Episode 28: Freshman Year

Freshman year is many people’s first taste of independence, making it both an exciting and terrifying experience. There have always been new students at Oklahoma State University who have felt this way as they try to navigate campus for the first time. Trying to make new friends and not stick out too much on campus are and always will be a little bit difficult. However, some experiences and traditions for freshmen have changed over the years, like the freshman beanie and Howdy Week, which really shaped the first year OSU experience for many people. This month on Amplified Oklahoma, we’re headed back to freshman year and looking at the good, the bad, the shared, and the unique experiences of freshmen at OSU. We’ll hear interview excerpts from the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program’s archives about the various realities of freshman year for many OSU alumni. Then, we’ll talk with Palvih Bhana, the assistant director of the office of New Student Orientation and Enrollment, about this office’s role in helping incoming freshmen prepare for their first year experiences.