Life as a 1L

I wake up, and realize the importance of showering the night before. Exhausted, I successfully get on the correct metro rail going the wrong direction. Having the familiar dread of not recognizing anything from the day before, I hop off and proceed to get going in the "right direction."
Learning from yesterday, I get off the metro and walk the right direction to the campus, but turn on the wrong street. --How did they let me into this prestigious campus, I wonder. I can't even get there!!!
The morning begins like the day before, except today I acknowledge with no malice or regret, that I am not liked. I sit alone to eat breakfast, and do so rather successfully, until joined by other 1L's are forced to fill the empty seats. Everyone is overly nice, and nothing is genuine. The herding begins, and I am tempted to scream "Mooooo!" as all 150 something of us try to climb stairs.
We are again placed in our "groups."  In our groups we are herded to the bookstore, to the main campus, to the chapel, to our mail boxes. nothing is assigned to us yet. The friendly faces I meet and see are not in my group, and of course, not in my section. We are about to dismissed at noon to another group leader, who is kind enough to see our group leaders exhaustion, and volunteers to take us to our lockers (which are not assigned yet), when he mentions he is an upperclassmen from Section 3.
Like sharks to blood, the group begins the interrogation. Who are our teachers? how are the exams? Where is our homework?
Clearly, scared for us, he takes us directly to our professor. Our professor, explains, that our homework is to read the syllabus, and the syllabus can be found on the password protected website.
"But we weren't assigned our passwords yet?" Grade Grubber declares.
"It was my understanding that you would receive those today." the professor states with an undertone that clearly states "not my problem."

The upperclassman catches the hint, and thanks him for his time. Clearly seeing the lot of us down casted, the professor calls after our group,
"I'll put hard copies on this table after 4pm."

Smiles, and thanks from the group are issued.
After lockers we are dismissed until 1:30 when we are to get our passwords

It is not even 1pm. The pinning ceremony is at 6pm. Almost everyone home except for a choice number of Section 3 students, as we are depending on our passwords.

Making my way to the student lounge I see a speaker from yesterday talking to a handful of my colleagues. I join the circle wondering what the upperclassmen might be conveying.  She sees me, and instantly introduces herself.

I know her name. She is Ms. Everything. She's top of her class, and head of law review. She sits on every group I want on, and to boot, she's pretty damn hot. I saw her yesterday, and knew, this is a girl I want to know...Even better, this is a girl I want to become.


I introduce myself, and she restates that she had just joined the group wanting to know if we "1L's" might have any questions.

The infamous question is asked. "What section are you?"
"Section 3,"  says Ms. Everything.  "What sections are you?" 
--The table is 8 and her, and 4 of us are Section 3.
"We're mostly section 3....."(I gather courage, knowing this is a golden opportunity
    "You're only the second Section 3 upperclassman, we've been given the opportunity to speak with."
"Really? Oh, I'm so sorry?! Thats my fault." Ms. Everything says, sincerely. Seeing our confusion she explains. It's a good thing. Section 3 dominates the review. The review. The prestigious review. The review that everyone wants, but few are selected to be on. Section 3 dominates. Suddenly I'm overwhelmed with relief. The review is in meetings all week prior to school beginning. Ms. Everything continues to dish. We learn the insight on our teachers, who are the best. We learn what our exams will be like, which are fair. We learn no one forgot Section  3, they just got busy being their excellent selves.

It's 1:45 and time to get our passwords. As everyone leaves, Ms. Everything see's me holding back and stops to ask if I have any more questions. Knowing her weight in the organizations I wish to join, I suddenly become as eager as the Grade Grubber. How can I join this club and that? What are her recommendations?   I try ever so delicately to mention I want to be on the review, and how might I do so?
Ms. Everything walks me to my classroom with my answers. Study, get good grades, and no worries, they'd be in touch.

Passwords are given, and it is 2pm. Truly almost everyone now goes home.
I am the commuter. Not living in the city I have packed lunch and have worn business attire for the evening. I have packed flashcards to study, and begin my lonely existence as theother students venture out for lunch or home.

After a peanut butter and diet cola kinda lunch, I roam the halls. In an effort to be productive, I head to the computer lab to register and get my homework downloaded.
Not surprisingly Grade Grubber is there with what seems her own study group already formed.

What-ever....I print and bail. and make my ways out doors. Calling this person and that, I tie up some student loans, and am feeling accomplished. A little before 4, I feel someone tap my shoulder. A friend from conference has just flown in. He has missed the entire orientation. Knowing he's in need, I do a quick tour. We fly through this hall and that, and I help him get registered.  After scolding my friend, the Dean of Student Affairs shakes my hand and tells me I've done good by looking after my classmate. I say I'm happy to do so, and mean it. He's happy I'm his friend and even though he's Section 1, I'm suddenly not feeling so lonely.

He neeeds to run to change into his suit for the ceremony and I'm left again in the student lounge.

In the student lounge, I meet an alumni who has decided to take work off early to join us. We exchange maybe two words, and he pins me for a 1L instantly.  He ask my schedule, and is instantly giving me advice. A recent grad, he knows the game. Seeing a willing mentee, he graciously teaches me some of the rules. After an hour and a half  flies by, I'm suddenly aware I need to be learning my alma mater with the other 1L's that are filing in past us. We exchange cards, and I succumb to being herded once more into mass.

We are in suits, and I'm hot. I haven't done my make up or changed my shoes, and am suddenly aware, that I've been networking for the past 4 hours.

We are herded outside to wonderful speakers and are led in a wonderful ceremony.  We are lined up, and are holding our pins. Our instructions are that alumni will approach us and should we want them to pin us, we are to give them are pins. If we want a particuliar alumni to pin us, we are to hold on to our pins.
Two gracious alumni  move to pin me, and I graciously reserve my pin. Ms. Everything is taking pictures, see's me and smiles,
"Have you been pinned, ?"
I explain, I'm waiting and she nods a knowing smile, while secretly inside I'm jumping up and down that she knows my name, let alone was willing to pin me.
Not waiting any longer, I march to thecenter of the aisle and tap on the dean of admissions shoulder.
Turning around he smiled and said,
"There you are, I was looking for you."
    I hand him my pin saying "Its been a long journey getting here" knowing he is aware of my admissions packet and story.....
I'm being pinned, its  real.
***
Skipping the reception, I recite the pledge into my mom's answering machine. I'm crying.  
"I am at the Capstone, the Mecca, I am Home."