural soccer and a work study job in the financial aid office. She says that even though her workload can get tough at times, she tries not to get too stressed out.

For other first-years, like Dan Lewis, a Ryan Hall resident, winter break felt too long.

“I was sick of home in two weeks and couldn’t wait to come back,” He says. Lewis says that while his parents no longer place many restrictions upon him, he still enjoys having his own freedom.

Like Lewis, first-year Alison Dionne couldn’t wait to get back to St. Michael’s for her second semester.

“You have no idea how much I missed school,” Dionne says.

She says that she sometimes misses her family, but also likes being able to come back to her room at 4 a.m. without anyone questioning her.

Although first-years tend to welcome the freedom of college, Lewis says he has also had to work more at St. Michael's.

“[St. Michael's] is at least five times harder than high school,” he says.

Still, Lewis admits the semester hasn't been all work.

“College is a lot of napping,” he says.

First-years cite various reasons for choosing St. Michael's.

“At first it was because Saint Michael was my patron saint,” Pescolido says. “Then it was because of the colors, then it was because of Smuggs, and then it was because of the educational stuff.”

Dionne says she came to St. Michael's because of the beautiful people and the beautiful campus. She says that she loves school, but college life was definitely a major adjustment. One of the major changes was her living situation, Dionne says.

One of the biggest adjustments first-years have had to make, is living in a campus dormitory. Pescosolido says she lives on the third floor of Joyce, which is GREAT (Growing recognition of the effects of alcohol on thinking) housing.

“We’re party animals,” she says.

She hangs out later at night and is always with people, she says. Her hall plays card games like "Apples to Apples" and "Phase 10" almost nightly.

Making friends was easier than she thought it would be, she says.

First year students like Alex Canepa face the challenge of balancing homework and free time. (Mary Cate Connors, photo)

“College wasn’t the hyped-up scary experience that it was made out to be,” she says.

Dionne says that she went a little crazy the first few weeks of school because she’d never really been away from her parents.

“Things have calmed down though,” she says. “I’ve found my niche.”

Dionne says that she goes out a lot more now as opposed to high school.

“Now I can walk across the hall to see my friends,” she says.

Making room for a large class

As of Oct. 15, 2006, there were 599 students enrolled in the class of 2010, according to the St. Michael's registrar's office.

Jerry Flanagan, vice president for enrollment and marketing, says that the class of 2010 is one of St. Michael’s biggest classes to date.

He says that as far as the admissions department is concerned, the bigger class size has made students work harder to achieve the same quality as a small class. According to Flanagan, next year’s class will most likely be smaller than the past two, to keep the overall enrollment from rising.

One of the biggest changes that comes with the large class size is to the number of admitted transfer students, he says. The number of transfer students has been reduced in the past two years due to large classes, he says.

“In the period of the 90s we would average 54 transfer students,” he says. “From 1999 to 2006, it’s closer to 37.” Flanagan says the numbers this year have been even smaller.

Big class, big problems?

First-year students Janine Pendexter, Rachel Allen and Kristen Fiocco congregate outside of Lyons Hall. (Mary Cate Connors, photo)

Lewis says that while he has enjoyed the social life at St. Michael’s, he hasn't had to deal with the authorities.

“I’ve avoided security all year and surprisingly stayed out of trouble,” he says.

The same cannot be said for all first-year students. According to the fall semester judicial summary, approximately 272 students were involved in judicial hearings first term.

The report says 57% of all of those students were from the first-year class. There were 56 students taken to ACT 1, the hospital, or the Correctional Center Detox Unit, and according to the report, 37 of those students were first-years.

Krysten Farrell, a resident assistant in Ryan Hall, says that while her students had a little trouble with the rules at the beginning of the year, they are pretty well-adjusted now.

“At the beginning of the year there were problems that ended with fines, security, community service and visits to ACT 1,” shel says. “Second semester, though, they’ve stepped it up maturity-wise and they are really handling their freedom. They've really embraced the college life.”