The thing is, the Orientation is held all over campus, so I see them everywhere. I see them having lunch as a group in the Student Union, I see them with their parents lined up in the offices, I see them walking across campus doing campus tours. And every time I see them, I think, wow, they're so young and innocent.
Yeah, they're kids pretty much. Fresh out of high school. Innocent, and waiting to be jaded. For most of them, this is pretty much the first time they will spend a significant amount of their time away from home and the bubble they have been living in up to now. They will make new friends, get exposed to new beliefs, and get a wider acquaintance than the one they are used to in their hometown.
College is a place of discovery. Most people discover drinking, at least here in the USA. But more importantly, college is the ideal place to discover that not everyone believes in the set of beliefs that you have. College is the place to learn about other belief systems that may end up shattering your own belief system. College is a place to ask, question, and challenge.
Of course, whenever I see freshmen, I realize that it's been a while since I was a freshman myself. I entered college in 2001, a full eleven years ago. It's been a long time.
