In 2010, things will most likely be a lot different. If you have seen the new Al Gore movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", you might believe that by that time our environment will be damaged beyond repair. I plan to graduate in 2010.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I was welcomed warmly into Iona College's class of 2010. There was a speech by the school's president, numerous presentations by a number of people regarding safety, drugs, alcohol, sexual harassment, and the responsibilities I have as a student. My advisor gave a speech and gave us our class schedules, a residence advisor, and many things to read.

I tried to absorb as much as I could because I knew that from that moment on I will be expected to work hard. After breakfast, my fellow students and I were broken into groups. I was in a group that consisted of about eight students (including myself) and two counselors who were sophomores at the college. Meanwhile, our parents were told to go to one of the nearby auditoriums.

There, sitting at our tables and not knowing anything whatsoever about one another, we engaged in a few “icebreakers” games. I was not thrilled. "What I would bring to a picnic" was the first game's title. How did you play? You had to say something that you would bring to a picnic that has the first letter of your first name and then you had to repeat what the people before you said. I had four people before me and my problem was that I did not pay attention. I could not remember how to play the game much less what people said before me.

Then, we had to list our hopes and fears and I found that many people have the fear of the "freshman 15", the customary 15 pounds one gains when a freshman eats because he is bored, or because he is stressed or because he can or even because he's hungry.

Our group activities continued with a bit of small talk in between. As you looked around you could definitely see the "big man on campus" syndrome starting to show. If you don't know what this syndrome is, it is when the most popular kids in their high schools go to a private school like Iona and they find that there are tons of kids just like themselves. They must start a whole new social web just like the rest of us.

The incoming freshman class this year for Iona College is about 900 or so and there were 70 there that day so it is a good chance that the ones that were sitting with me at that table are not going to be my roommates or have any connection with me after that day.

After the games, we went to the auditorium to join our parents and received another speech about college students, drugs and alcohol by a man named, Brother Devlin.

Many people, upon stepping on the campus, notice that Iona has their mission statement shown boldly; they make sure that it appears on every lamppost, in almost every hall, and in every speech. Part of Iona College's motto is that you will always be cared for and respected by everyone from Iona upon graduation.

Your reputation is what you make of it and Brother Devlin was right when he said that "you rise to your own expectations".

We met about 8% of the incoming class on this day and I loved every minute of it. There were students coming from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. There were even exchange students from China.

I received loads of useful information and documents. I know that I will be busy for quite a few days reading it. The campus was beautiful, the staff was helpful & considerate, and I left feeling excited about my future life there.

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